Wednesday, July 16, 2014CallFire Names CFOSanta Monica-based CallFire, the provider of cloud-based text and voice services which is led by Ron Burr, has named a new CFO. According to the company, it has named Tridivesh Kidambi as Chief Financial Officer. Kidambi was most recently at Demand Media, where he had been serving as Vice President of Finance and Investor Relations.
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Siemer Ventures Raises $45M Fund, Becomes Wavemaker PartnersSanta Monica-based Siemer Ventures said Wednesday that the venture capital fund has launched a new, $45M third fund, and rebranded itself as Wavemaker Partners. The new fund is larger than the company's second fund, which was raised in 2011 and was worth $28M. According to Wavemaker Partners, the new fund will be focused on mobile services, Internet, and software. Siemer said it will make around 25-30 new investments globally per year across its focus areas. The announcement came as the firm kic (More info...)
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Why Mucker Capital Is Putting More Money To Work In LA StartupsFor the last few years, startup accelerator MuckerLab has been helping very early stage companies define and grow their businesses, using the accelerator model and small investments to get companies to the next stage. Recently, the team behind MuckerLab has made a subtle shift--becoming Mucker Capital (www.muckercapital.com)--focusing on seed stage investments. We caught up with Erik Rannala, co-founder of both, to understand the move and why Mucker Capital felt like it needed to put more capita (More info...)
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MakerBot Rolls Into Home Depot In LAAre you interested in getting into 3D printing? In an unusual move, home improvement retailer Home Depot and 3D printer maker MakerBot have launched a program to make the popular 3D printers at a select number of Home Depot stores in Los Angeles. Home Depot said that it is offering up the MakerBot Replicator at 12 stores nationwide, including three in Southern California. The local stores to carry the MakerBot include the Home Depot Store in West Hills, the Home Depot in Huntington Beach, and th (More info...)
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Fitwall Finds Funding From Skechers CofounderNewport Beach-based Fitwall, the operator of technology driven, wearable-connected fitness centers, said today that it has scored an investment from one of the co-founders of Skechers. Fitwall said it has received a "sizeable round" of funding form Jeff Greenberg, who co-founded Skechers USA. Size of the investment was not announced. Greenberg joins the company's advisory board with the funding. Fitwall said the new funds will go to expand its footprint and also further development of its fitnes (More info...)
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Illumina Buys MyraqaSan Diego-based life sciences equipment maker Illumina said this morning that it has acquired Myraqa, a company providing regulatory and equality consulting in the molecular diagnostics market. Financial terms of the buy were not announced. According to Illumina, the deal will bolster its in-house capabilities and help prepare for growth. Myraqa was based in Redwood Shores, California.
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Iteris Swaps CFO, Reports Accounting IssuesSanta Ana-based Iteris, which develops traffic management products and technology, said late Tuesday that it has replaced its CFO, and may face a "material weakness" in its internal controls over financial reporting. The company said it has named Craig Christensen as its interim CFO. Christensen was the company's VP and controller since April of 2012, and also has served at SM&A and Ernst & Young LLP. Christensen replaces former CFO Chuck McBride, who has resigned. According to Iteris, it will r (More info...)
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Evolve Media Launches New Native Video Advertising ProductLos Angeles-based Evolve Media reported late last night that it has launched a new, native video advertising product called INgage. Evolve Media said that the new, video solution delivers "large format" video within content, startup up when a users comes into view. The company said its new product brings video out of the "right rail blind spot" on websites. Native advertising is the technique of wrapping advertising within website content, making it look and feel like non-paid content--which is (More info...)
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