StartUp Beat

Thank you for your readership.  I have decided to take StartUp Beat in a new and exciting direction, starting tomorrow.  The focus of the site will no longer be news from companies based in the greater Los Angeles area.  Instead, it will now be a forum for technology startups from across the U.S. to pitch their ideas in a free forum to a large, national (and even international) audience.  Basically, carefully selected technology startups based anywhere in the U.S. will be able to submit a pitch, bylined by a founder or CEO, that describes what the company does, value proposition, investors, product, goals, and other key items that are key to providing an understanding of the company.

All companies that submit their pitches to StartUp Beat will be indexed and fully searchable.  Their indexed pitches will also include a consistently updated profile that includes key information like founders, executives, employees, etc.  We tried this for companies in the Los Angeles area for a limited time last year, and I was impressed with the sheer number of technology startups from across the U.S. that were seeking to have a voice in a forum like this where they could tell their stories.

You will still be able to access our archive of articles from the past year of news from startups in the Los Angeles area, and all permalinks to individual articles will remain live.

I hope you will find our new format valuable, interesting, and stimulating.  As always, I welcome and encourage your comments and feedback.

Sincerely,

Brian Kovalesky
Editor & Publisher
StartUp Beat
brian@startupbeat.com

Posted by startupbeat at 08:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

-Break.com Debuts New Properties as Part of Ad Network Launch – Los Angeles-based online video company Break.com has launched its new Break Men’s Ad Network and three new web properties—Cage Potato, Chickipedia, and Holy Taco.  Here’s a link to the announcement: Break Launches Three New Branded Web Properties and Men’s Ad Network

-Dayton Steps Down as Helio CEO – Entrepreneur and Helio founder Sky Dayton will step aside as CEO and move to non-executive chairman of the Westwood-based mobile virtual network operator.  Dayton will be replaced by Helio president and COO Wonhee Sull.  Here’s TechCrunch’s take on the move: Sky Dayton Steps Down As CEO of Helio

-Gumiyo to Deliver Mobile Carfax Reports – The Woodland Hills-based startup that develops e-commerce solutions for mobile devices has announced that it has partnered with Carfax to make Carfax Vehicle History Reports available on mobile devices.  GUMIYO, Inc. First to Deliver Carfax Vehicle History Reports Through Mobile Devices to Consumers  

Posted by startupbeat at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

-2008 Local Entrepreneurship Awards Finalists Announced – Entretech today announced the finalists for the 5th annual awards.  Presented by both Entretech and PricewaterhouseCoopers, the honors will be given at a breakfast on January 31st.  PricewaterhouseCoopers and Entretech Announce Finalists for 5th Annual Entrepreneurship Awards 2008

-Demand Media and the Lance Armstrong Foundation Announce Agreement – The Santa Monica-based social media company says that it will build ‘Livestrong.com’ for the group, a site that will provide professional health, wellness and fitness-related content.  The company says that as part of the deal, the Foundation and Lance Armstrong will become shareholders in Demand.  Demand Media and the Lance Armstrong Foundation Announce Agreement to Build LIVESTRONG.com 

-Integrien Adds to Advisory Board – Here’s more on the appointment, from the Irvine-based provider of integrity management solutions: Fred van den Bosch Joins Integrien’s Strategic Advisory Board

-The Rubicon Project Raises $15 Million – The Los Angeles-based Internet marketing startup today announced the completion of a series B round, led by Mayfield Fund with participation from IDG Ventures Asia; Stanford University; University of California Berkeley; Matt Coffin, founder and former CEO of LowerMyBills.com and Clearstone Venture Partners.  the Rubicon Project Raises $21 Million With New Financing Led by Mayfield Fund

Posted by startupbeat at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1/25/08 – Los Angeles-based MyMedicalRecords.com, which provides web-based personal health records services, has debuted MMR Pro, which it says is an easy-to-use, low-cost system that enables physicians and other healthcare providers to store paper-based patient medical records in a secure online environment without requiring upfront costs for special hardware or software.

The company is addressing the increasing impetus from regulators on adoption of electronic records by physicians and other healthcare providers.  MyMedicalRecords.com says MMR Pro enables doctors to get many of the benefits of an extensive electronic records system by digitizing patient files on the same day the patient leaves the office, with minimal disruption to existing workflow.  MMR Pro physicians will also be afforded the option to have all “back-file” paper records indexed and scanned for online access at a nominal cost.  Patients will also be able to access and view their records at no cost from any Internet-connected computer, according to the company.

In addition, digitized patient files are stored on a secure web site branded with the name of the physician practice.  Then using its MMRFreeView service, MyMedicalRecords.com says patients will be able to view his or her individual records by logging into their account with a secure password.

At the core of the MyMedicalRecords.com service is a document management and communications platform that allows doctors to securely fax medical and personal health records such as lab test results and immunization reports into a user’s account.  Images such as x-rays, scans and MRIs can be uploaded directly from the computer desktop, allowing users to efficiently and confidentially manage their health records through a personalized account, according to the company.

MyMedicalRecords.com – www.mymedicalrecords.com
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1/25/08 – Gumiyo, a Woodland Hills-based startup that develops e-commerce solutions for mobile devices, will begin enabling consumers of AutoUpLinkUSA, which runs an online inventory service for car dealers, to directly access their online inventory listings through a mobile phone web browser.

The companies say the new service lets dealers market their new and used inventory to consumers right on their web-enabled cell phones.  AutoUpLink will be utilizing the GumiyoPRO Elite mobile platform, which will allow dealers to directly access their online inventory listings through a mobile phone web browser when consumers text certain keywords with VINs or stock numbers.  These keywords are printed on dealers’ vehicle display stickers, classified ads, outdoor advertising or other promotions.

In general Gumiyo extends online marketplaces to mobile phones and provides sellers with unique mobile homepages and running print ads, signs, flyers, or any type of offline and online advertising.  It utilizes a proprietary short code with specialized text messages to power its service.

The company raised an undisclosed amount of funding in November.  It also inked a number of partnerships last year, including a deal with AutoBase to enable mobile auto classifieds, online classified provider Edgeio and it integrated Google Base listings into its mobile commerce services.

Gumiyo - www.gumiyo.com
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**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

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Posted by startupbeat at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

-iPhotoMeasure Chosen by Depiction Software – Tarzana-based DigiContractor, announced that its innovative photo measuring software has been chosen by Depiction, a supplier of personal computer imaging and estimating software for the building industry: Depiction Software Offers iPhotoMEASURE V3

-Mahalo Adds ‘Multi-Profiles’ – Santa Monica-based Mahalo, the “human edited” search engine launched by serial entrepreneur Jason Calacanis, today announced that members will be able to integrate multiple social networking profiles into their Mahalo profiles.  Here’s more from the Mashable blog: Mahalo Launches Multi-Profiles; Why Didn’t I Think of That?

Posted by startupbeat at 09:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We’d like to take a moment to thank our sponsors: LegalZoom and Integrien. 

They allow StartUp Beat to continue to provide news coverage of the most dynamic and innovative startups and early stage companies in the greater Los Angeles area. They also allow StartUp Beat to remain editorially independent and provide objective coverage of this dynamic community.  Note that our sponsors remain completely separate from our editorial coverage (see our sponsorship/advertising policy for more details).   We seek out companies that we feel will benefit or be of interest to our readership.

We are always looking for additional sponsors to help us keep the site thriving.  If you are interested, email sponsors@startupbeat.com for more details.  In the meantime, here’s more about our current sponsors:

LegalZoom allows you to be the hero of your family and your business. In 3 Easy Steps, protect yourself with a living will or power of attorney. Protect your family with a last will or living trust. Protect your business by incorporating or forming an LLC (Limited Liability Company). LegalZoom.com was founded by top attorneys so you know your legal documents are reliable. They built LegalZoom so that you can go online, answer a straightforward questionnaire for any legal document service, and then LegalZoom takes it from there, even performing a review for completeness and common mistakes.

Integrien is the intelligent systems management company that enables the predictable operation of mission critical applications. We help IT Operations manage complexity by applying real-time analytics to monitoring data to provide the intelligence that prevents problems from affecting their business. Integrien identifies dynamic thresholds to reduce the volume of false positive alerts generated by traditional rigid monitoring thresholds. We apply real-time analytics to monitoring data to identify the abnormal application and infrastructure behavior that precedes a problem. This unique ability to recognize and predict problems as they emerge allows us to help IT Operations identify and resolve issues before they result in slowdowns or outages. Integrien significantly reduces MTTR by providing a Problem FingerprintTM that focuses remediation efforts and minimizes the number of bridge call participants. These Problem FingerprintsTM continually adapt and “learn” over time as new monitoring data is analyzed. Only Integrien delivers this power of prediction and prevention.

Posted by startupbeat at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1/24/08 – Westlake Village-based Row 44 and Southwest Airlines announced this week that it will test Row 44’s service on four of its aircraft this summer.  This will make Southwest the first U.S. carrier to test satellite-delivered broadband Internet access on multiple aircraft.

Row 44, which uses the Hughes satellite network, is also working with Alaska Airlines to implement an in-flight system.  

The service enables fliers with wi-fi enabled devices to connect to the system through wireless hotspots installed inside the aircraft cabin, enabled by a light-weight radome mounted on top of the aircraft that houses an antenna, which receives and transmits signals, according to Row 44.

Row 44 has been privately funded to this point.

Row 44 – www.row44.com
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**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

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Integrien

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1/24/08 – Dell has announced that it will begin bundling Culver City-based open source IP telephony company Fonality’s open-source software with its enterprise servers.

This is obviously a big deal for Fonality, which last year was one of the more active companies in the region in terms of partnerships and expansion of its small-and-medium sized business-focused product mix.  Dell seems particularly suited for a partnership with Fonality, with its small-office, home-office focus.

While the companies aren’t divulging specifics about the partnership, apparently the deal’s revenue sharing arrangement is split right down the middle, with hardware revenue going to Dell and software going to Fonality.

Fonality uses a hybrid-hosted technology based on the open-source Asterisk telephony software for its products.  Its flagship offering is its PBXtra product for business that has the ability to support branch offices, as well as mobile and home-based workers.  The service won a PC Magazine Editors’ Choice award last year.

The company counts Azure Capital and Intel Capital among its investors.

Fonality – www.fonality.com
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**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

LegalZoom.com

Integrien

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1/24/08 – Venture investors poured $3.8 billion into Southern California-based companies last year, according to the Quarterly Venture Capital Report released this week by Dow Jones VentureSource.  The total represents 272 deals and a 12 percent growth rate over 2006.

Southern California just beat out New England for total investment, but garnered fewer total deals.  New England totaled $3.7 billion in money raised, in 326 completed rounds.

Overall, California was again the top destination for venture capital investment for the year, with 42 percent of all deals nationwide with 1,112 and 47 percent of all capital invested with just under $14 billion. The San Francisco Bay Area, in its usual spot as king of VC investment, attracted 818 deals totaling $9.9 billion.  That represents 3 percent more than 2006.

More details on the report can be found here: U.S. Venture Capital Investment Climbs 8% to $29.9 Billion in 2007, Highest Level Since 2001
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1/23/08 – Santa Monica-based mobile video and advertising company Transpera and Los Angeles-based online video company Break.com are partnering up to bring Break’s Internet content to mobile phones.

Using the Transpera platform, Break’s content and advertising will be available through major carrier networks including AT&T, Sprint/Nextel and T-Mobile, the companies say.  In addition, compatibility with the iPhone, Windows Mobile and the latest video-capable devices will allow users to customize their mobile videos.  

Transpera launched in July, and is backed by Intel Capital, IDG Ventures and First Round Capital.  Break, which has been around since 1998 and targets young men, says that it brings more than 18 million unique monthly visitors to its web site.  Last summer it secured $21 million in funding from Lionsgate Entertainment.

Transpera – www.transpera.com

Break.com – www.break.com
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**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

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1/23/08 – AlwaysOn has unveiled its OnMedia 100 winners, an award that recognizes the top private companies who have made significant strides in the advertising, marketing, and promotion industry.  Local winners include Ripe Digital Entertainment, Ripple, Jacked, The Rubicon Project, ThisNext and Transpera.

AlwaysOn says its editors and industry experts representing companies in the online ad service, technology, community platform, mobile advertising, marketing and web analytic sectors from around the globe submitted nominations for the OnMedia 100 award.

The OnMedia 100 Top Private Companies will be honored at the upcoming AlwaysOn conference on January 28-30 in New York City. 

AlwaysOn – www.alwayson.goingon.com
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**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

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Posted by startupbeat at 08:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1/23/08 – Santa Monica-based Jacked, an online publishing platform designed to operate simultaneously with TV programming, today announced that it has been selected to join Microsoft’s Startup Accelerator Program.  The program is designed to connect high-potential startups to an extensive support network that it says provides access to Microsoft people and programs, guidance on future directions, and support to accelerate participants’ success.

Microsoft says the requirements for inclusion in the program are innovation, marketability, growth potential, funding, platform decision and strategy.  Microsoft evaluates hundreds of startups before choosing participants.

Jacked’s platform, which is particularly focused on sports programming, is a mixture of online applications with a library of information, media, game, commerce and advertising spots, which it says allows users to interact with shows through information like statistics, photos, player information, play-by-play, chat and news. 

The company was founded in 2006 by former American Greetings Mobile chief Bryan Biniak.  It raised $6.5 million in September from Provenance Ventures, Core Capital Partners and Gabriel Venture Partners.

Jacked – www.jacked.com
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1/22/08 – Spot Runner, the Los Angeles-based Internet-based TV ad agency, has announced the acquisition of GlobeShooter, a network of more than 1,200 independent filmmakers, professional videographers, photographers, producers and production companies.

Spot Runner says it will integrate GlobeShooter into its existing and future products aimed at local, regional and national businesses, spanning television and online media.  The package of services will be renamed the “Spot Runner Production Network.”  Spot Runner says the acquisition will significantly expand its ability to offer highly customized ads for TV and the Internet, and gives it the capability to quickly deploy a local filmmaker to capture on-site video footage of its clients’ businesses—such as images of their storefronts, customer testimonials, employees at work, product demonstrations and local landmarks.  Spot Runner says this footage will be incorporated into ads from Spot Runner’s library to produce personalized, relevant, high quality local TV and online ads at an affordable price point.

As part of the deal, GlobeShooter founder Simon Foster has joined Spot Runner as director of the Spot Runner Production Network.  The company says he is now responsible for growing and managing the network.

Spot Runner is backed by Battery Ventures, Index Ventures, Allen & Company and Tudor Investments.

Spot Runner – www.spotrunner.com

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**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

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1/22/08 – Irvine-based Integrien, the provider of integrity management solutions for businesses, today unveiled the next version of its flagship software, Alive.  Integrien says version 6.0 includes enhanced analytics, scalability for the largest operational environments and a new customizable, role-based GUI, which assists IT operations staff in alleviating complexities associated with maintaining mission critical applications in complex IT environments.  The software increases operational efficiency by providing real-time, automated analysis of IT performance data and delivers actionable intelligence for identifying, resolving, and preventing problems, according to Integrien.

Alive 6 includes a new architecture and integration framework that Integrien says greatly increases the scalability of the software, enabling users to leverage existing investments in monitoring and systems management tools.

Integrien was founded in 2001, and is backed by Clearstone Venture Partners and Acartha Group.

Integrien – www.integrien.com
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**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

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Integrien

Posted by startupbeat at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

-Boingo Selects JiWire for Ad Delivery – The Santa Monica-based wi-fi network aggregator has selected a provider of advertising services for its airport-based sites. JiWire to deliver mobile ads at Boingo Wi-Fi airport sites

-Inside Axiotron – The Daily Breeze ran an interesting piece over the weekend about El Segundo-based Axiotron and its founder, Andreas Haas.  Axiotron is the maker of the recently released Modbook—the first Mac tablet computer.  Here's a link to the article: Getting a piece of Apple

-Tech Coast Angels Elects Sid Mohasseb President – The largest angel group in the U.S. announced the election last week of its new president: Tech Coast Angels Largest Angel Investment Organization in U.S Elects A New President

-‘Geek Culture,’ L.A.-Style – The Webware blog included a rundown last week of the Twiistup 3 party in Venice: SoCal geeks ready for the spotlight

Posted by startupbeat at 09:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1/18/08 – El Segundo-based Ripple, which delivers hyper-local content on flat screen panels in public locations, has announced two big partnerships that expand its network of public interactive screens and its advertising reach.  The first is a deal with CBS Outernet, a division of CBS that runs in-store media networks and advertising in grocery stores nationwide.  The company has also partnered with SeeSaw Networks, a San Francisco-based media company that offers a digital out-of-home media network advertising portfolio.

Ripple says its agreement with CBS Outernet will combine CBS’s national network of screens with Ripple’s “hyper-local” targeting capabilities in more than 1,500 spots in retail locations such as Borders, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Jack In The Box and Tully’s.  The company says the combined networks will reach more than 100 million viewers per month.

As a newly minted affiliate of SeeSaw networks, which enables companies to plan and execute “out-of-home” advertising though its partners, Ripple will now have access to SeeSaw’s portfolio of top-tier brand advertisers who will be able to feature their messages alongside Ripple’s network of geographically-targeted lifestyle content.

Ripple was founded in 2004.

Ripple – www.rippletv.com
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**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

LegalZoom.com

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Posted by startupbeat at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1/18/08 – Pasadena-based eSolar, the renewable energy startup that specializes in solar thermal power, has been given the largest grant by Google.org in its initial $26 million disbursement of funds.  Back in late November, Google.org, which is Google’s philanthropic arm, announced that eSolar would be part of the first group of companies to receive support.

eSolar, an IdeaLab startup, will get $10 million dollars in this round of funding.  Google.org says it is also contributing toward fighting health and environmental threats, improving public services and supporting small businesses.  

Oak Investment Partners is also an investor in eSolar.

eSolar – www.esolar.com
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**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

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LegalZoom.com

Posted by startupbeat at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1/18/08 – The Los Angeles Venture Association, or LAVA, held its fifth annual awards dinner last night, where it honored some of the region’s standout companies over the last year, and presented its Lifetime Achievement Award in Venture Capital to IdeaLab CEO Bill Gross.

Individual award winners included Los Angeles-based Internet-based TV ad agency SpotRunner, which won for “Best Venture Financing in Software and Media.”

The awards dinner benefited the Pasadena Union Station Foundation and was held at the Luxe Summit Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles.

LAVA – www.lava.org
------------------------------------------------------------
**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

Integrien

LegalZoom.com

Posted by startupbeat at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We’d like to take a moment to thank our sponsors: LegalZoom and Integrien. 

They allow StartUp Beat to continue to provide news coverage of the most dynamic and innovative startups and early stage companies in the greater Los Angeles area. They also allow us to remain editorially independent and provide objective coverage of this dynamic community.  Note that our sponsors remain completely separate from our editorial coverage (see our sponsorship/advertising policy for more details).

We are always looking for additional sponsors to help us keep the site thriving.  If you are interested, email sponsors@startupbeat.com for more details.  In the meantime, read on for more about our current sponsors...

LegalZoom allows you to be the hero of your family and your business. In 3 Easy Steps, protect yourself with a living will or power of attorney. Protect your family with a last will or living trust. Protect your business by incorporating or forming an LLC (Limited Liability Company). LegalZoom.com was founded by top attorneys so you know your legal documents are reliable. They built LegalZoom so that you can go online, answer a straightforward questionnaire for any legal document service, and then LegalZoom takes it from there, even performing a review for completeness and common mistakes.

LegalZoom has helped form over 100,000 businesses. Whether you need a simple DBA, or a full incorporation, LLC or Limited Partnership, you can go to LegalZoom to easily take care of these important matters. It seems like businesses can be sued for anything these days, and without a corporation or LLC you’re putting your personal assets at risk.

 
Integrien is the intelligent systems management company that enables the predictable operation of mission critical applications. We help IT Operations manage complexity by applying real-time analytics to monitoring data to provide the intelligence that prevents problems from affecting their business. Integrien identifies dynamic thresholds to reduce the volume of false positive alerts generated by traditional rigid monitoring thresholds. We apply real-time analytics to monitoring data to identify the abnormal application and infrastructure behavior that precedes a problem. This unique ability to recognize and predict problems as they emerge allows us to help IT Operations identify and resolve issues before they result in slowdowns or outages. Integrien significantly reduces MTTR by providing a Problem FingerprintTM that focuses remediation efforts and minimizes the number of bridge call participants. These Problem FingerprintsTM continually adapt and “learn” over time as new monitoring data is analyzed. Only Integrien delivers this power of prediction and prevention.

Posted by startupbeat at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1/17/08 – Xirrus, the Westlake Village-based provider of high-performance, long-range wi-fi products, has been chosen to provide wi-fi connectivity for USENIX—the Advanced Computing Systems Association—conferences and symposiums.  The group says these events are meeting grounds for the presentation, discussion and application of technical advances in all aspects of computing systems, covering topics such as network design and implementation, systems administration, network security and electronic voting.

Xirrus has experience with wi-fi deployments at trade shows and conferences, with successful deployments at the last three Interop shows.  The company says it is now focusing on providing wi-fi for regionally-based gatherings rather than larger events, in addition to the company’s permanent deployments of its Wi-Fi Arrays at locations like corporate campuses, schools and public areas.

Xirrus was founded in 2004 by former Xircom executives and is backed by U.S. Venture Partners and August Capital.

Xirrus – www.xirrus.com
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**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

LegalZoom.com

Integrien

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1/17/08 – Los Angeles-based 60Frames Entertainment, a producer and syndicator of online content that was recently started and incubated by United Talent Agency and Los Angeles-based Spot Runner, has launched its first line up of programming.  The company says it first programs include one called “Cockpit,” a comedy series developed by the group that created the popular online series “Prom Queen” for Michael Eisner’s Vuguru, and “Erik the Librarian Mysteries,” which is written and directed by TV writer Brent Forrester of “The Office.”

60Frames says it has a dozen-or-so other projects in development, with partners including the Coen brothers, John August and Tom Fontana.  The company has signed distribution deals with video sites including Bebo, Break.com, Dailymotion, iTunes, MySpace, Veoh, Vuze and YouTube, among others, and will begin offering its content through streaming service Joost next month.

The company has raised $3.5 million from an investment group led by Tudor Investment Corporation and Bob Pittman’s Pilot Group.

60Frames Entertainment – www.60frames.com
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**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

Integrien

LegalZoom.com

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-Hands-On Review of Axiotron’s Modbook – Engadget this week featured a hands-on review of El Segundo-based Axiotron’s long-anticipated Modbook Mac tablet computer, which began shipping just after New Year’s Day.  It’s the first Mac-based notebook, but Engadget finds some faults, apparently: Axiotron Modbook tablet Mac hands-on

Posted by startupbeat at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1/16/08 – Westwood-based mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, Helio, today officially released its long-anticipated Mysto phone.  The device is an ultra-thin slider phone that features a large, reflective mirror-like screen, and electrostatic keys that make the device shiver when pressed, according to Helio.

In addition, Helio has debuted two new GPS search services that run on the Mysto, called “WHERE” and “Tellme.”  WHERE is a service of uLocate Communications which provides information on things like local weather and events based on the user’s current location.  Tellme is a subsidiary of Microsoft and the first one-touch voice search application for mobile in the U.S. which lets users simply press one button and say a word to receive local search results.

The Mysto is manufactured by Samsung exclusively for Helio, according to the company.  Mysto boasts a 2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, night mode and built-in Photo Studio for high quality photos and video, 100MB of available internal memory expandable via microSD to 4GB, stereo Bluetooth, and support for an array of audio and video formats including MP3 and AAC audio, and MPEG-4 and H.264 video. 

Founded in 2005, Helio is a joint venture of EarthLink and South Korea’s SK Telecom.  It is headed by EarthLink and Boingo Wireless founder Sky Dayton.

Helio – www.helio.com
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**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

LegalZoom.com

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1/16/08 – Los Angeles-based Placely, a new online travel networking startup that enables travelers to share information and to stay connected while traveling, announced today that it has launched a new free feature.  Called the TripKit, the company says it allows users to enter a travel itinerary and immediately receive relevant data to make the travel experience more informative and pleasurable.

Placely says that TripKit aggregates relevant information for the traveler’s destination, all on one page.  Information includes interactive maps, weather forecast and top restaurant choices, according to the company.  Additionally, TripKit users have access to networking data allowing them to share travel tips and effortlessly meet up with people in their network while on-the-go.

The company was founded by entrepreneurs Denis Khoo, former CTO of Market Wire, and Rishi Jain.

Placely – www.placely.com
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**StartUp Beat Thanks Our Sponsors:

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LegalZoom.com

Posted by startupbeat at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1/16/08 – Los Angeles-based The Rubicon Project, a startup online marketing and advertising firm, has hired Bob Bennett, the former senior vice president of product development at Ticketmaster, as vice president of product and engineering.  The company says Bennett will oversee all aspects of product development and the technology team.

Bennett has also held senior e-commerce positions with eToys, Jackson National Life and Union Bank of California.

The Rubicon Project raised $6 million in series A funding in October.  The firm was founded by Internet marketing veteran and serial entrepreneur Frank Addante, and says its mission is to automate the “highly inefficient” Internet advertising industry.

The Rubicon Project – www.rubiconproject.com
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-WiSpry Co-founder Selected as Co-author – Jeffrey Hilbert, who co-founded the Irvine-based fabless semiconductor company that develops low-cost, high-performance radio frequency micro-electro-mechanical systems for the wireless industry, has been selected to contribute to a book about semiconductor venture capital best practices.  More on the announcement: WiSpry Co-founder Selected by Aspatore Books in New Authoritative Book on Semiconductor Venture Capital Best Practices

-CyberDefender Offers Free Tech Support During Valentine’s Week – It seems this has been a successful promotion, as the Los Angeles-based security and support firm did the same thing on Halloween and Christmas.  More details can be found at: Show Your Computer Some Love This Valentine's with CyberDefender's Free Tech Support...

-Language Weaver to Host Webinar – The Los Angeles-based developer of software for automatic language translation is partnering with SaS provider Idiom Technologies on a Webinar that addresses the advantages of automated translation services for businesses that operate in multilingual markets.  It will be held on January 3oth: Language Weaver and Idiom Technologies Host Webinar to Educate Businesses on How to Achieve Increased Productivity in Development of Multilingual Content

Posted by startupbeat at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1/15/08 – Irvine-based Fisker Automotive, a startup that is working on a range of environmentally friendly sports cars, has secured a second round of funding, from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.  Fisker is a joint venture of Quantum Fuel Systems and Fisker Coachbuild that was launched in September, 2007.  The firms did not disclose the funding amount.

Fisker is also debuting its first production car this week and next at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.  The company says it anticipates making initial deliveries of the car toward the end of 2009. 

The venture is benefiting from a proprietary system developed by Quantum called “Q-Drive,” which it says is a high-performance plug-in-hybrid electric vehicle architecture.  It says the Q-Drive plug-in hybrid electric drive system is designed to achieve 50 miles of zero emission, battery-only range while providing combined gasoline-electric hybrid operation to enable uncompromised vehicle range and performance.

Fisker Automotive received initial capital funding from Palo Alto Investors.

Fisker Automotive – www.fiskerautomotive.com

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1/15/08 – Westlake Village-based Inphi, which designs and develops integrated circuits for processing high-speed digital data in computing and communications systems, today announced that John S. Edmunds has been appointed as its CFO.  The company says that Edmunds will assume responsibility for its global financial strategy, planning and reporting, and will report directly to Young Sohn, Inphi’s president and CEO.

Edmunds, who most recently served as senior vice president and CFO at Trident Micro Systems, brings more than 20 years of financial and operations management experience to Inphi.  Prior to Trident, he served as vice president of finance for Zoran Corporation.  He also worked at accounting firm Coopers and Lybrand.

Founded in 2000, Inphi is backed by investors that include Tallwood Venture Capital, Mayfield Fund and Walden International.

Inphi Corporation – www.inphi-corp.com

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1/15/08 – Oversee.net, the downtown Los Angeles-based online media company that runs domain and online marketing services businesses, announced today that it has executed a definitive agreement with private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners for an investment of $150 million.  The firms did not disclose specific terms, but said that the transaction is expected to close by the end of January.

Oversee says the funds will be used to augment organic growth and acquire technologies that will enhance its suite of services in the online marketing and domain name industries.  The company seems focused particularly on its DomainSponsor domain monetization platform, along with its SnapNames domain acquisition business.  In addition, Oversee announced last week that it has acquired Moniker, a provider of domain name registration, domain asset management and monetization services.  Oversee says it will continue to evaluate acquisitions that extend its overall capabilities.

In addition to its downtown headquarters, the company has offices in Portland, Ore., and San Mateo, Calif.

Oversee.net – www.oversee.net

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-Jacked.com Launches Sweepstakes Promotion – Jacked.com, the Santa Monica-based online publishing platform designed to operate simultaneously with TV programming, has launched a sweepstakes promotion around new referrals.  The company will be giving away $2,000, which will awarded in early February to the winners of a drawing.  More details can be found here: Refer A Friend And Enter To Win Cash Prizes Totaling $2000 At Jacked.com In Time For The Super Bowl

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1/14/08 – ExerciseTV, the Los Angeles-based on-demand content network dedicated to fitness and sports training programming and founded by Jake Steinfeld of Body by Jake, has partnered with thePlatform, a white-label broadband video publishing company.  ExerciseTV says the partnership will allow it to grow and expand the video offerings on its fitness destination web site.

ExerciseTV says its online TV on-demand offering gets more than 5 million views a month.  It allows consumers to purchase and then download workouts to their PCs and portable video devices. 

As part of the new partnership, thePlatform is handling the publishing and management of ExerciseTV’s original library, which it says includes more than 200 download-to-own fitness titles.  The deal will also allow ExerciseTV to expand its viewership by syndicating the programmer’s original content to other destination sites, according to the company.  

ThePlatform manages a system that integrates with technology providers that span the online video market, giving media companies the maximum flexibility to design solutions unique to their needs.  It offers its customers a choice of pre-integrated partner technologies, including advertising campaign management and billing systems, content delivery networks, digital rights management, video formats and video player technologies.

ExerciseTV’s network launched in early 2006, and was developed by Comcast.  Other equity partners in ExerciseTV include New Balance, the footwear and apparel manufacturer, and Time Warner Cable.  The company says it is currently available in more than 23 million homes in the United States through cable systems Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Bresnan Communications. 

ExerciseTV – www.exercisetv.tv
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1/14/08 – The Automotive X PRIZE, a competition run by the Santa Monica-based XPRIZE Foundation, and designed as a competition to find viable, super-efficient vehicles, has announced that it will release a request for proposal to U.S. cities interested in hosting a stage of its upcoming city-to-city race.  The announcement coincides with the North American International Auto Show’s press and industry preview days this week, where Automotive X PRIZE says it will showcase the innovations of its early entrants at its booth.

The Automotive X PRIZE, with the publicly-stated mission to help break the world’s addiction to oil and stem the effects of climate change, is an independent and technology-neutral competition open to teams from around the world who can design, build and bring to market 100 miles-per-gallon equivalent vehicles that people want to buy, and that meet market needs for price, size, capability, safety and performance.

Automotive XPRIZE says that to date, more than fifty teams from seven countries have signed letters of intent to compete.  The window of opportunity for interested teams to register will remain open for at least the next 60 days, according to XPRIZE.

Once the field of participants is set, things will really get interesting, as those that qualify will embark on the cross country race that combines speed, distance, urban driving and overall performance.  XPRIZE says the winners will need to exceed 100 MPG equivalent fuel economy, fall under strict emissions caps and finish in the fastest time.

Automotive XPRIZE – auto.xprize.org

XPRIZE Foundation – www.xprize.org
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1/14/08 – Los Angeles-based security software developer CyberDefender has announced that it will release a beta of its safeSEARCH Toolbar v2.0 at the end of this month.  The company says it will be available for download beginning January 30 at beta.cyberdefender.com.

The toolbar is a free browser plug-in that offers Internet search while protecting personal information and ensuring privacy, according to CyberDefender.  The most prominent new feature of version 2.0, according to the company, is the ability to preview web site security rating and user ratings before entering a selected site.

CyberDefender says that the toolbar also provides instant access to critical site details such as site owner, host country, IP address for the site, contact information, popularity ratings, affiliated web sites, and a brief site description to help users make an informed decision before entering a potentially unsafe web site.  SafeSEARCH v2.0 also helps users clearly distinguish between safe and dangerous web sites within search results from Google, MSN, Yahoo and AOL, says the company.

CyberDefender was founded in 2003.  Investors include ARC Investment Partners, ITU Ventures, Oceana Partners and Centrecourt Asset Management.

CyberDefender - www.cyberdefender.com

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1/11/08 – The 5th Annual Los Angeles County Technology Week is coming up during the last week of the month—January 28-31, 2008.

According to Technology Week’s executive committee, highlights include a keynote presentation from astronaut and scientist Sally Ride.  She will talk about “America’s Future in Space” during an awards luncheon where the first-ever Technology Leadership Award winners will be announced. 

Technology Week will also include the 3rd annual Tech Coast Angels “Fast Pitch” competition, where entrepreneurs try to win the attention and mentorship of Tech Coast angel investors.  Fast Pitch will be held on January 28 at UCLA. 

In addition, keynote speakers and panels around the theme of “Enterprise of the Future” will be held throughout the week at USC, Cal State Long Beach, Loyola Marymount University and Woodbury University.  The executive committee says topics will include Aerospace, Aviation and National Security Technology Convergence, Organizational Structure Transformation and Collaboration, The Future of Technology and World Trade, and Challenges in Portable, Mobile and Broadband.

More information about Tech Week, including the schedule of events, can be found at www.latechweek.com
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1/11/08 – MusicIP, the Monrovia-based digital music discovery and recommendations web site, today announced that it has partnered with LyricFind, a provider of lyric search and display services.  MusicIP says the partnership will enhance MusicIP’s MyDJ and MusicDNS products to now include lyrical information, allowing music fans to seamlessly and quickly access their digital music.

The company’s MusicDNS service is a web-based music identification service that is complimented by the MYDJ product line of intuitive music discovery solutions for web sites, desktop software and consumer electronics devices.

MusicIP’s technology is designed to help listeners create playlists based on acoustic traits and characteristics, according to the company.  The technology can evaluate any song and provide recommendations based on the user’s taste in music.

LyricFind’s Lyric Search service provides music discovery through lyrics, enabling users to identify music based solely on a snippet of lyrics.  LyricFind says it maintains a searchable database of over one million tracks.

MusicIP CEO Andrew Stess serves on LyricFind’s board.

Founded in 2000, MusicIP is backed by J. L. Albright Venture Partners.

MusicIP – www.musicip.com

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1/11/08 – Culver City-based Fonality, the open-source IP telephony company, has garnered Technology Marketing Corporation’s Internet Telephony Magazine’s Product of the Year award for 2007 for the third year in a row.

The company won for its Trixbox Pro offering, a business-grade phone system that allows small-and-medium sized businesses to make free voice-over-IP calls.

Fonality had an active year in 2007, capped by this award and highlighted by its selection as PC Magazine’s Editor’s Choice among telephony providers.

The company, which primarily targets the small-and-medium sized business market, counts Azure Capital and Intel Capital among its investors.

Fonality – www.fonality.com
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-Oversee.net Announces DOMAINfest Agenda – DomainSponsor, the domain monetization business of Los Angeles-based Oversee.net, has announced the speakers list and agenda for its big DOMAINfest Global conference for the domain name industry.  The event is happening at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, from January 21-23.  Agenda and speaker information are available on the event website at www.domainfest.com. 

-SnapNames Releases Preliminary Auction Catalog – In more Oversee.net and DOMAINfest Global news, SnapNames—the company’s domain auction and sales subsidiary—has released its preliminary domain names catalog for its upcoming live auction, which will take place at the DOMAINfest Global show. Details can be found at: SnapNames Live Preliminary Auction Catalog Released

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1/10/08 – Interneer, the Culver City-based web application software developer, has announced that Frank Perna Jr. has been elected to its board of directors.  Perna joins board members Jim Collins, the renowned entrepreneur and businessman, and Michael Edell, managing partner of Groundwork Equity, who also serves as Interneer’s CEO. 

Perna currently serves on the MIT Entrepreneurship Center dean’s advisory council and on the board of trustees at Kettering University.  He retired from MSC Software in 2005 after serving as chairman and CEO since December 1998. 

He also serves as a director of CalAmp, Inc., a manufacturer of microwave products, PeopleSupport, Inc., the offshore business process outsourcing provider, and at Ping Identity Corp., a software identification security company.

In 1988, Perna was honored as the SoCal Entrepreneur of The Year by Ernst & Young.  He also garnered the 2002 CEO of the Year award from the Software Council of Southern California.

Over the summer, Interneer secured a $2 million investment by GroundWork Equity that coincided with the appointment of GroundWork managing partner Michael Edell as CEO.

Interneer – www.interneer.com

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1/10/08 – Boingo Wireless, the Santa Monica-based wi-fi hotspot network operator, and Irvine’s Broadcom Corporation have partnered up to enable wireless network connections for wi-fi phone users.  Broadcom manufactures semiconductors for both wired and wireless communications devices.

As part of the relationship, the companies say that Broadcom will incorporate Boingo’s wi-fi client software for handsets into its widely deployed wi-fi phone chipset platform currently shipping to handset manufacturers worldwide.  Boingo’s wi-fi client software automatically scans for hotspots and instantly connects users to private and commercial networks, including tens of thousands of hotspots that are part of Boingo’s worldwide roaming network.

The companies also say that Broadcom has been conducting live voice-over-IP demonstrations with Boingo at the Consumer Electronics Show this week. 

Boingo was founded in 2001 by EarthLink and Helio founder Sky Dayton.

Boingo Wireless - www.boingo.com

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1/10/08 – Break.com, the Los Angeles-based Internet video entertainment company, has announced a partnership with Verizon Wireless to bring Break’s original content to Verizon’s V CAST Video service.

Break.com, which made the announcement at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, features user-generated and professionally-produced video in popular categories ranging from sports to news to games.  Through the partnership, Verizon V CAST Video customers get unlimited basic video, plus additional services available for an extra fee.

Break, founded in 1998, says that it now has more than 18 million unique monthly visitors to its web site.  Earlier this year, it secured $21 million in funding from Lionsgate Entertainment.

Break.com – www.break.com

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1/9/08 – Pasadena-based Evolution Robotics Retail, a division of robotic technology company Evolution Robotics, has made a new version of its LaneHawk Visual Scanner solution available for the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating system.  LaneHawk is designed to prevent bottom-of-basket losses at retail locations.  According to the company, this type of inventory loss accounts for 0.1 percent of front-end sales, which equates to ten dollars per lane, per day in a typical store.

Up until now, LaneHawk has run exclusively on a Linux-based platform, according to Evolution.  The company says that several thousand stores are currently under contract using the product.  Evolution asserts that retailers using LaneHawk have reported decreases in bottom-of-basket loss by 80-to-90 percent since deploying the technology.

Prior to LaneHawk, most efforts to reduce bottom-of-basket loss have depended on cashiers visually checking the bottom of customers’ carts—using mirrors, stickers, training, or other detection devices—and then manually scanning those items, according to Evolution.  Using its patented visual pattern recognition, or ViPR, technology, LaneHawk is able to detect, identify, and present bottom-of-basket items directly to the point of sale, enabling cashiers to add those items directly to the transaction. 

Earlier this week, Evolution Robotics debuted its new Northstar 2.0 robotic awareness system.

Evolution Robotics and Evolution Robotics Retail are IdeaLab startups.

Evolution Robotics Retail – www.evoretail.com

Evolution Robotics – www.evolution.com

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1/9/08 – Marina Del Rey-based DevZuz, a developer of delivery platforms that link enterprise businesses to application development projects and processes, has been acquired by Exist Global, a software engineering services firm headquartered in the Philippines.

The companies say that through the acquisition, Exist will pick up key DevZuz employees, as well as the company’s technology and products.  This includes DevZuz’s flagship advanced software sourcing technology, codeATLAS, and its build automation and standardization platform, Maestro, according to the companies.

DevZuz completed a series A financing round of $9.25 million from investors Mission Ventures and Redpoint Ventures earlier this year.

DevZuz – www.devzuz.com

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1/9/08 – Xirrus, the Westlake Village-based provider of high-performance, long-range wi-fi products,  has announced that it has deployed a wi-fi network solution for Santa Barbara-based Occam Networks, a manufacturer of broadband access solutions for service providers of voice, video, and data services.  Xirrus says its network provides high performance coverage at Occam’s new 47,000 square foot headquarters, supporting more than 130 employees and corporate visitors using voice and data on laptops and PDAs.

Xirrus has deployed its flagship Wi-Fi Arrays at numerous locations over the last year.  It was founded in 2004 by former Xircom executives and is backed by U.S. Venture Partners and August Capital.

Xirrus – www.xirrus.com

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1/8/08 – Woodland Hills-based search marketing firm ReachLocal today announced that it has become an authorized reseller of Google’s AdWords advertising program.

ReachLocal says its new status solidifies its continued relationship with Google and its delivery of Google AdWords to local businesses via its dedicated direct sales force.  As a Google AdWords authorized reseller, ReachLocal says it maximizes its value to local advertisers by providing high quality customer service and professional AdWords account management, from account setup and activation to ongoing campaign maintenance and optimization.

The company offers services for local businesses that simplify and automate the process of online marketing through full-service management on their behalf.  ReachLocal is able to provide Internet advertising campaigns for local businesses through a single platform and one budget that links their online advertising spend to their offline sales activities.

In October, ReachLocal secured $55.2 million in funding from Rho Ventures, Galleon Crossover Fund and VantagePoint Venture Partners.

ReachLocal – www.reachlocal.com
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1/7/08 – Los Angeles-based Geni.com, the highly-touted genealogy web site, has launched two new major features that it says add to the collaborative nature of the service.  Geni has been wildly popular since its launch last January, reaching the 5 million user profiles milestone within seven months.

The new Timeline feature shows a visual history of the events in a person’s life, with each event having its own page that can contain additional information, photos, attendees, and comments.  When an attendee is added to an event, the event appears in their timeline too.  Geni says that in the process of building their own timeline, users are likely to help complete the timelines of other family members, and compares the service to online scrapbooking.

The other new feature is Family News, which Geni says is a single page where users can track everything going on in their family, including additions to the family tree and timelines, birthdays, photos, discussions, comments, and more.  

Geni was launched by David Sacks, former COO of PayPal and producer of the film “Thank You for Smoking.”  Its investors include Founders Fund and Charles River Ventures.

Geni – www.geni.com

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1/7/08 – One of the more interesting stories coming out of CES from companies in the Los Angeles area is Pasadena-based Evolution Robotics, which today unveiled what it says is a system that allows robots to be aware of their environments and perform tasks with autonomy.  The system is called NorthStar 2.0, and at its debut at the CES show, the company is touting the system as “a new era of ‘super smart’ robots for the consumer market.”

The company already has a customer for NorthStar—San Diego’s WowWee Group—which will use the product in its Rovio “telepresence” robot, also making its debut at CES this week.  WowWee develops and distributes hi-tech consumer robotic and entertainment products.

Evolution says that NorthStar works like a combination GPS, RADAR and autopilot system rolled into one, designed to operate in everyday places like a home or office.  The company is also touting the system’s price, saying that Northstar costs 1/100th to 1/1000th the cost of equivalent systems used in research and industrial applications.

A number of other new products are in development around Northstar, which Evolution says includes a new generation of intelligent floor care robots, super smart toys, and telepresence robots that allow the user to connect to the home or office while away.

Evolution Robotics is an IdeaLab startup.

Evolution Robotics – www.evolution.com 

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1/7/08 – Manhattan Beach-based TechForward, which provides consumer electronics trade-in plans, has used this week’s CES show as a platform to unveil a wide-ranging enhancement to its service line which it says is designed to help retailers, product manufacturers, and consumers overcome obstacles to more frequent upgrade purchasing of popular consumer electronics.

The company’s Guaranteed Buyback service is a high-margin point of sale add-on service that is sold at the time of purchase in the same manner as an extended warranty to make it easy for customers to return their devices and get cash or store credit that can be used toward their next purchase.  The newly-expanded service now encompasses categories that represent 50 percent of the estimated $160 billion annual consumer electronics market, the company says.

TechForward says the program is built upon patent-pending predictive models of the future value of used electronic devices in secondary markets.  Its proprietary engine mines data on used consumer electronics device sales from a variety of secondary markets for price points and trends, and incorporates market intelligence and product release roadmaps.  It then applies sophisticated statistical analysis algorithms to project future depreciation schedules and resale prices.

The company was established last year, and is backed by First Round Capital.

TechForward – www.techforward.com
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1/4/08 – Oversee.net, the Downtown Los Angeles-based online media company that runs domain and online marketing services businesses, has acquired Moniker, a provider of domain name registration, domain asset management and monetization services.

More specifically, Pompano Beach, Florida-based Moniker offers products and services beyond basic registration, including name creation, acquisition, portfolio management, theft protection, appraisal and escrow services, traffic monetization, live and online domain auctions and aftermarket sales.

Oversee says that Moniker’s operations will continue to be led by Monte Cahn, the company’s president.  It says Cahn has agreed to a multi-year commitment with Oversee by continuing to run Moniker, in addition to other senior executive responsibilities within Oversee.

This acquisition is the second in the domain services business by Oversee.  The first came last June when the firm bought SnapNames.  Oversee now says it will leverage the strengths of the two divisions by adding Moniker’s live auction and back-office services to SnapNames Live to offer the industry’s most comprehensive live and silent auction services.

Oversee.net was founded in 2000 and now counts more than 200 employees working out of its downtown L.A. headquarters and offices in Portland, Oregon, and San Mateo, Calif.  It was named last year to the Inc. 500 and the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 in the Los Angeles region.

Oversee.net – www.oversee.net

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1/4/08 – Pasadena-based Evolution Robotics, the provider of robotic technologies for consumer products, today announced that the Korean Institute of Industrial Technology has licensed its ViPR robotic visual pattern recognition technology for incorporation into the Institute’s national robot platform Software Development Kit.

The deal means that ViPR will be included in the Institute’s Center for Advanced Robotics Industrial Infrastructures robot platform, or SDK, which has been developed for Korean academic organizations.  The SDK’s goal is to expedite robotics research, help reduce the cost and efforts associated with developing object recognition functions, and also to avoid redundant investment of resources in the development of new robotic technologies.

Evolution Robotics says its ViPR technology provides a reliable and robust vision solution that truly gives electronic devices the ability to detect and recognize complex visual patterns.  It says a ViPR-enabled device can automatically detect and recognize visual patterns using low-cost imagers like the ones found in the vast majority of camera phones.

ViPR technology has already been successfully deployed in other robotic products to enable applications like autonomous navigation, fraud detection, and target tracking in the consumer, industrial and defense markets, according to Evolution.

Evolution Robotics is an IdeaLab startup.

Evolution Robotics – www.evolution.com 
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1/3/08 – El Segundo-based Axiotron is now officially shipping its Modbook Mac-based notebook computer.  The highly anticipated and long-delayed notebook is the first Apple-authorized Mac tablet computer.

The product will be introduced at the MacWorld 2008 show, where the Modbook was named Best of Show last year.

Axiotron says the Modbook has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $2,290 and is available in the United States and Canada exclusively through Axiotron Authorized Resellers.

Axiotron was founded in 2005 by Andreas Haas and Dr. Kumiko Haas, and is privately held.  More details about the Modbook can be found in the company announcement: Axiotron’s Highly Anticipated and Award-Winning Modbook Ships to Consumers Today

Axiotron – www.axiotron.com

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1/3/08 – Twistbox Entertainment, a mobile entertainment company based in Sherman Oaks, has announced that it has agreed to merge with Mandalay Media, Inc.  The companies say that pursuant to the proposed merger, Twistbox will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mandalay, and the shareholders of Twistbox will receive shares of common stock in Mandalay.

If the transaction is completed, Twistbox will become Mandalay’s sole current operations and continue to operate as usual across its subsidiaries and territories, according to the companies.  Twistbox CEO Ian Aaron will be appointed to Mandalay’s board of directors and continue as CEO of the Twistbox business.

The companies expect the transaction to close during the first quarter of 2008.

Since its founding in 2006, Twistbox has signed distribution agreements with more than 100 mobile operators in 40 countries, and says it provides its entertainment content to more than 1.1 billion subscribers worldwide through games, WAP sites and mobile TV channels.  The company was formed by the combination of WAAT Media and Charismatix.

Twistbox Entertainment – www.twistbox.com

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1/2/08 – Westlake Village-based Inphi, which designs and develops integrated circuits for processing high-speed digital data in computing and communications systems, announced today that Ron Torten has been appointed as vice president of worldwide sales.  The company says Torten will report directly to Inphi’s president and CEO, and will assume responsibility for the company’s entire sales group, including an extensive network of direct and independent sales organizations, manufacturer’s representatives and distributors in North America, Europe and Asia.

Torten brings more than 10 years of experience in executive and general management positions to the job.  He comes to Inphi from NemeriX, where he was CEO.  Previously, Torten was vice president, worldwide materials, at Agilent Technologies.

Inphi was founded in late 2000 and is backed by investors that include Tallwood Venture Capital, Mayfield Fund and Walden International.

Inphi Corporation – www.inphi-corp.com

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-Goodreads Becomes Political Forum for Iranian Youth – Today’s Los Angeles Times includes a fascinating story about how Iranian youth opposed to their country’s current regime are using Santa Monica-based startup Goodreads as a forum for expressing their views.  The site was founded in 2006 and announced the completion of a round of angel funding right before Christmas.  Here is the story: Unlikely forum for Iran’s youth

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