Wednesday, October 1, 2014Rowl Raises $4M For Event DiscoverySanta Monica-based Rowl, which develops apps to help users figure out what is going on around them, said Wednesday that it has raised $4M in a funding round. The company said the investors included former Logitech CEO Jerry Quindlen and current Ingram Industries chairwoman Martha Rivers Ingram. The company said the funding will go to enhance its app. Rowl's app currently runs on iOS. The company focuses its app on surfacing concerts, sporting events, comedy, and other events nearby a user.
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Lindzon Backs Estate AssistOne of Southern California's most active angel investors, Howard Lindzon, said Wednesday that he is backing Estate Assist, which offers up an online storage service for important documents like wills, life insurance, and bank account information--in case you get hit by a bus tomorrow. Size of Lindzon's stake in the company was not announced. Estate Assist is led by Woody Levin, and is based in San Francisco. The company offers up an online backup service which lets users store important document (More info...)
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FreedomPop Launches Branded DevicesLos Angeles-based free mobile broadband and Internet phone service FreedomPop said Wednesday that it has launched its own line of branded products, including an Android "phablet" and an Android phone. The company--which offers up free, albeit bandwidth limited mobile data service and phone in a number of markets--said the new devices include a 7-inch, 4GB Android "phablet" called the FreedomPop Liberty, and a 7-inch, 4GB LTE plus wi-fi Android phablet called the FredomPop Frenzy. The Liberty cos (More info...)
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JibJab Takes On Instant MessagesLos Angeles-based humorous, electronic greeting card provider JibJab is looking to gain a footprint in the instant messaging and texting market, with a new product it is calling JibJab Messages. The new product allows iOS users to send custom, JibJab style dancing and singing characters--personalized with your own head--to friends. The free app lets users take a selfie of themselves, trim out their face, and insert that into any one of a large library of animated GIFs, and send those via text, F (More info...)
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Advanstar Acquired For $972M By UBMSanta Monica-based Advanstar Communications, a trade show and conference operator serving the fashion, licensing, life sciences, and power sports industries, has been acquired by UBM plc, in a deal worth $972M. According to Advanstar Communicaitons, the deal was funded by an investor group that includes Anchorage Capital Group LLC, Veronis Suhler Stevenson, as well as funds managed by the Tradable Credit Group at Ares Management L.P. Advanstar was advised by Goldman Sachs & Co. and Moelis & Comp (More info...)
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CoreLogic Sells Two Business UnitsIrvine-based residential property information provider CoreLogic said Tuesday that it has sold two of its business units to Mortgage Contracting Services, LLC. According to CoreLogic, it sold its Collateral Solutions and Field Services business units to MCS in a deal worth $25M at closing, plus up to $20M in earnout contingent on performance thresholds.
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Component Search Targets Electronic, Mechanical Part SearchesLos Angeles-based Component Search International, a new startup focused on the design engineering market, said today that it has launched its services, billing itself a "Google for Components". The company, headed by Joe Bilotta, said the new site has over 800 suppliers, 15 million unique parts, and 350 million data sheets, and is hoping to solve the current issue of re-marked and counterfeit parts. The electronic and mechanical component industry is surprisingly fragmented, with no single sourc (More info...)
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Aerie Pharmaceuticals Completes $125M FinancingNewport Beach-based pharmaceuticals developer Aerie Pharmaceuticals said late Tuesday that it has completed its $125M, convertible note financing from Deerfield Management Company. The financing deal had been announced earlier in the month. Aerie Pharmaceuticals is focused on the development and commercialization of treatments for glaucoma. The company said the new funds are expected to fund its known clinical requirements for its lead compounds, and will also go towards general corporate purpos (More info...)
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