Tuesday, September 20, 2016


MomentFeed Names Chief Client Officer
Santa Monica-based MomentFeed said on Tuesday that it has named Carey Bettencourt as the company's new Chief Client Officer. Bettencourt previously was Founder and Managing Partner of management consulting firm Propelus; she also served as SVP of Customer Solutions at Accruent, and was at Oracle, ChannelPoint (now Trizetto), and J.D. Edwards. MomentFeed develops analytics software used by brands with multiple, physical locations to help drive customers to visit their stores; the company says its (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, September 20, 2016(Full story)

Fika Ventures Seeks $50M For New Venture Fund
Los Angeles-based Fika Ventures, founded by Tx Zhuo and Eva Ho, is looking to raise a total of $50M for a new investment fund, according to a pair of regulatory filings by the firm in the last week. The new firm has two separate filings for a $38.5M fund, Fika Ventures LP, and $11.5M for Fika Ventures - A LP. The firm has not detailed any plans on the new investment fund or its focus. Tx Zhuo has been at at Karlin Ventures as a venture capital investor; Eva Ho was most recently at Susa Ventures, (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, September 20, 2016(Full story)

Wildfire At Vandenberg Air Force Base Might Affect SpaceX Payload, Launchpad
A wildfire, which broke out on Saturday at Vandenberg Air Force Base, in Lompoc, California, grew to more than 10,542 acres as of early Tuesday morning, and was raging near both the launch pad and payload preparation areas for an upcoming SpaceX mission. SpaceX--which already has launch pad issues in Florida, due to the unexplained explosion of a SpaceX Falcon last month--has a launchpad at Vandenberg for flights. In addition, there are a number of Iridium satellites being prepared for future S (More info...)
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The Trade Desk Bumps Estimated IPO Pricing Range
In a sign that reception to the company's IPO is going well, Ventura-based The Trade Desk said in a regulatory filing on Monday that it now expects its initial public offering price to be between $16.00 and $18.00 per share. The new estimated IPO range is significantly above its earlier estimate of $14.00 and $16.00 per share. The Trade Desk has applied to list on the NASDAQ Global Market as TTD. The company runs an online advertising exchange, and is venture backed by IA Ventures, Founder Colle (More info...)
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Greenwave Systems Acquires Predixion Software
Irvine-based Internet-of-Things (IoT) software developer Greenwave Systems announced this morning that it has acquired Aliso Viejo-based Predixion Software. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. Greenwave said the acquisition will help it enhance its platform with real-time, visual analytics, and also help it bolster its industry talent and team. Greenwave said that the acquisition will bring it to a headcount of over 280 employees worldwide. Predixion Software was venture backe (More info...)
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DTS Acquired By Tessera Technologies For $850M
Calabasas-based audio technology developer DTS is being acquired by San Jose-based Tessera Technologies, in a deal worth approximately $850M in cash, the companies announced today. According to the two companies, Tessera will acquire DTS by paying $42.50 per share in cash, which is a 28 percent premium to the 30-day volume weighted average price of DTS. Tessera Technologies said the acquisition will boost its 2016 pro forma revenues to approximately $450M, and bring its total number of engineers (More info...)
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Wpromote Launches Scholarship For Students In Digital Marketing
Los Angeles-based digital marketing agency Wpromote said on Monday that it has launched a new set of scholsrships, which will go to students interested in digital marketing. According to Wpromote, the new scholarships--which will be awarded bi-annually--will total $3,000, with the first award in December of this year. The company will award a $1500, $1000, and $500 scholarship to students who are in high school, undergraduate school and graduate school, and are open to students of all majors and (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, September 20, 2016(Full story)

Cornerstone OnDemand Wins ResCare
Santa Monica-based talent management software developer Cornerstone OnDemand announced today that it has scored a win with ResCare, which the company says is the nation's largest provider of services to people with disabilities. Financial impact of the win were not disclosed. Cornerstone OnDemand said that ResCare will use its software to hire and train thousands of employees each year. ResMed has more than 50,000 employees.
posted on Tuesday, September 20, 2016(Full story)