Thursday, October 1, 2015


Newegg Courts Gamers With Deals, Prizes
Los Angeles-based online electronics and technology retailer Newegg is targeting video game enthusiasts this month, with a number of deals and giveaways, the company said Thursday. Newegg said it is making all of October "Gametober", and will offer up a sweepstakes, deals on various gaming systems and titles, plus it will offer up six months of free membership to its Premier Customer program to people who purchase more than $300 during the month; the company also has rolled out special financing (More info...)
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Renovate America Raises $90M For Energy Saving Financing
San Diego-based Renovate America has raised $90M in an equity financing round, from Silver Lake Kraftwerk, DFJ Growth, and others, the company disclosed Thursday. The company helps arrange finacing for residential, clean energy projects, working with local governments on property assessed clean energy (PACE) financing for those projects. Renovate America has previously received funding from Valor Equity Partners. According to the WSJ, the new funding round values Renovate America at north of $5 (More info...)
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Snapchat's Latest Product: Playing Cards?
In what might be the most unusual product to come out of Venice-based Snapchat, the company appears to have issued its own line of playing cards to inspire people to post Snaps of themselves on the service. Snapchat's official Twitter account tweeted out a link to the Official Snapchat Playing Cards, sold by Snapchat Inc. and fulfilled by Amazon.com, a standard deck of cards with an attached list of instructions for the game "SnapKings". That game--as described in the product description--assign (More info...)
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General Assembly Raises $70M More
General Assembly, the co-working and education startup which is extremely active in the Los Angeles area, has raised $70M in a new funding round. The funding came from Advance Publications and Wellington Capital Management, and also included the company's existing investors, IVP, Learn Capital, Maveron, Rethink Education, WTI, and others. General Assembly offers up a wide range of classes on coding, design, marketing, and more, as well as acts as a host to countless community groups, meetups, an (More info...)
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Elcelyx Therapeutics Gets $40M For Diabetes Treatment
San Diego-based Elcelyx Therapeutics, which is developing treatents for type 2 diabetes, said this morning that it has raised $40M in a Series E funding round. The funding came from new investor Sailing Capital, Clough Capital Partners, as well as existing investors Morgenthaler Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Technology Partners, and GSM Fund LLC. Elcelyx is developing a product called Metformin Delayed Release (Metformin DR), which it says is aimed at around 40 percent of type 2 di (More info...)
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Super League Gaming Ties With STEAM:CODERS On Minecraft League
Santa Monica-based Super League Gaming, the startup which it turning playing Minecraft and other videogames into social events at local theaters, has tied with Pasadena nonprofit STEAM:CODERS, to offer up an after-school, Minecraft League to its members and local schools. According to the two, the deal will help bring excited kids into Super League Gaming theater arenas. STEAM:CODERS said that Minecraft helps teaches principles such as geometry and engineering and also stimulates interest in lea (More info...)
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Fisker Automotive Becomes Karma Automotive
Costa Mesa-based electric auto firm Fisker Automotive and Technology Group, now under new ownership, said Wednesday that it has changed its name to Karma Automotive. According to the company, the name change is aimed at communicating the change to the company's ownership, its new management team, and its new production site in California. Karma Automotive is now owned by Chinese automotive firm Wanxiang Group, which acquired Fisker out of bankruptcy in 2014. Karma Automotive also said it has a n (More info...)
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San Diego Startup Plans New Video-Based Dating App
San Diego-based Wyldfire, which develops online dating apps, said today that it plans on launching a new, video-focused dating app it says avoids the "hook-up" culture of current dating apps. The company said its new app, Heartbeat, will launch in November, but will be different from current apps in that a "team of girls" must pre-approve guys who join the app, and that only the females on the app can initiate video chats with others. The company claims its app will help establish "genuin (More info...)
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