Wednesday, March 22, 2017


Pocketwatch Picks Up $6M For Kids Media Brand
Culver City-based Pocketwatch, a startup media brand focused on creating and acquiring content for kids, has raised $6M in a Series A funding round. The funding was led by Third Wave Digital, and also included Les Moonves (CBS ), Jon Landau (Avatar & Titanic), United Talent Agency (UTA), Robert Downey Jr. (Downey Ventures) and Chris Jacquemin (WME). Pocketwatch says that it creates, acquires, distributes and curates content for kids age 2-11. Chris M. Williams is the CEO and founder of Pocketwat (More info...)
posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2017(Full story)

Cubic Wins $20M Navy Contract
San Diego-based Cubic Corporation reported on Wednesday that one of its divisions, Cubic Mission Solutions (CMS), has scored a contract worth more than $20M from the U.S. Navy. Cubic said the award goes towards the delivery of a portable common data link system for the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR). SPAWAR is based in San Diego. Those data systems are used in the Navy's P-3C, P-8A aircraft and the MQ-4C Triton aircraft.
posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2017(Full story)

Lightpost Digital Lands New Funding For Online Marketing Services
San Diego-based Lightpost Digital, a digital agency which provides online marketing services to local businesses, has raised a round of funding, the company disclosed this week. The funding came from Canal Partners and DWP Investments. The company is a spinout of Deal Current, and was founded in 2015. The company focuses on website development, SEO, Facebook ads, and review monitoring.
posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2017(Full story)

Purple Squirrel Raises $2.7M To Help You Network Your Way Into A Job
Venice, California-based Purple Squirrel, a new startup focused on helping people network with employees of existing companies in order to get an inside track on jobs, has raised $2.7M in a seed funding. The funding was led by CrossCut Ventures, and also included Greycroft, Arena Ventures, Luma Launch and 500 Startups. The startup is led by Jon Silber. According to Purple Squirrel, it is looking to match up job seekers with employees at companies, and to prevent job seekers' resumes from going i (More info...)
posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 (More)(Full story)

Green Commuter Launches Tesla Model X Vanpool Service
Los Angeles-based Green Commuter said on Tuesday that it has begun its vanpool operation in Los Angeles, using Tesla's Model-X 7 passenger SUVs. According to Green Commuter, it has begun leasing its fleet of Tesla Model X electric vehicles to vannpoolers, with a single vanpool between Palmdale and Valencia, and 86-mile round trip daily commute. Green Commuter says it plans to deploy an additional 10 Tesla Model X vehicles in the spring, with plans to have the fleet at 50-80 units by the end of t (More info...)
posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2017(Full story)

Edlio Acquires Sangha, Raises $40M
Los Angeles-based educational content management software developer Edlio said late Tuesday that it has acquired Sangha, the developer of a personalized, mobile parent interaction app. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced, however, Edlio said the acquisition and integeration of Sangha was being funded by a $40M investment from private equity investor L Squared. Sangha Co-Founders Pavan Batchu, Srivatsan Srinivasan and Srikanth Thadakamalla have all joined Edlio as paret of the a (More info...)
posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2017(Full story)

Microsemi Shutters Chinese Factory
Aliso Viejo-based semiconductor developer Microsemi said on Tuesday that it has closed its manufacturing facility in China. According to the company, the "lower value" discrete devices which were manufactured at the facility are "not aligned" with its strategic direction. Microsemi did not detail which devices in its lineup were being manufactured at the plant, but said that its customers have been notified and the process of closure is under way. The company said there will be no material impac (More info...)
posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2017(Full story)