Wednesday, March 26, 2014Forbes Midas List Gives Cold Shoulder To SoCal VCs
The latest annual ranking of venture capitalists by Forbes has given a cold shoulder to Southern California venture capitalists. The Forbes Midas List, which was published Wednesday, did not name a single, Southern California investor. The list has been short on local investors for the last few years, even as many Southern California companies have helped place other, Silicon Valley venture capitalists high up on the investor ranking.
Despite the cold shoulder to local investors, a number (More info...)
posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2014(Full story)
Fandango Adds 1,000 Screens To Movie Ticketing ServiceLos Angeles-based Fandango said Wednesday that it has added another 1,000 screens available via its mobile and online movie ticketing service, from five different movie theater companies. Financial impact of the addition was not announced. Fandango said the new screens brings its U.S. coverage to more than 23,000 screens. The new deals include Malco Theaters, Frank Theatres, Goodrich Quality Theaters, NCG Cinemas, and Paragon Theaters. All of those exhibitors are smaller chains with a regional p (More info...)
posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2014(Full story)
TubeMogul Files For IPOTubeMogul, the developer of software for helping companies manage their digital video advertising which has operations in Los Angeles, has filed for an IPO. TubeMogul said in its S-1 Wednesday that it is looking to raise up to $75.0M on the New York Stock Exchange as TUBE. The company's IPO is being underwritten by BofA Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, RBC Capital Markets, BMO Capital Markets, and Oppenheimer & Co. The company is venture backed by Trinity Ventures, Foundation Capital, and Northgate Cap (More info...)
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MediaAlpha Gets Funding For Insurance Advertising TechnologyLos Angeles-based MediaAlpha, a developer of performance-based, real-time bidding advertising technology specifically aimed at insurance ads, has raised a round of funding and launch of its product. MediaAlpha said that it has received a majority investment from a wholly-owned subsidiary of White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd., which will go towards its advertising technology platform. MediaAlpha--headed by Steve Yi--develops technology that lets online insurance advertisers target customers us (More info...)
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TrueCar Wins AARPSanta Monica-based TrueCar, which operates a technology driven, car buying service, has inked a big deal with the AARP, the group which serves people age 50 and over. According to TrueCar, it is powering the new AARP Auto Buying Program, which will provide upfront pricing information, special incentives, and other related services to AARP's members. Financial impact of the deal was not announced. TrueCar's technology is used to provide pre-negotiated and upfront pricing on automobiles, and power (More info...)
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Kareo: Bringing The Power Of the Cloud to Small Medical Practices
One of the biggest areas where the cloud is transforming business is in small and medium sized businesses--where suddenly, companies are able to leverage software which wouldn't be available, or are too costly for them to implement individually, but where the cloud access suddenly makes it affordable and easy. Irvine-based Kareo (www.kareo.com) is in one of those areas, serving small medical practices, and has turned that into a multi million dollar business with 325 employees. We caught up CE (More info...)
posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2014(Full story)
Oculus VR Acquired By Facebook For $2 BillionIrvine-based virtual reality technology developer Oculus VR has been acquired by Facebook, in a deal worth approximately $2 billion. According to Facebook, the deal includes $400M in cash, plus 23.1 million shares of Facebook common stock valued at $1.6 billion. The deal also includes a potential of an additional $300M in earn out. Oculus VR will remain in Irvine, and continue developing its virtual reality product, Oculus Rift. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the move comes to help the compan (More info...)
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Global Analytics Buys workpays.meSan Diego-based Global Analytics Holdings, which develops financial analytics products aimed at the underbanked, said Tuesday that it has acquired workpays.me, an online marketplace which lets employees pay for purchases on installment via payroll deductions. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. workpays.me lets employees buy products from a marketplace of such items as computers, electronics, furniture, and more and pay for those items over time by deducting money directly fro (More info...)
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D-Link: We're The Wi-Fi Shipment LeaderFountain Valley-based networking equipment manufacturer D-Link says that it shipped the most consumer Wi-Fi products in Q3 2013--including wireless access points and routers--making it the leader in overall Wi-Fi shipments. Citing a ABI Research study on Wi-Fi equipment, D-Link said it had 12.7 percent market share, and shipped more products than the next closest competitors, TP-Link and Netgear. D-Link did not say how many Wi-Fi shipments it made in the quarter.
posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2014(Full story)
Local Corporation Launches New Mobile Ad ProductIrvine-based Local Corporation, the local advertising technology developer, said it has launched a new product aimed at the mobile ad market. Local said its new nFuse product provides hyperlocal, data-driven mobile ads, letting national and regional brands to provide location-based, rich media ads that incorporate information from nearby, local stores. Pricing on the new product was not announced. Local Corporation said the new product is based on its Krillion local shopping platform.
posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2014(Full story)