Thursday, August 29, 2013ServiceNow's Slootman Aligns With Pre-IPO Flash Storage FirmFrank Slootman, the CEO of San Diego-based ServiceNow, headed up the software developer's very successful IPO last year. Now, a data storage provider, Pure Storage, is hoping to take advantage of Slootman's expertise for its own IPO. Pure Storage, which is based in Silicon Valley, announced the addition of Slootman to its board today, along with a huge, $150M funding. That funding came from T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, Tiger Global, and Sutter Hill, Greylock, Redpoint, and Index Ventures. Pure Stora (More info...)
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HuffingtonPost Abandons Los Angeles Video Streaming Effort, Says ReportThe Huffington Post is abandoning its video effort, HuffPo Live, in Los Angeles, according to a report today, and is laying off around 20 staffers from its office here. HuffPo Live was launched about a year to, to provide live-streaming, video coverage to the Huffington Post site. The move apparently came as HuffingtonPost is shifting its HuffPo Live focus to international markets.
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Hubber Dangles Tesla Rental PromotionWish you could be driving around a brand new, 2013 Tesla Model S through the streets of Los Angeles, instead of that downscale rental car? Los Angeles-based Hubber, the startup which is letting users get paid to park their car at LAX--by letting users rent out their cars to others--has been running a promotion which will offer up a free, 3-day rental on a 2013 Tesla Model S to its customers.
According to Hubber, users can enter to win the free, 3-day rental when they list their car with the H (More info...)
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Retention Science Lands $750,000 MoreLos Angeles-based Retention Science, the big data-focused analytics firm led by Jerry Jao, said this morning that it has raised $750,000 in a new funding round. The funding came from Forerunner Ventures, and comes on top of an earlier, $1.3 million seed funding from Baroda Ventures. Retention Science said the new funds will go towards expanding its product development and sales teams.
Retention Science develops "big data" software to help e-commerce companies to better engage consumers, by pr (More info...)
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Sony Slashes Jobs In San DiegoSony's massively multiplayer online game division, Sony Online Entertainment, is cutting jobs in San Diego, as part of a cost reduction move, Sony disclosed Wednesday. Size of the layoffs have not been announced. The layoffs, which were first reported by GameSpot, also affected Sony Online Entertainment's Austin operations. Sony said it made the cuts to refocus its attention on its current MMO portfolio, as well as EverQuest franchise, EverQuest Next Landmark and EverQuest Next.
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Auction.com Expands In TexasIrvine-based online real estate marketplace operator Auction.com is expanding its operations, saying this week that it has opened up a new office in Austin, Texas. Auction.com said it is expecting to hire up to 40 employees in its new location in AUstin, which has 7,000 square feet. Auction.com has over 1,000 full time employees spread across the US and Europe; it offers an online real estate marketplace for all kinds of property, ranging from residential, foreclosure, commercial, land, and more (More info...)
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Boingo Selected By Movile In Roaming DealLos Angeles-based Wi-Fi network operator Boingo has been selected by a Latin American mobile services company, to power global Wi-Fi roaming, Boingo said this morning. Boingo said that Movile will use the company to provide global, Wi-Fi roaming, using its Free Zome app to access Boingo's extensive network of hotspots. Financial details of the partnership were not announced. Mobile has 8 million users who are using its mobile Wi-Fi service. The deal gives Movile access to a network of more than (More info...)
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Tapping The Power Of The Crowd For Ideas, Advice and Funding, with JumpStartFund
Can tapping the power of the crowd not only help you find customers and help fund your project, but also help you shape your startup idea and find funding? A new, Los Angeles area startup, JumpStartFund (www.jumpstartfund.com) recently launched, offering up a combination of crowdfunding and crowd-advice for entrepreneurial ideas. We spoke with Dirk Ahlborn, the companies CEO and founder, to learn more on how JumpStartFund wants to not only help companies raise money for their projects, but als (More info...)
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MomentFeed: Starbucks Leads In Instagram PhotosWhere are consumers most likely to take, and share Instagram photos? According to Los Angeles-based MomentFeed, the lead location where consumers are taking photos at retailers is Starbucks, which the company found had the most number of photos taken and posted on Instagram. MomentFeed--which develops software used by those retailers to match up social activity to their retail locations--said that it has published a report which shows that Starbucks led in Instagram engagement in Q2 of 2013, wit (More info...)
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RxVantage In Deal With Rheumatology OrganizationLos Angeles-based healthcare technology software developer RxVantage, which is led by Jay Goss, has inked an endorsement from a organization focused on rheumatology. According to the company, it has entered into a strategic agreement. with the National Organization of Rheumatology Managers (NORM), which will recommend RxVantage's software to its members. RxVantage develops cloud-based software which helps physicians streamline their relationships and scheduling with pharmaceutical and other medi (More info...)
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Cie Games Debuts New Auto Racing GameLong Beach-based mobile games developer Cie Games said today that it has laucnhed a new mobile game, called Racing Rivals, a social game which lets users race their friends with virtual drag racers. The company--which makes the game "Car Town"--said the new title is sponsored by Nitto Tire. Cie Games has taken a unique approach with its mobile and social games, which are sponsored by a number of major partners, including Sony Pictures, Walmart, NASCAR, GEneral MOtors, and others. Financial detai (More info...)
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MaxLinear Gets Design Win At SMCCarlsbad-based radio frequency semiconductor and mixed signal circuit developer MaxLinear says it has scored a design with with SMC Networks, and will be powering SMC's DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems and gateways. Expected shipment volumes and financial impact of the win was not announced. MaxLinear said SMC is using its digital cable front-end receiver as part of its new line of products.
posted on Thursday, August 29, 2013(Full story)