Tuesday, October 6, 2015


socalTECH 50: Nominate 2015's Up-And-Comers In SoCal's Tech Industry!
Who do you think are the top 50 up-and-coming individuals in Southern California's technology industry this year? For the third year in a row, we are looking to identify the individuals here in the technology industry, across all sectors, who are most likely to create the next big thing, produce the next big exit or to influence the industry in a significant way. If you'd like to nominate an individual (not company) for this award, we've just started collecting your nominations online. Nominat (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, October 6, 2015(Full story)

WageSpot Launches To Map Out Salaries, Pay
Ever wonder what people around you are getting paid? A new, Woodland Hills-based startup, WageSpot, said Tuesday that it has launched, offering up a way for people to see what other people are being paid near them on a map, while filtering for things like age, industry, gender, experience, and more. The startup--founded by Raphael Morozov and Marat Galperin--said its app is free and available for download for both iOS and Android. WageSpot said the app is aimed at letting job seekers better unde (More info...)
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Skurt Raises $1.3M For On-Demand Car Rentals, Starting With LAX
A new, Los Angeles-based startup, Skurt, said Tuesday that it has raised $1.3M in a seed funding round, and launched an on-demand, rental car service at Los Angeles International Airport. The company--led by Harry Hurst, Aaron Peck, and Josh Mangel--said the funding came from Upfront Ventures, Hipmunk CEO Adam Goldstein, Wonga founder Errol Damelin, Whisper Presisdent Mark Troughton, and early Facebook employee Scott Marlette. According to Hurst, Skurt's on-demand rental car service came out of (More info...)
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Hulu Snags More Rights From Viacom In Expanded Deal
Los Angeles-based Hulu has announced an expanded deal with Viacom, adding the exclusive, streaming video-on-demand rights to Inside Amy Shumer, Broad City, Faking It, Drunk History, Finding Carter, as well as a lineup of kids programs from Nickelodeon. According to the two companies, the deal includes streaming rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rabbids Invasion, Sanjay and Craig, Breadwinners, Bella and the Bulldogs, and The Thundermans, as well as the Rugrats and Doug. Financial details o (More info...)
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Appetize Signs Live Nation For Mobile Payments
Los Angeles-based Appetize, a startup which is backed by Guggenheim, the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers family offices, Marc Geiger of William Morris, and Roar Entertainment, has signed up Live Nation Entertainment as a customer, the company said this week. Appetize said that Live nation will be rolling out the Appetize point-of-sale (POS) payment platform across 32 of the company's U.S. venues. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed. Appetize said the deal included over 4, (More info...)
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ZestFinance Gets $150M In Debt Financing
Los Angeles-baesd online lender ZestFinance said today that it has raised $150M in debt financing, from Fortress Investment Group. ZestFiance said the funding goes towards the company's Bastix loan service, which is aimed at providing loans to people who normally would not be able to qualify for loans from traditional banks. ZestFinance was founded by Douglas Merrill, former CIO of Google; the company is venture backed by Peter Thiel, Matrix Partners, Kensington Capital Holdings, and Eastward Ca (More info...)
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Former Oversee Founder Lawrence Ng Links Up With Metamorphic Ventures
Lawrence Ng, the former founder of Oversee.net--who is now running an asset management company called LNG Management--has linked up with New York City-based venture capital firm Metamorphic Ventures. According to LNG Management, Ng has become an advisory board member for Metamorphic Ventures. LNG said that Ng is incubating a number of startups and selectively invests in early stage startups and funds. It's unclear how much the relationship will result in investments by Metamorphic Ventures in Lo (More info...)
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Newegg Expands In Canada
Los Angeles-based online electronics and technology retailer Newegg said this morning that it is expanding its efforts in the Canadian market, and has opened up a new, Vancouver area warehouse. According to Newegg, the new warehouse in Richmond, British Columbia, will help reduce shipping costs and provide quicker delivery to its customers in Western Canada. Newegg said it is "aggressively expanding" its presence in Canada, as part of an overall effort to grow in that country. Newegg said the ne (More info...)
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AwesomenessTV, Endemol In International Partnership
Los Angeles-based AwesomenessTV, the Youtube MCN which is now owned by Dreamworks Animation and Hearst Corporation, said Monday that it has linked up with content creator, producer, and distributor Endemol Shine Group. Financial details of the strategic partnership were not disclosed. The two said that the will partner to extend the international reach of the AwesomenessTV brand, launching localized versions of AwesomenessTV channel in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Brazil. The two said the (More info...)
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NantKwest Appoints Manufacturing Exec
Culver City-based cancer immunotherapy developer NantKwest, which is led by billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, said this morning that it has named Stephen Farrand, Ph.D., as its new Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing. Dr. Farrand was previously at Merck Research Laboratories, and also had served at Delta Biotechnology, Sigma Chemical and G. D. Searle. NanKwest said Farrand will help manage its two new production sites in Southern California, including a 45,000 square foot facility in To (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, October 6, 2015(Full story)

Maker Studios Star, Caleb Logan Bratayley, Dies Unexpectedly
One of the Youtube stars represented by Los Angeles-based Maker Studios, 15-year old Caleb Logan Bratayley, has died unexpectedly, after a sudden medical emergency. Bratayley died Thursday, in what his mother said on Instagram were natural causes. Bratayley--whose family has its own Youtube channel called theBratayley channel, following the family's daily life--ran his own Youtube channel focused on Minecraft, called FlimsyArrow, with over 115,000 subscribers.
posted on Tuesday, October 6, 2015(Full story)