Thursday, January 22, 2009 -- The Conversion Forum: Proven methods for increasing your site's registrations, leads, sales and other conversions. Mixergy. See [link] (more

Thursday, January 22, 2009 -- ASP-Operationalizing WellPoint Business Strategies with the Balanced Scorecard. This case study will showcase how the organization identified 11 strategic measures and used the balanced scorecard as a vehicle for operationalizing its strategies. Our speaker, Ferdinand Tesoro, Ph.D. See [link] (more

Thursday, January 22, 2009 -- "How to Win the Funding Game" TCVN. While entrepreneurs spend countless hours defining their market and their customers, they tend not to develop deep expertise when it comes to raising capital. See [link] (more

Thursday, January 22, 2009 -- SoCalBio Networking Forum. Getting the Best Valuation in the Current Financial Environment. See [link] (more

Thursday, January 22, 2009 -- What You Need To Know About Upcoming Legislation. Number of bills introduced.many can negatively impact your business.How current Legislation can impact Tech Companies. As part of our Dinner for Decision Makers Series.join your LA Council and other colleagues in your local AeA community. See [link] (more

Thursday, January 22, 2009 -- LAVA Venture Awards Dinner. See [link].

Thursday, January 22, 2009 -- "Outlook 2009: Getting MandA and Financing Transactions Done in a Tight Credit Market" GCBF. See [link] (more

Thursday, January 22, 2009 -- OCAMA. Speaker: Leslie Bryant, Corporate Communications, Allergan. See [link] (more

Thursday, January 22, 2009 -- How to Fund Your Business When Venture Capital Has Said No. TCOSC. Capital - CASH -- is a key ingredient for any business. Especially for entrepreneurial and fast-growing technology companies. Without it, you can't make payroll, develop the next upgrade, or market your product. See [link] (more

Thursday, January 22, 2009 -- Time to Buy or Time To Hide? Keynote by Ramin Taloui, Executive VP - PIMCO. Panelists include Samuel Tang, Founding Partner - Montauk TriGuard; Jim Armstrong, Managing Director - Clearstone Ventures; and Randy Lunn, Managing Director Emeritus - Palomar Ventures. See [link] (more

Looking to make lemonade out of lemons, Los Angeles-based Internet leads firm LeadPoint said late Thursday that it has launched a new product to generate leads from homeowners looking for loan modifications. READ MORE>>.

The firm said it made the moves, because it expects a "very difficult economic environment" in 2009. Los Angeles-based Oversee.net is not immune to the stormy economy, and told socalTECH Thursday that is cutting 18 percent of the firm's workforce, or a total of 38 people, including some managers. READ MORE>>.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009 -- LINC BizDev - Lunch Networking for Business Development Representatives. Increase your referrals and introductions by networking with bizdev people from interactive companies. See [link] (more

Los Angeles-based MySpace said Thursday that the firm has inked deals with several independent music providers, to distribute their music through MySpace Music. the firm said it has inked agreements with Nettwerk Music Group, INgrooves, IRIS Distribution, and RoyaltyShare, which will result in adding "several hundred thousand" songs to its catalog.

Woodland Hills-based MetaDolce Technologies, a developer software for web search, said Thursday that it has launched a new product which will allow web sites to accept "natural language" queries for visitors. Interestingly enough, the firm apparently does not use its own software its own corporate web site.

We hit up Diggnation live at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood last night. It certainly was an interesting intersection of all walks of Internet life. There really was so much converging of rumors and back stories, I think I’ll just give a few hints (a la Page 6 style) and let the photo mastery of @wmmarc do the rest of the talking.

Harman International, a manufacturer of audio and entertainment products including Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, and other products, said Wednesday afternoon that it is shutting down its Woodbury, New York offices and consolidating them into its Northridge location. Harman said that a limited number of its employees will be offered relocation.

Newport Beach-based The TriZetto Group, which develops health care information systems, said today that it has signed a five-year contract to equip Neighborhood Health Plan (NHP) with its application hosting services and systems. Financial terms of the win were not disclosed.

Our startup interview this morning is with Josh Stomel , founder of ResumeBucket (www.resumebucket.com), a new web site that is focused on helping people share their resumes with the world. Stomel--who is bootstrapping the startup from his recruiting firm, NeoHire--explained the site to us. What's the idea behind the site? It works. Thanks!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009 -- TechBiz Connection: Marketing 101. Sustainable, organic growth in a company;s revenues requires excellence in the creation and successful introduction of products and services that provide customer value. What is its role in the product creation / innovation process? See [link] (more

Wednesday, January 21, 2009 -- "Buiding the Bionic Human: Implantable Devices and Cyber Prosthetics" MIT Enterprise Forum of the Central Coast.Speaker: Ahmed Enany, President and CEO - Southern California Biomedical Council (SoCalBio) Southern California's Life Science Industry Trade Association; Matthew Tirrell, PhD, Richard A.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009 -- PCNLA Meeting. Angel investment group. See [link] (more

Wednesday, January 21, 2009 -- State of the Capital Markets. BIOCOM. See [link].

Today's show brings Bill, Dave and Houston Angel John Filla together to stare into the crystal ball and make those 2009 predictions. Can't get enough Bill Payne? Or maybe it seems like a year has gone by since you last heard from Dave Berkus? What to listen for : Since it's a new year it's time to brush up on terms. What's worse than P2P?

Search engine giant Google made two dramatic announcements Wednesday afternoon, saying that it will lay off around 100 recruiters at the firm, as it slows its hiring, and will cut three of its remote engineering offices. The move comes after it had already cut contracts with external vendors and recruiters to save costs.

Santa Monica-based venture capital firm Anthem Ventures is the lead investor in an avatar-focused, social networking site called Meez. Meez, which is based in San Francisco, said today that it has raised a financing round from Anthem. Anthem's Brian Mesic has been added to the firm's board as part of the funding.

For anyone who’s been in this business for awhile, there’s a clear correlation of the economy and bubbles to the behavior of startups, so I got a great kick out of this graph (posted over at SEOmoz ) — graphing out “ The Density of Pro Startup Blog Posts in Various Economic Climates&#.

San Diego-based digital music service Slacker released a new, iPhone version of the firm's Internet radio service this morning through Apple's App Store this morning, making the firm's Internet radio service available through the iPhone and iPod touch. READ MORE>>.

Los Angeles-based United Sample, which operates online survey and sampling services for the market research industry, announced today that it has raised $3M in a Series B funding round. The round was led by Greycroft Partners, and also included prior investor DFJ Frontier. READ MORE>>.

Los Angeles-based Boingo Wireless is expanding in China, the firm said yesterday, as it closed a deal with China Telecom to add 10,905 hotspots in Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, and Shanghai to its network. Financial details of the expansion were not disclosed. READ MORE>>.

Los Angeles-based video advertising technology provider Panache is reporting today that it has signed on MTV as a customer. According to Panache, MTV will use the company's platform across MTV Networks web sites, including MTV.com, VH1.com, Nick.com and CMT.com. Financial impact of the deal was not disclosed. READ MORE>>.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 -- "Communications Are Strategic: Dramatic Results Through Positioning and Vivid Messaging" AccessEN. Presented by Phil Ressler ? President and CEO, Big Stage. See [link] (more

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 -- LA G33k D1nner. See [link] (more

Thursday, January 15, 2009 -- UCSB Economic Forecast Project. California and United States Economic Outlook Seminar. Email events@ucsb-efp.com.

Los Angeles-based EQAL, the online production firm behind lonelygirl15, said today that the firm has teamed up with CBS for an online site tied into a new, 13-episode series called Harper's Island. According to CBS and EQAL, they will launch Harper's Globe , an online site which will be complementary to the television storyline.

Los Angeles-based Language Weaver, which develops automated language translation software, is boosting its commercial efforts, saying today that it increased its commercial revenues by over 70 percent last year. Language Weaver's language translation software is based on research spun out of the University of Southern California. READ MORE>>.

Deadline to enter is 12p PST on Jan 12, 2009. As part of their sponsorship of Twiistup 5 , local hosting company MediaTemple is offering a free lifetime hosting account. We use MediaTemple here at lala and love it, so much so that we don’t publish the various reports we hear about MT’s employee “extracurricular activities&#.

Los Angeles-based mobileStorm, a provider of email and mobile marketing services, has hired on a new Chief Financial Officer, the firm revealed this morning. The firm said that it has appointed Doug Schiller to the role. mobileStorm said that Schiller will report to CEO Jared Reitzin. mobileStorm is venture backed by eonBusiness. READ MORE>>.

Irvine-based Autobytel announced this morning that it has bolstered its executive ranks, hiring Zane Rathwick as the firm's Vice President Development for IT. Rathwick joins the firm from Local.com and Kelley Blue Book, and has previously served as Senior Director at Autobytel. READ MORE>>.

San Diego-based Nirvanix, which operates an online, storage-as-a-service which competes against Amazon's S3 storage service, has shuffled its CEOs, the firm said today, replacing CEO Patrick Harr with Jim Zierick. Nirvanix said that Harr is leaving to "pursue a new opportunity." The firm said that Zierick remains on the board of directors of Aspyra.

Carlsbad-based ToutVirtual , which develops software for managing virtual computing products, announced today that the firm has upgraded its VirtualIQ Pro product. The firm's software is used by system administrators to manage virtual servers from VMware, Xen, Microsoft, and others. READ MORE>>.

Tough times? Privately held, Santa Barbara-based Make It Work , a provider of in-home computer and electronics help, has just inked its first profitable quarter, and is positioning to be ready for any change in the economic headwinds. Greenspan said the moves helped the firm lower its cost of acquisition of new customers. READ MORE>>.

Aliso Viejo-based Quest Software, which develops systems management software and related tools, said this morning that it has acquired the technology assets of MonoSphere, a developer of storage capacity management software. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. READ MORE>>.

Marina Del Rey-based Six Degree Games is off to a rapid start with its new Action AllStars virtual world, the firm tells socalTECH, with more than 100,000 registered user in the first two weeks of public availability. However, he said that the site also has eyes on Major League Baseball's opening day. READ MORE>>.

Please tell me CES is finally fucking over. It must be, since Sarah “Twice Your Probably Over Self Promoting&#  Lacy has given us the rockstar photo tour. For those that didn’t make it out to Vegas this year, sure you already sat through the drunk tweets, why not a few drunken photos as well. Look out for special guests Brian Solis , MC.

In the midst of the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show — and more importantly, the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo — TechCrunch decided to host the Crunchies. If brevity was the soul of wit last year , this year the continuing encapsulating keyword is: meh. Close of the ceremony at the grand Herbst Theatre. Drinking and faux gambling?

Time to gaze into our crystal iPhone and see what 2009 holds in store for Los Angeles. Francisco Dao will be kicked out of at least 1 event for being too loud and or dressing inappropriately. . We get kicked out of even more events for various shennagians. Most of you continue to attend too many mixers and twitups. Have your own?

International man of mystery Paige Craig was out of town this new years. Mission classified. His prime Venice Beach apartment left to the good care of Mike Prasad. Once the keys and proper access codes were passed, I imagine it took Mike all of a few minutes to lay the plan for something. In this case, a New Years Eve bash with a few local geeks.

Update: Here are some pictures from last night: Photos. by: (CC) Wmmarc, [link] and on Flickr. Hover over the top of the slide show for options, hover over the bottom to see thumbnails. Don’t miss the latest meeting for Social Media Club LA at Blankspaces. Tonight they focus on Social Media in the film industry. link]. Jessica Mae Stover.

Twiistup 5  founder  Mike Macadaan  recently invited a few of us to his Santa Monica apartment. The occasion (other than greatly extending our lunch breaks) was a preview of what to expect at the much anticipated Twiistup event. TechZulu has an interview and more info to follow, for now there’s really just 4 things you need to know: . Robots.

Neurotictrepenuer Johanthan Harris is leaving Tesla powered startup Mahalo. Citing irreconcilable bulldogs, he leaves behind a great legacy on Colorado Blvd. Part of the original pool house group, he ends his role as Director of Sarcasm some time in the next 2 weeks. . It seems that all communications must now be presented in the form of a question.

Hotrentrepenuer Debbie Landa and Deal Maker Media are bringing Startonomics  to Los Angeles. This time around they’ve assembled their best speaker lineup ever , I can say this with great confidence (and no modesty) because I’m one of the speakers. The event takes place Feb. at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Jason Nazar.

Digg maniacs and Kevin Rose groupies, mark your calendars: Knitting Factory Hollywood is hosting the LA Digg Meetup and Live Diggnation on Wednesday, Jan. While it only seems natural for Digg to gravitate towards a Los Angeles meetup, there may be an ulterior motive for traveling down south. just another day in the life. Right, Kevin?

VC Outlook 2009: If You Need Funding You’re Fuc%ed ( or are you ) - Candid Talks with VCs in Los Angeles. My dear friend Debbie Landa, supreme queen of DealMaker Media is hosting another kick ass event in Los Angeles, and… I’M GIVING AWAY A TICKET TO THE EVENT (keep reading below). DECEMBER 2, 2008.

As planned, I’ll be hosting monthly presentations/conversations each month throughout 2009 on different topics for entrepreneurs. These events are put on in conjunction with our friends at DealMaker Media.   TO SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT, CLICK HERE. The event is free and will hold about 140 folks, both previous events sold out. Cost: FREE.

Given the every-increading need for start-ups to break-even sooner than planed, I thought I’d pass on some words of wisdom about selling and having the right sales strategy.  A good friend of mine (and former software sales exec and VC), Miles Mahoney, recently posted an article on the VC Journal online and has given me [.].

Thanks to everyone who showed up to the pair of events last week — it is always great to meet more UCLA folks for Tech Group meetups. In addition, the Dealmaker VC Outlook event was really informative, and in case you missed it you should check out the event’s videos online. If you want to be a part of it be sure to sign up!

Newport Beach-based Conexant, a manufacturer of communications semiconductors, revealed this morning that the firm has surpassed 300 million DSL port shipments. The firm said that the shipment totals are cumulative, starting from its first DSL chipset in 1989; the company claims it was the first to develop a DSL chipset. READ MORE>>.

San Diego-based Illumina, a developer of life science analysis tools, said Monday that the firm's products have been selected by Duke University Medical Center. According to Illumina, researchers at the school will use its Genome Analyzer to study resistance to HIV infection about individuals, who have been exposed but remain uninfected.

San Diego-based Fallbrook Technologies, which is developing transmission technology for the automotive industry and human-powered devices, has raised $25.4M in a venture capital round. The new funding will go continue commercialization of Fallbrook's continuous variable planetary transmission technology.

Carlsbad-based Ablation Frontiers, a venture-backed provider of products for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, has been acquired by Medtronic for $225M. According to Medtronic, it will pay $225M plus additional, unspecified contingent payments depending on meeting certain milestones. Ablation Frontiers will become AF Solutions. READ MORE>>.

Playa del Rey-based The Smart Action Company is looking to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to the interactive voice response market, and has released a new producted focused on internative voice response, or IVR. The firm is a subsidiary of AdaptiveAI, Inc. READ MORE>>.

Oxnard-based transmodus, a provider of check management software, said last week that the firm has been tapped for a payment system for Heartland Payment Systems, a provider of credit, debit, and prepaid card processing. Transmodus said that its SOA-oriented software will be used by Heartland as part of a check management system.

Los Angeles-based SocialVibe said today that it has raised $8M in a Series B funding, for the firm's social media and brand charity site. According to the firm, the funding was led by JAFCO Ventures, and also included Series A investor Redpoint Ventures. JAFCO's Joe Horowitz joins the firm's board along with the funding. READ MORE>>.

Monrovia, California-based AeroVironment, which develops electric charging systems used for electric vehicles, said Monday that it has installed more than 200 of its PosiCharge fast charge systems at Nestle facilities in North America. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed.

Oberthur Technologies, which develops smart identification cards, said late last week that it will move manufacturing from its Los Angeles operations to a facility in Exton, PA. Number of employees affected by the move was not disclosed. Oberthur's smart cards are used for the digital TV, mobile, payment, and identification markets.

The X PRIZE Foundation is targeting large, established auto manufacturers with a new division in its Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, the firm said Monday afternoon, in an attempt to spur fuel efficient vehicles. or E.U. per year since 2005. READ MORE>>.

Saturday, January 17, 2009 -- New Media Interchange Media Walk. New Media Interchange is hosting a Media Walk! Bring your still cameras, video cameras, audio recorders, microphones, Flip videos et al and let?s spend some time creating and talking New Media. See [link] (more

Friday, January 16, 2009 -- The State of Banking Today: Does Banking As We Know It Still Exist? AEA CFO Breakfast Series. Come hear our panel of bankers discuss the current situation and their prognosis for the future. Scheduled speakers include: First California, Silicon Valley Bank and Wells Fargo.

Friday, January 16, 2009 -- Boosting sales performance in a challenging economy. SDSIC. Are you looking for new ways to motivate your sales team and improve productivity? You'll learn a three-step process for improving sales performance ? See [link] (more

Santa Barbara-based D2 Technologies, which develops embedded software for the voice-over-IP market, said this week at CES that it has upgraded the firm's flagship vPort product line. The firm said the 2.0 The firm is targeting development of femtocells, mobile internet devices, and handsets with the software. READ MORE>>.

Is the venture capital model dead? At least one prominent (former) San Diego venture capitalist thinks so. Here’s an interesting post, from Enterprise Venture Capital’s Bill Stenstrud, on the end of venture capital as we know it. We can look around at the auto and recording industries for recent tragedies.

Thousand Oaks-based Teledyne Technologies Incorporated revealed yesterday that the firm's subsidiary, Teledyne Scientific & Imaging, is powering a NASA effort to map the moon. The sensor will be used by scientists to determine the composition and mineralogy of the lunar surface. READ MORE>>.

San Diego-based video codec provider DivX has signed on Cabot Communications, a provider of digital TV software, as the latest firm to add DivX technology to its offerings, the firm said Thursday evening. DivX licenses it digital video encoding and decoding technology to consumer electronic device manufacturers and others.

Los Angeles-based social networking web site said late Thursday that it has kicked off a competition to send a MySpace user to the Davos World Economic Forum. The competition is being driven by user-submitted videos, where aspiring reporters can explain why they should be chosen to travel to Davos. READ MORE>>.

Thursday, January 15, 2009 -- Hollywood Web Television Meetup. Tubefilter's Hollywood Web Television Meetup brings together the most dynamic group of professionals in the online entertainment industry.This month's featured speakers are Tosca Musk and Jeff McPherson, creators of Tiki Bar TV. See [link] (more

Thursday, January 15, 2009 -- Common Mistakes Before Starting a New Business. DealMaker. Town Hall hosted by Jason Nazar, CEO of DocStoc, aimed at contributing to the Los Angeles Technology Scene by bringing together various entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, social media experts, and professionals in the technology field.

Thursday, January 15, 2009 -- Mindshare LA. See [link] (more

What to listen for : 2009 predictions, of course, but also how about valuations? Been thinking about the advantages of doing deals as LLCs? John Filla runs the Houston Angel Network , the largest angel organization in Texas. Why do these legal structures matter? They offer "greater leverage later on, for subsequent negotiations". Exits?

Santa Monica-based DECA has raised $10M in a new round of funding worth $10M, according to a regulatory filing. The funding was led by new investor Rustic Canyon Partners, with participation from Series A investors Atomico, General Catalyst Partners, and Mayfield Fund. DECA is a digital media studio which produces online video content. READ MORE>>.

Are you looking to get a face-to-face, in-person meeting with a VC? Well, stop hassling that administrative assistant, leaving unanswered emails, and attending random events hoping to run into one… Marc Averitt , of Okapi Venture Capital, is trying a new experiment he’s hoping will help out folks in the local startup ecosystem.

San Diego-based Qualcomm is showing Google's Android operating system running on the firm's Snapdragon mobile computing chipsets, the firm said today, at CES in Las Vegas. Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset is a 1Ghz, DSP-enabled processor specifically focused on 3G mobile devices.

Los Angeles-based private equity firm Triton Pacific Capital Partners announced Thursday that it has acquired a majority interest in Dick's Last Resource, a restaurant chain headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Azusa-based CFX Battery, a Caltech spinout focused on primary and rechargeable battery technology, has scored $11M in a $15.18M funding round, according to a regulatory funding. The funding was first disclosed December 24th in a filing with the SEC. The funding came from existing investors CMEA Ventures, Harris and Harris, and US Venture Partners.

Anaheim-based Where 2 Get It has been selected by ViewSonic for the firm's mobile location-based services, the firm said Thursday. Where 2 Get It, which provides software to help consumers find retail stores, said that ViewSonic currently is using its online business and product locator software, and will now use its Mobile Suite. READ MORE>>.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 -- Changing Role of QA and other IT Professionals. 2009 is projected to be a "watershed" year as world economies change under the pressure of the global marketplace and the roles of IT professionals undergo realignment with new corporate and product focus. See [link] (more

That’s right, Mixergy’s Lunch 2.0 is back in The OC, baby!  Please join Andrew and I at Earth Media Group for lunch tomorrow.  Details and registration can be found here: [link].

Carlsbad-based Search Engine Optimization Inc, a provider of search engine marketing services, announced this morning that it has hired on Edward Andrews as the firm's Chief Development Officer. Search Engine Optmization said that Andrews joins the firm from World Savings & Loan and Wachovia Bank.

Santa Barbara-based Yardi Systems, which develops real estate management software, has signed on what the firm describes as the largest privatey owned residential property management and investment companies in the U.S. Yardi said that Dallas-based Milestone Management LP has selected the firm's software to manage its properties.

San Diego-based Chumby, which makes Internet-connected devices, has rolled out a new reference design that incorporates the firm's software to create Internet-connected digital photo frames. The firm said that the new reference design--which uses an application processor from Samsung--is available for developers. READ MORE>>.

Los Angeles-based kidthing, which makes digital media software focused on children, has inked a deal with MrsP.com, a children's entertainment site focused on reading and books. Mrs. P. and kidthing said that Mrs. P's video will be available for purchase and download as part of kidthing's service, beginning today. READ MORE>>.

Venice, California-based JibJab, the online comedy site known for their politically-oriented, musical animations, said this morning that it has raised $7.5M in a Series C funding round. The round came from Overbrook Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment, along with existing investor Polaris Venture Partners. READ MORE>>.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 -- The Customer Is Wrong. ExecTec. They say the Customer is always right! But what if they are wrong? So how in these rough economic times when everyone is fighting for every dime can one manage to avoid becoming a victim of bad customers and conversly how can one mange to turn loose loose into win win?

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 -- Digg Meetup LA. Join Digg and Revision3 at Knitting Factory Hollywood for the first Meetup of 2009. Digg is heading to Hollywood! We'll start the night off with a live Diggnation and continue into the wee hours mingling to the sounds of some great DJs. See [link] (more

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 -- Santa Monica High Speed Networking. Networking event. See [link] (more

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 -- Changing Role of Quality Assurance and Other IT Professionals. SCQAA. We are honored to have our distinguished guest speaker Tom Ticknor, the COO of QAI Global Institute, for our very first exciting event in the new year. We are confident that you'll enjoy the presentation. See [link] (more

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 -- Media Leaders Hollywood. See [link] (more

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 -- "Signs of Growth" - A Developing Life Science Cluster on the 101 Corridor. The BioTech Forum. The event will include informative panel discussions, as well as a group of life science/ biotech industry Exhibitors, who will present their valuable and potentially cost saving products and services to attendees.

report just released by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation says that spending $30 billion in taxpayers' money in 2009 on broadband infrastructure, health IT, and electric grid technologies could create or save approximately 949,000 U.S. We are at a critical juncture for our country. Bondi. Get involved. www.koodooz.com.

Los Angeles-based social networking site MySpace said Wednesday afternoon that the firm has launched a new offering which will allow users to link to the site while watching TV. The launch came in conjunction with the rollout of a device from Toshiba which allows users to receive and post updates on MySpace from their TV. READ MORE>>.