Tuesday, July 2, 2013


Be Great Partners Boots Up $6M Accelerator Fund
Los Angeles-based Be Great Partners, one of the many startup incubators and accelerators now populating Los Angeles, said Tuesday that it has launched a new, $6M investment fund, which it intends to spread across 250 promising startups. The incubator/accelerator said it has so far invested in fifteen companies, with investments ranging from $25,000 to $50,000. Among the companies it says it has invested in are Republic Project, Hullabalu, Skinny Bikini, MeUndies, and Achievemint. The startup acc (More info...)
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AddToAny Bought Back From Lockerz By Founder
AddToAny, the developer of WordPress and Drupal social sharing plug-ins which got its start at UC San Diego, is back as an independent firm, according to the company's founder, Pat Diven II. Diven said that he has acquired AddToAny back from Lockerz, which had acquired the company back in July of 2011. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. Diven started AddToAny at UC San Diego when he was a student there, although he's since moved to the Bay Area.
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Bestofmedia Group Acquired By Tech Media Network
Los Angeles-based Bestofmedia Group, the publisher behind the Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, and Tom's IT Pro online publications, has been acquired by Tech Media Network. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Bestofmedia was venture backed by Index Ventures, and had raised around $35M in funding. Tech Media Network is venture backed by ABS Capital Partners, Highway 12 Ventures, and Village Ventures.
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Prizeo Powers Campaign With Kristen Bell
Los Angeles-based Prizeo, a startup which runs an online platform which helps celebrities raise money for their causes, has launched a campaign this morning for celebrity Kristen Bell. The campaign offers up a chance for a "platonic date" with Bell to a human rights conference. Bell was the star of the television series "Veronica Mars" and has also starred in such films as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Fanboys, Couples Retreat, and When in Rome. Users who donate money to Bell's cause will get a ch (More info...)
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ParkMe Upgrades iOS App
Santa Monica-based parking app developer ParkMe has just upgraded its iOS application, adding such features as Apple Maps directions, icons for amenities at parking lots, including car wash services, EV chargers, and airport shuttles. ParkMe also said it has added more phone numbers for lots and garages, and support for landscape orientation on the iPad. The updated app is available on the App Store. ParkMe is venture backed by Angeleno Group, Fontinalis Partners and IDG Ventures.
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Southwest Airlines Offers DISH TV For Free, Thanks To Row 44
Southwest Airlines and satellite television provider DISH said today that they will begin offering free, live TV and on-demand TV access to Southwest Airlines customers. The new service comes thanks to a local company, Westlake Village-based Row 44, which offers up in-flight entertainment and connectity systems. According to DISH and Southwest, they will offer up free, live and on-demand TV to customers using iPad, iPod touch, and other personal devices, on the 400 Southwest airplanes which ha (More info...)
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EcoATM Acquired For $350M By Coinstar
San Diego-based startup EcoATM, the developer of automated kiosks used for recycling cell phones and other electronics, has been acquired by newly renamed Coinstar (now known as Outerwall). According to Outerwall, it will pay $350M in cash for EcoATM. Outerwall already owned 23 percent of ecoATM. ecoATM develops self-serve kiosks--found in many malls--which lets consumers turn in their mobile phones, tablets, and MP3 players for cash. The acquisition looks to be a great one for EcoATM's inve (More info...)
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Xencor In Licensing Deal With Merck
Monrovia-based Xencor announced today that it is in a technology license and option agreement with biotech giant Merck. Xencor said that the deal provides Merck with access to one of its patents for therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Xencor said the non-exclusive license will provide Xencor with an upfront payment and annual maintenance fees, along with milestone payments associated with the successful development of Merck product candidates, and royalties on sales. Financial terms of that deal (More info...)
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OpenX Names Two VPs
Los Angeles-based advertising technology developer OpenX, which is backed by Accel Partners, Index Ventures, SAP Ventures, and Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, said this morning that it has hired two executives, one from Hewlett-Packard, the other from SAP. OpenX said it has named Nicholas Cumins as Senior Vice President of Products, and named Manoj Goyal as Senior Vice President of Engineering. Cumins joins from SAP, where he served in a number of roles, including SVP Product Management. (More info...)
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ServiceNow Wins Healthcare System
San Diego-based ServiceNow, which develops enterprise IT software, reported a win this morning with CHRISTUS Health, a Catholic health system with assets of almost $5 billion. ServiceNow said that CHRISTUS Health is using its software-as-a-service to consolidate and automate its IT operational processes. Financial impact of the win was not announced. ServiceNow said that CHRISTUS Health is among the top 10 Catholic health care systems in the U.S. in terms of size, and has more than 40 hospitals (More info...)
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