Tuesday, March 19, 2013Semtech Sells Off Product Line To Canadian FirmCamarillo-based Semtech, which is a supplier of both analog and mixed signal semiconductors, said that it has sold off one of its product lines to a Canadian firm. Semtech said Tuesday afternoon that it has sold its video optical module (optical SFP) product line to Embrionix, a supplier of SFPs to the broadcast video market. Financial details of the sale were not disclosed. Semtech said the move is part of an effort by the firm to divest the "non-core" portfion o fits video business; the compan (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, March 19, 2013(Full story)
Hulu Redesigns Apple TV UILos Angeles-based video streaming site Hulu released a new, redesigned user interface to the Hulu Plus service on Apple TV Tuesday, saying that it has redesigned the app "from the ground up." Among the updates to the service, Hulu said it split the content categories across the top navigation bar, let users store their favorite shows in a "Show You Watch" tray, and also added ability to easily view captions and subtitles.
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Nomadix Settles With AT&TAgoura Hills-based wireless gateway developer Nomadix reported Tuesday that it has reached a settlement with Wayport, Inc., Superclick, Inc., and Superclick Networks, Inc., affiliates of AT&T Corp., over a patent infringement case. According to Nomadix, the settlement includes a license to AT&T, under Nomadix patents relating to Internet access technologies. Financial details of the settlement were not disclosed. Nomadix had sued Wayport, HP, BAHN Corporation, Guest-Tek Interactive Entertainment (More info...)
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Life Imitates Art Imitates Life As Amazon Films Show At ROCIn one of those "only in Silicon Beach" moments, a pilot show from Amazon Studios--Betas--has apparently been filming its pilot show at Silicon Beach technology hangout Real Office Centers (ROC), off Arizona in Santa Monica. The show--a comedy about "under-socialized computer geeks" working on their own, Silicon Valley startup--is one of a number of shows being piloted by Amazon for its Amazon Instant Video service. The show is being produced by Scott Sites, known for the Comedy Central sitcom W (More info...)
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JMI Equity Re-Ups On AppNetaSan Diego-based private equity investor JMI Equity has put more capital into AppNeta, a Boston-based provider of cloud-based, IT performance management software. AppNeta said it raised $16M in a Series C, which was led by Bain Capital Ventures, Egan-Managed Capital, JMI Equity and Business Development Bank of Canada. JMI Equity has been an investor in AppNeta since at least 2009.
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Leads360 Uses Algorithms To Automate Sales PrioritizationCan an algorithm help improve the conversion rate of leads? Los Angeles based Leads360, the developer of sales leads management software, thinks so, announcing today that it has launched a new product which uses a fancy algorithm to better assign and drive leads and sales followups. The firm said its new Performance-Based Distribution and Lead Scoring product continually learns and self tunes itself, based on the performance of sales representatives, to improve the chance of converting sales lea (More info...)
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New Accelerator, Be Great Partners, Plans $6M Investment FundBe Great Partners, the newly launched startup accelerator which has set up shop on Wilshire Blvd in the Variety Building, said Monday that it plans to launch a new, $6M fund to make investments of $25,000 to $50,000 in new products. The firm said it is planning to accept outside applications later this year for its accelerator. The new accelerator is headed by Lin Miao, formerly one of the founders of a somewhat controversial startup, Tatto Media. According to Be Great Partners, it is planning t (More info...)
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ParkMe Tests Monthly Parking ServiceLos Angeles-based ParkMe, the developer of mobile parking information applications, has just started a test of a new service to help users automatically find, negotiate, and secure monthly parking spaces. According to the firm, it has begun testing a service which will let users enter the address where they'd like to have a monthly spot--whether that's at home or at work--how many space they need, and they'll get back in two days with a list of the best deals nearby.
According to ParkMe, the (More info...)
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Rexter Gets $1.5M To Put Contact Management On Steroids
Rexter, a brand new, Pasadena startup looking to put business contact management on steroids, said today that it has raised $1.5M in a seed funding round, which included local high profile technology executives Ted Meisel, Gil Elbaz, Sean Moriarty, Jarl Mohn, along with Siemer Ventures. The startup, led by Andy Wilson, said it has created a big-data driven system to analyze a user's professional relationship, and helps organize and syncrhonize contact data, emails, meetings, and phone calls.
(More info...)
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Demand Media Expands Into Online Learning, Buys Creativebug
Santa Monica-based Demand Media said this morning it has expanded into the online learning market, and has acquired Creativebug, an online site which provides educational videos around art and carft instruction. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Creativebug operates an online site which provides arts and crafts workshops, teaching people how to sew, knit, make jewelry, and more. The firm was based in San Francisco. According to Demand Media, Creativebug's library of (More info...)
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Mogreet Targets Small Businesses With Self-Serve, Mobile MarketingLos Angeles-based mobile messaging and marketing firm Mogreet is targeting the small business market with a new, self-serve offering it is calling Mogreet Express, the company announced this morning. According to Mogreet, Mogreet Express allows small- and medium-sized businesses to use text and multimedia to communicate with their customers on mobile devices.
The new service lets users create their own database of customers, and send SMS and MMS messages and run marketing campaigns. Mogreet s (More info...)
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Nimble Sets Chief Marketing Officer
Santa Monica-based customer relationship management software developer Nimble has hired Eric Quanstrom as its new Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Marketing and Sales, the company announced today. Quanstrom joins the company from Sorenson Media, where he was Chief Operating Officer. He also has served at Sightspeed, Appellation America, and Fox Online Properties.
Nimble, which is headed by Jon Ferrara, the former founder of Goldmine, is developing a relationship management soft (More info...)
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uSamp Names New Insights, Strategy HeadEncino-based survey and sampling technology developer uSamp announced this morning that it has expanded its Consumer Insights division through the hiring of a new Senior Director of Insights and Strategy. uSamp said it has hired Robert Clancy, a veteran of such companies as Diageo, JCPenney, Blockbuster and PepsiCo, to the position. uSamp offers up services to companies and marketers, allowing them to sample and survey potential customers and help provide information to drive product and service (More info...)
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