Monday, February 3, 2014Snapchat Adds $4.5M More To $50M RoundVenice, California-based Snapchat, the developer of the popular social media app, has added $4.5M in venture funding--and three new investors--as part of its Series C funding round, according to a regulatory filing by the company today. Details on the new funding were not announced by the company. Snapchat had raised the initial $50M in its Series C back in December, from Coatue Management; the company's has previously raised funding from Institutional Venture Partners, General Catalyst, Benchma (More info...)
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Airpush, OpenX Tie For Mobile Ad ExchangeLos Angeles-based mobile advertising firm Airpush, and Pasadena-based ad exchange and ad technology provider OpenX said Monday that the two companies are in a partnership to launch a new, private mobile ad exchange. The two said the new exchange--billed AirX--will provide real-time bidding on Airpush's ad network, which offers up advertising via more than 120,000 Android apps. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
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At The Pool Hits 120 Countries, 3053 CitiesAt The Pool, the Los Angeles startup which develops a service to help users meet new people based on their common interests, told its users over the last week that it is now in 120 countries and is covering 3,053 cities -- a dramatic growth that was driven by the launch of a set of mobile apps three months ago. The startup--which initially launched its service on the web back in 2012--released
a new iOS application in November, allowing users to easily see who is nearby, what they're doing, an (More info...)
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One Kings Lane Finds $112M More For Home FurnishingsOne Kings Lane, an online, flash home furnishing retailer which has offices and one of its founders (Susan Feldman) in Los Angeles, disclosed that it has raised $112M in a Series E funding round. The funding came from Mousse Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Greylock Partners, Institutional Venture Partners, Scripps Networks Interactive and Tiger Global Management. The funding comes on top of an earlier $117M raised by the company in prior rounds. One Kings Lane offers up furniture and (More info...)
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Sonos: Our Time Is NowIn an email to the company's supporters and fans, Sonos, the developer of the easy-to-use, wireless whole home music systems, said that the company is looking to bring its vision--to fill every home with music and make listening a valued experience again--to the world via its Super Bowl ad, which debuted Sunday during the big game. The ad looks to be a major milestone for the company, which was founded in 2002, introducing its first systems in 2004, and has since grown to become one of the large (More info...)
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Sonos, Beats Music Make Super Bowl Commercial DebutsTwo, Southern California startups -- whole home music system developer Sonos, and streaming music service Beats Music -- made their Super Bowl commercial debuts yesterday, an unusual occasion for the startup community here. A 30-second, Super Bowl commercial spot this year cost $4 million, not including the cost of creating and filming a commercial. Sonos featured an ad showing the concept of its whole home music system, and Beats Music's ad featured comedienne Ellen DeGeneres decked out as a m (More info...)
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TheBouqs.com Launches New App
Online flower delivery startup The Bouqs Company, which is based in Los Angeles, announced today that it has launched a brand new app, which allows customers to send flowers directly from their smartphone or tablet to friends, colleages, and others. According to the company, the new app runs on both iOS and Android platforms, and provides "two click" sending of its farm-direct flowers to anyone you want. TheBouqs said the key feature of the app is the two-click sending, which uses a user's flo (More info...)
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Slacker Names New CEOSan Diego-based streaming radio service Slacker said late Friday that it has named a new CEO, and has appointed Duncan Orrell-Jones to head up the company. Orrell-Jones replaces previous CEO Jim Cady, who Slacker said will remain on the company's board. Orrell-Jones was previously SVP of Network Business at Nintendo of America, and also served at Disney Interactive Media Group. Slacker operates an online, music and radio streaming service, and has been looking to differentiate itself from the st (More info...)
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United Online Discontinues DividendsWoodland Hills-based United Online said late Friday afternoon that it has decided to discontinue its payment of dividends, which it says will provide it with "financial flexibility" in its long term growth plans. The company owns Classmates, StayFriends, MyPoints, NetZero, and Juno, and recently spun off flower service FTD form its operations.
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TrulySocial Launches Flirting App In LAIs Los Angeles becoming the capital of mobile dating and flirting apps? Truly Social Apps, a UK-based mobile app development firm, launched its new flirting app for singles here today, saying that its new apps--Flirt Planet Meet and Flirt Planet Play--are targeted at helping people practice their flirting skills. It's unclear if the London company has any other links to LA, which is the home of such companies as Snapchat, Tinder, Spark.com, and eHarmony.
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Sorrento Therapeutics Names New Board MemberSan Diego-based clinical oncology firm Sorrento Therapeutics said today that it has named a new board director. Sorrento Therapeutics said it named Daniel Levitt, the current Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of CytRx, to its board of directors. Levitt has more than 28 years of experience in the drug development and biopharmaceuticals area. Levitt replaces Ernst-Guenter Afting, Ph.D., who has stepped down from the company's board to focus on his consulting activities in Europe, (More info...)
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