Monday, February 23, 2015Surf Air Hits 1200 MembersSanta Monica-based membership-based airline Surf Air is telling potential customers that it recently reached 1200 members for its service, which allows members to take all-you-can-fly trips between the Los Angeles, Bay Area, Santa Barbara, Las Vegas, San Diego, and other areas via its own fleet of turboprops. The startup airline charges $1750 per month, letting clients book unlimited private flights to its eight destinations. The company is catering to venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and oth (More info...)
posted on Monday, February 23, 2015(Full story)
Report: Drones Tracking Your Mobile Phone In The San Fernando ValleyThink you see some suspicious drones overhead in the San Fernando Valley? No, they're not filming a movie for Hollywood, nor are they the LAPD spying on your criminal activites. They are not even a local unmanned aerial vehicle maker testing their products. No, apparently--according to a report--they are a Singapore startup's effort to sell your information to marketers. Singapore's Adnear said it has been flying drones around the San Fernando Valley since early February, tracking mobile device (More info...)
posted on Monday, February 23, 2015(Full story)
Latisys Now Part Of Zayo GroupLatisys, the colocation and infrastructure provider which has a big data center in Irvine, is now officially part of Zayo Group, Zayo said today. According to Zayo, which announced the acquisition of Latisys on January 14th, the deal adds eight new facilities--including that OC data center--to its zColo colocation arm. Latisys had set up its data center in Irvine in 2011. The deal was worth $675M.
posted on Monday, February 23, 2015(Full story)
Machinima Gets $24M, But Chops StaffLos Angeles-based YouTube network Machinima revealed last week that it has raised $24M in a funding round from Warner Bros., along with Redpoint Ventures, MK Capital, Coffin Capital and Allen DeBevoise. However, the company also made some big cuts in its staff on Friday, following the funding round. According to reports from the Hollywood Reporter, Machinima cut 14 percent of its staff on Friday, immediately following the announcement of the new funding round from its backers. The company has no (More info...)
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MyPoints Debut New Gifting App, SwappableWoodland Hills-based United Online said this morning that its MyPoints.com loyalty marketing service has launched a new, mobile app called Swappable, to help consumers buy and send gift cards. According to the company, the new app lets users buy gift cards using their credit cards, and easily gift those cards to friends. Among other features of the app are the ability of gift recipients to "swap" those gift cards for other, equal value gift cards from other merchants, and personalized photo, vid (More info...)
posted on Monday, February 23, 2015(Full story)
Upfront Names Chamillionaire As EIRLos Angeles-based venture investment firm Upfront said late Sunday that it has named rapper and entrepreneur Chamillionaire as its newest entrepreneur-in-residence. According to Upfront's Mark Suster, Chamillionaire has been making small co-investments in such companies as Maker Studios, and working with the firm as an advisor. Suster said Chamillionaire willl be moving to Los Angeles for awhile, and working out of the firm's offices to develop his entrepreneurial ideas.
posted on Monday, February 23, 2015(Full story)
EnGenius Takes On Wireless Video SurveillanceCosta Mesa-based EnGenius Technologies, which makes wireless communications and RF products, said it is targeting the outdoor surveillance market with its latest product. EnGenius said it has rolled out the EnGenius WiFi Surveillance Solution, which combines wireless access points, IP cameras, and a management system specifically aimed at deployment on school campuses, hotels, and resorts. The new solution combines a long range, 5Ghz outdoor access point and bridge, an IP surveillance camera, an (More info...)
posted on Monday, February 23, 2015(Full story)
Illumina Launches New ProductSan Diego-based gene sequencing equipment maker Illumina said this morning that it has launched a new product, aimed at the preparation of sequencing libraries. The company said its NeoPrep Library Prep System greatly simplifies DNA library prep, quantification, and normalization, reducing a process that normally took several hours into 30 minutes. The product is used in DNA research.
posted on Monday, February 23, 2015(Full story)