Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Upfront Ventures was created 20 years ago as one of the original VC funds in Los Angeles. Back then only 15% of our dollars were invested locally whereas today 50% of our dollars are invested in LA. 10 years ago we found ourselves trying to persuade LPs and VCs that it was worth spending more time getting to know the LA market and now the most common refrain that I hear from them is “there really is something going on in LA.

Dollar Shave Club 321

Dollar Shave Club Cornerstone OnDemand Riot Games Venture Capital 321

TechEmpower

FEBRUARY 14, 2017

This article discusses java.util.EnumSet. and java.util.EnumMap. from Java's standard libraries. What are they? When should they be used? Could the implementations be improved? Could the APIs be improved? Conclusion. What are they? EnumSet. and EnumMap are compact, efficient implementations of the Set and Map interfaces. They have the constraint that their elements/keys come from a single enum type.

Java 330

Java Class Ideas Writing 330

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 23, 2017

Have you figured out what you want to have, or to be, when you reach the end of your personal run in this business life? It is a fair question. Most of us work in our businesses, either as managers or owners, and rarely step outside to think about how this will end in a perfect world. Investors call this discussion “exit planning” and of course they include themselves in the.

Course 256

Course Email Sales Invest 256

L.A. Business Journal

FEBRUARY 14, 2017

Seed-stage companies in Los Angeles received a total of $369 million in funding in 2016, according to report from Venice tech accelerator Amplify.LA.

Seed Funding 235

Seed Funding Venice Funding Los Angeles 235

Advertiser: Aggregage

Office leases are one of companies’ largest expenses, and if your whole team is working from home with no clear end in sight, you may be wondering what to do about your lease.

Company

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 8, 2017

Irvine-based The HomeFinder Group , led by RealtyTrac veteran Michael Sawtell, has acquired HomeFinder.com. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Newly formed The HomeFinder Group (THG) says it will focus on lead quality and conversion for brokers, agents and mortgage lenders through its own consumer facing web sites. HomeFinder was previously owned by real estate technology developer Placester.

Technical Review 157

Technical Review Sites Web Acquisition 157

Tech.Co

FEBRUARY 14, 2017

On your birthday, something special happens on social media: you receive hundreds of likes and well wishes from friends, family, high school classmates and people you haven’t talked to for years on Facebook. And while this has been the standard for years, one startup is hoping to personalize the birthday wishes even more. Doppels is a simple birthday discovery and smart gifting app that connects people through their shared birthdays.

Startup 115

Startup Venice Social Network Tool 115

SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 27, 2017

Friday, March 3, 2017 -- DevOpsDay LA. LA's very own 1 day DevOps conference. See https://www.devopsdays.org/events/2017-los-angeles/welcome/.

Conference 100

Conference Los Angeles Angel 100

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 9, 2017

When do you sell your company? Obviously we all want to sell at the top. And there is the problem. How do you know when you are at or near that right point to sell for maximum value? Those of us in the business of calculating (guessing) this mythical peak in value often make the same mistake as our entrepreneurs. We hang on just a little bit longer, expecting continued or accelerating growth and value as in previous periods of the same.

Pricing 210

Pricing Invest Email Competition 210

L.A. Business Journal

FEBRUARY 2, 2017

Snap Inc., parent company of ephemeral photo-sharing and messaging app Snapchat, has made public its $3 billion initial public offering of its stock on the New York Stock Exchange.

Snapchat 169

Snapchat Activity Company Companies 169

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

If you can't get enough of Hello Kitty , the iconic cartoon character owned by Sanrio, you can now add your own set of Hello Kitty holograms into Microsoft HoloLens--thanks to Playa Vista-based SPACES. SPACES said on Tuesday that it is bringing a new "Hello Kitty Actiongram" theme pack to HoloLens, the Microsoft virtual/augmented reality environment, adding 14 Hello Kitty holograms to the environment.

Content 176

Content Develop Development 176

Tech.Co

FEBRUARY 27, 2017

Smartphones are the primary tool used to engage with the digital world. Thanks to increased performance, better battery life, improved wireless networks, and an infinite marketplace to connect developers and consumers, the shift towards mobile-only is not just a trend but a reality. So, why does it feel like more power and better apps have not lead to a greater mobile experience?

Technical Review 79

Technical Review Screencast Screening Mobile 79

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

Every tech or major news journal in the country is preparing to write their Snap, Inc (creators of Snapchat, Spectacles, etc) stories and many of them seem to want a “How does it feel to have missed this investment story.” I won’t speak to most of them due to time and also due to the fact that I simply am not the story and don’t want to pretend like I am.

Snapchat 214

Snapchat Invest Technical Review Dollar Shave Club 214

SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 27, 2017

Friday, March 3, 2017 -- UCI ANTprenreneur Center Feedback Friday. See https://www.eventbrite.com/o/uci-antrepreneur-center-8184153841.

UCI 100

UCI 100

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

One thing a senior manager can count on is that someday, something will go right, very right. Well, after all the disappointments, pressure and outright failures, this is NEWS. So we tend to go overboard a bit. As a member of the board, I’ve received calls on weekends, at night and texts at hours I didn’t even think existed – from CEOs who couldn’t control the euphoria.

Guide 243

Guide News Demand Email 243

L.A. Business Journal

FEBRUARY 9, 2017

The U.S. Department of Commerce granted nearly $500,000 to California State University, Los Angeles and its partners, the Biocom Institute and the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), to fund the creation of a bootcamp for bioscientists in the region.

Commerce 156

Commerce Incubator Los Angeles Funding 156

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Irvine-based Cosemi Technologies has sold off its photodetector chip business to Avago Technologies , and is refocusing its business on "active optical cables", the company said over the last few weeks. Financial terms of the sale were not announced. Avago is a unit of Broadcom Ltd. Cosemi said the deal also includes a supply agreement, where Avago will continue to supply it with photo detectors and other essential semiconductor components, such as lasers, for its products.

Activity 170

Activity Sales Technology Product 170

Xconomy

FEBRUARY 2, 2017

Another major U.S. health insurer, UnitedHealthCare, has said it would cover the first-ever approved drug for the rare disease spinal muscular atrophy, a closely watched bellwether in the national debate over drug prices. While UHC’s policy is less restrictive than the one disclosed recently by rival insurer Anthem, UHC has nonetheless set limits and will only pay past an initial handful of doses if doctors can prove the drug is working.

Anthem 79

Anthem Pricing San Diego Blogging 79

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2017

Union Square Ventures (USV) has been one of the most successful venture capital firms of the past 10–15 years and continues to be a leader in our industry. Recently the firms two founding partners (and also Managing Partners) —  Fred Wilson and Brad Burnham  — decided to transition management of the firm to Andy Weissman (who joined in 2012) and Albert Wenger (joined in 2008 and writes one of the most thoughtful blogs in our industry ).

Venture Capital 161

Venture Capital Funding Capital Startup 161

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2017

Today’s customers are overloaded and overwhelmed by too much information, so making a decision is a challenge. You may think this is only important to your marketing and sales people, but in reality it doesn’t matter how great your product or technology might be, you won’t succeed if you don’t understand your target customer decision process. Every aspect of your business must be about sales.

Sales 82

Sales Entrepreneur Customer Custom 82

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 2, 2017

It is no secret that the IRS looks carefully below the surface for personal use of company assets (including cash) in its corporate income tax audits. This insight addresses more the impact of such behavior upon the actions of employees and others who observe that behavior from a senior manager or owner of a business – and know that they cannot say anything about it without jeopardizing their jobs.

Entertainment 202

Entertainment Email Entrepreneur Pricing 202

L.A. Business Journal

FEBRUARY 22, 2017

Global Eagle stock plunges after CEO and CFO resign, AwesomenessTV CEO Brian Robbins resigns, microfinance startup Tala raises $30 million, and more.

Report 170

Report Startup 170

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

If you're just out of school, at your first job--and you didn't get a credit card in school--you might just have a real difficult time of getting that first credit card. That's the experience that Max Klein , the CEO of Float (www.hellofloat.com) had, and is now looking to fix, with a new fintech startup which hopes to make it easier for Millennials to start to establish their credit record.

Startup 165

Startup Capital Mobile Commerce 165

Xconomy

FEBRUARY 11, 2017

With all the talk of repealing Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA), people have been taking a closer look at what the law has done for our healthcare system. It turns out the ACA is about a lot more than the problematic healthcare marketplaces. There’s the extension of parental insurance coverage to age 26 and the requirement of insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions.

Pricing 67

Pricing Help San Diego Company 67

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 7, 2017

With so many smart technology devices and users— six billion Internet of Things (IoT) connections in 2015—we’ve long surpassed the adoption phase. Now, the focus has shifted to refining and improving features to help products stand out from the competition, especially in the realm of security. For years, tech enthusiasts, users, creators, and hackers have expressed their concern over the safety vulnerabilities of numerous IoT devices, from smart locks to thermostats.

Startup 52

Startup Examples Networking Conference 52

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2017

Viral marketing and word-of-mouth are not enough these days to make your product and brand visible in the relentless onslaught of new promotional media out there today. Innovation in marketing is perhaps more important than product innovation. Yet in the business plans I see, the marketing content and budget are smaller than ever. More than just spending, you need to create an “experience” in this digital age which sets you apart from the banner ads, email blasts, and old-school websites out the

Marketing 82

Marketing Demand Startup Customer 82

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2017

Mark Cuban opened the Upfront Summit in an epic interview by Jason Hirschhorn , founder of Media REDEF. Machine Learning / AI They discussed many topics ranging from protection of the press to what Mark looks for in an entrepreneur to investing outside of Silicon Valley and of course Trump and sports. But perhaps to most insightful was their discussion about Machine Learning / AI.

Artificial Inteligence 178

Artificial Inteligence Study Press Netflix 178

L.A. Business Journal

FEBRUARY 3, 2017

Business Journal lays out five factors that could figure in to Snap’s first year as a public company.

Journal 186

Journal Company Companies 186

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 14, 2017

Los Angeles-based Dreamscape Immersive , a developer of immersive, virtual reality entertainment experiences, said on yesterday afternoon that it has raised a Series A financing round. Size of the funding round was not announced, however, a regulatory filing indicates around $11.36M was raised in the round. The funding was led by Bold Capital Partners, the investment firm run by Peter Diamandis, and also included Warner Bros., 21st Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), IMAX Corporation, Westfi

Entertainment 160

Entertainment Century City Funding Los Angeles 160

Xconomy

FEBRUARY 1, 2017

Fundraising is tough for startups but it’s particularly difficult in agriculture, a sector that has fewer firms focused on agtech investments. The dynamics are starting to change, though. A growing number of early-stage agtech startups are raising money and they’re pulling capital from a broader pool of sources, according to a new report from AgFunder, an online agtech investment marketplace.

Invest 64

Invest Report Startup Capital 64

L.A. Business Journal

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Fika Ventures has raised a $40 million seed fund to invest in business-to-business companies developing software products for finance, online marketplaces, and healthcare.

Seed Funding 164

Seed Funding Funding Invest Software 164

L.A. Business Journal

FEBRUARY 24, 2017

Virtual reality startups open arcades to test how game consumers are for the medium.

Startup 230

Startup 230

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 28, 2017

San Diego-based software developer Tealium announced on Monday that it has scored a strategic investment from Citi Ventures, as part of Series E investment round. Size of the investment from Citi Ventures was not announced. Tealium, which makes enterprise tag management software, said the funding goes towards development efforts, marketing, product integration, and other efforts at the company.

Invest 136

Invest San Diego Software Development Software 136

L.A. Business Journal

FEBRUARY 24, 2017

Israeli web development company Wix said last week that it had purchased popular West Hollywood-based online artist platform DeviantArt for $36 million, including $3 million in assumed debt.

West Hollywood 154

West Hollywood Hollywood Web Development Web 154

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 24, 2017

For this morning's Insights and Opinions section, where we feature the contributions of our readers, we have an article from Wiliam Hsu , co-founder and managing partner of Mucker Capital (www.muckercapital.com). He explains all the ways VCs say "no" without actually using the word "no". You can read the full article at The Cryptic VC's Guide to Saying "No" On Investments in our Insights and Opinions section.

Guide 147

Guide Venture Capital Invest Ideas 147

L.A. Business Journal

FEBRUARY 23, 2017

The city of Los Angeles is planning to donate rent-free space to the recently launched Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute.

Los Angeles 167

Los Angeles Angel 167

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 10, 2017

San Diego-based Once Upon A Farm , a maker of "cold-pressed, organic, non-GMO" baby food, has raised $3.1M in a Series A funding, the company disclosed this week. The funding came from Cambridge Companies SPG, Seed 2 Growth Fund, and Harbinger Ventures. The company was co-founded by Ari Raz (CEO) and Cassandra Curtis (COO). Once Upon A Farm's baby food is sourced from local, organic farms, and then minimally processed into the those ubiquitous laminated baby food pouches.

Organization 145

Organization San Diego Press Funding 145