Thursday, April 3, 2014Uber Launches In Palm SpringsSmartphone-driven, ride app provider Uber said Thursday that it is officially launching Uber in Palm Springs, and will be offering up the full selection of Uber services -- uberX, UberBLACK, UberSUV, and UberSTRETCH--to the Coachella Valley. According to Uber, the company's launch in Palm Springs comes as a part of "festival season" in the area--which is timed to the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, which runs two weekends in April, on April 11-13th and April 18th-20th. Uber said that it will (More info...)
posted on Thursday, April 3, 2014(Full story)
Science Inc. Re-Ups On WealthfrontLos Angeles-based startup studio, incubator, and investor Science, which is led by former MySpace CEO Mike Jones, is part of a new funding round for automated investment service Wealthfront, the company has confirmed. Science--which has been an investor in Wealthfront since March of last year--participated in a $35M funding round announced by Wealthfront on Wednesday. The funding's other investors include Index Ventures, Ribbit Capital, The Social+Capital Partnership, Greylock Partners, and DAG (More info...)
posted on Thursday, April 3, 2014 (More)(Full story)
Cloud Takes Acquired By TechnicolorLos Angeles-based Cloud Takes, an online project collaboration site focused on feature films, post production, and other content work, has been acquired by Technicolor. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Cloud Takes founder Daryll Strauss has been hired by Technicolor as Vice President of Software Development. Cloud Takes' software was used to manage digital assets, track project progress, and more, and ran on Amazon Web Services.
posted on Thursday, April 3, 2014(Full story)
TV Academy President, COO Hood Passses AwayLucy Hood, the current President and Chief Operating Officer of the Television Academy--the group which runs the Emmy's--and someone who had long been part of the intersection between the worlds of technology and entertainment, has died. The Television Academy said that Hood passed away from cancer. Hood had previously served as head of USC's Communication Technology Management Institute with the Marshall School of Business, and also had been at News Corporation, serving as founding President of (More info...)
posted on Thursday, April 3, 2014(Full story)
BloomNation: Bitcoin Opens New Market, Transactions LargerLos Angeles-based flower delivery site BloomNation--which helps connect consumers with local floral designers--has only been offering up payment via Bitcoin for a few months, but it's already finding that Bitcoin sales are 50 percent larger than traditional credit card sales--plus it allows the company to tap into a niche market it normally wouldn't have been able to tap into. The startup, lets consumers order flowers from local florists and designers, instead of generic mass marketers, and is o (More info...)
posted on Thursday, April 3, 2014(Full story)
AwesomenessTV Acquires Big FrameLos Angeles-based AwesomenessTV--which is now part of Dreamworks--has acquired Big Frame, another local YouTube network operator. According to AwesomenessTV, it will pay $15M in cash, including repayment of outstanding debt, for Big Frame, which will go to help bolster AwesomenessTV's talent roster, executives, and talent managers. Big Frame had been venture backed by Anthem Venture Partners, Daher Capital, DFJ Frontier, LaunchPad LA, New World Ventures, The Media Farm and Social Starts, and ang (More info...)
posted on Thursday, April 3, 2014(Full story)
j2 Global Acquires UK Email Security Company iCriticalLos Angeles-based j2 Global has acquired a UK-based, email security and management company, the company said this morning. j2 Global said it has acquired Critical Software Ltd., which operates under the brand name iCritical, as part of an effort to expand its email security and management business. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. j2 Global said the UK market is an important one to the company, where it says it has an annualized monthly run rate of over $50M in revenues. j2 Global (More info...)
posted on Thursday, April 3, 2014(Full story)
TVC Capital Boosts Levels BeyondSan Diego-based growth equity investor TVC Capital has boosted portfolio company Levels Byond, and invested an additional $2.5M more in Series A funding in the company. Levels Beyond, which develops a content management software platform called ReachEngine, said the $2.5M in funding brings its total raised in its Series A to $7.0M. Levels Beyond is based in Denver. The company's software is used to help manage video and photo assets, and to help manage libraries of digital content.
posted on Thursday, April 3, 2014 (More)(Full story)
Central Desktop Names New Board MemberPasadena-based software developer Central Desktop said this morning that it has added software veteran Kumar Vora to its board of directors. Vora is the CEO of Acrolinx, and also had served as entrepreneur-in-residence at Foundational Capital, as well as a VP at Oracle and Adobe. Vora also founded Oblix, which was acquired by Oracle, and sits on the boards of Get Satisfaction and NextPrinciples, among other positions. Central Desktop provides a cloud-based, project management and collaboration p (More info...)
posted on Thursday, April 3, 2014(Full story)
StyleHaul Names Content HeadLos Angeles-based StyleHaul, which operates a YouTube network focused on fashion and beauty, said this week that it has named Mia Goldwyn as the company's Chief Content Officer. Goldwyn was most recently Vice President of Business Development, Digital and Insurge at Paramount Pictures, and spent 13 years with the studio. StyleHaul said Goldwyn most recently had re-launched Paramount Digital Entertainment. The company said that Goldwyn will head up original content programming strategy, including (More info...)
posted on Thursday, April 3, 2014(Full story)