Wednesday, August 20, 2014


International Rectifier Acquired By Infineon In $3 Billion Deal
El Segundo-based International Rectifier, the developer of power conversion semiconductors, has been acquired by Infineon, in a deal worth $3 billion in cash. Infineon said that it will pay $40 in cash per share for publicly held IRF. Infineon said the deal would help bolster its expertise in compound semiconductors and drive greater economies of scale in production. Infineon and International Rectifier did not say how the acquisition will affect IR's Los Angeles employee base.
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Stage 32 Targets Film, TV, Theater With Social Network
Does the entertainment industry need its own social networking site? Los Angeles-based Stage 32 thinks so--and so far, has 325,000 members for its online social networking site, which it says ties together film, television, and theater creatives. According to the site, it has been around since 2011, and can be described as "Lynda meets Linkedin" for creatives. The company recently tied together with the U+ Project, a nonprofit which supports developing filmmakers under the age of 18, and also re (More info...)
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Oberthur Technologies Acquires NagraID Security
Oberthur Technologies, a developer of digital security products being used in smart payment cards and other related areas--and which has significant Southern California operations--said this week that it has acquired NagraID Security SA. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Oberthur Technologies said it is acquiring NagraID Security from Kudelski Group and the company's management. NagraID Security develops cards used for cloud security, particularly in the area of financial payments, (More info...)
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Wallaby Rolls Out Massive Credit Card Database
Looking for the best credit card for you? Pasadena-based Wallaby Financial, the developer of technology to help users optimize the use of their credit cards, says it has created the industry's largest database of credit cards, which it is making available to consumers. The company said that its new database has more than 2,000 credit cards, which it is providing to consumers free of charge, covering 450 banks and hundreds of rewards programs. The new CardBase database also is tied with another f (More info...)
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Broadcom Scores Design Win With Netatmo
Irvine-based semiconductor developer Broadcom reports this morning that it has scored a design win, with smart thermostat developer Netatmo. According to Broadcom, its Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices (WICED) Wi-Fi technology is being used as part of a smartphone-controlled thermostat designed by French designer Philippe Starck. Shipment volumes and financial impact of the design win was not disclosed. The new thermostat lets uers monitor and adjust the temperature oftheir hom (More info...)
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IQMS Finds Private Equity Funding
Paso Robles-based IQMS, a 25 year old developer of manufacturing ERP software, said Tuesday that it has raised a strategic growth equity investment from Technology Crossover Ventures and Banneker Partners. Size of the investment was not announced. The investment is the first, institutional round of funding for the company, which was founded in 1989. IQMS said it will use the investment for sales, marketing, and product development. According to IQMS, its founders, Randy and Nancy Flamm, will ret (More info...)
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Snapchat Eyes News, Advertising
Venice-based Snapchat has plans to add news articles, advertisements, TV, and movie clips to the service, according to reports this week, in a new service called Snapchat Discovery. The new service, which is expected to debut in November, would be the first attempt by Snapchat to convert the popularity of its disappearing photo messaging service into actual revenues.
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DataDirect Networks Expands In Paris, Claims Growth
DataDirect Networks, the data storage systems developer which has significant operations in Chatsworth, reports that it is opening up a new technology center in Paris. The company said the move will help enhance its European technology innovation. The company said the expansion comes as it saw double digit, profitable growth in the first half of 2014, when it said it doubled its revenues in the enterprise Big Data market. Financial details of that performance were not released. The company said (More info...)
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Social Intelligence Wins Crime Bureau
Santa Barbara-based Social Intelligence, a developer of software tools which use social media information to uncover compensation and insurance fraud, reported a win with the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). Financial impact of the win was not disclosed. Social Intelligence develops software which helps identify publicly available, online information on people to help fight fraud. The company's tools automate much of the work being done by insurers to identify fraud in worker's compensati (More info...)
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