Tuesday, April 25, 2017


MomentFeed Links With Snapchat
Los Angeles-based MomentFeed, which develops social marketing software to help multi-location, retail brands better manage the information about their local stores, has linked up with Snapchat's partner program, according to the company. Snapchat said that MomentFeed is now one a number of "Snapchat Partners", which lets MomomentFeed's customers execute targeted, location-based paid advertising campaigns using Snap Ads and Geofilters. MomentFeed says its tools are used by such brands as Starbuck (More info...)
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Forge Therapeutics Gets $15M
San Diego-based Forge Therapeutics, a biotechnology startup developing antibiotics, said on Tuesday that it has raised $15M in a Series A funding. The funding was led by MagnaSci Ventures, along with Evotec AG, Alexandria Venture Investments, MP Healthcare Venture Management, Red Apple Group, and WS Investments. MagnaSci Ventures's Brian Dorsey joins the company's board along with the funding.
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Sienna Biopharmaceuticals Gets $40M In Series B
Westlake Village-based Sienna Biopharmaceuticals, which is developing medical dermatology and aesthetics treatments, has raised $40M in a Series B funding. The funding was led by ARCH Venture Partners and Venvest Capital, and also included Partner Fund Management, Altitude Life Science Ventures, and Dr. David Pyott, plus new investors Fidelity Management & Research Company, certain investment funds advised by Clough Capital Partners L.P., Omega Fund Management, and others. The company said the f (More info...)
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TeleSign Acquired By BICS For $230M
Los Angeles-based TeleSign, which uses phone calls and related information for mobile identity management, authentication, and other cloud services, has been acquired by Brussels-based BICS, in a deal worth $230M in cash plus unspecified earnout. BICS said that TeleSign has annual revenues of around $100M. As part of the deal, BICS said that TeleSign will continue to operate independently as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, led by current CEO Aled Miles. Daniel Kurgan, CEO of BICS, will (More info...)
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Trump Takes Aim At CrowdStrike
Irvine-based cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike appears to be the latest victim of unsubstantiated "facts" from the current White House administration, as President Trump inferred that the company, incorrectly, is owned by a "very rich Ukrainian". The company is actually backed by Google Capital, Rackspace, Accel Partners, and Warburg Pincus. CrowdStrike's founder is George Kurtz, who founded Irvine's Foundstone, and later sold it to McAfee. Axios reports that the incorrect White House assertion mig (More info...)
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Science 37 Gets $29M To Extend Clinical Trials To Patient Homes
Playa Vista-based Science 37, which is developing technology and a model that allows pharmaceuticals companies and others to conduct clinical trials in patients' homes--rather than dedicated, off-site facilities--has raised $29M in a Series C funding round. The round was led by Glynn Capital Management, and also included GV (formerly Google Ventures), plus Amgen Ventures, Lux Capital, Redmile Group, dRx Capital (a Qualcomm and Novartis joint investment company), and Sanofi Ventures. The company (More info...)
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Rubicon Project Powers Digital Jukebox Advertising Marketplace
Los Angeles-based Rubicon Project is applying its programmatic advertising technology to digital jukeboxes, in a deal with connected, digital jukebox developer TouchTunes. According to the two, TouchTunes' "out-of-home" audience will be made available programmatically in a real-time buying marketplace powered by Rubicon's technology. The comapnies said TouchTunes has a reach and monthly audience of over 38 million unique visitors.
posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2017(Full story)

Newegg Links With Chinese Payment Service PingPong
Los Angeles-based online electronics retailer Newegg said this morning that it has linked with PingPong, a provider of secure payment services for Chinese sellers, to help make it easier for its Chinese sellers to collect payments from customers. Financial details of the link were not announced. The two said that PingPong's payment service helps Chinese sellers overcome the challenges of cross-border online sales.
posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2017(Full story)

Heron Therapeutics Names CFO
San Diego-based Heron Therpaeutics, a biotechnology firm developing treatments for pain, has named Robert E. Hoffman as its Chief Financial Officer and Senior, Vice President, Finance. Hoffman was recently serving as EVP and CFO of Innovus Pharmaceuticals for the last eight months, and also was recently CFO of AnaptysBio. Hoffman also has been at Arena Pharmaceuticals and Polaris Group, and is on the board of CombiMatrix, Kura Oncology, and MabVax Therapeutic Holdings.
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