So I just spend a few hundred dollars in Google AdWords,  trying to get OS Commerce clients. Roy Rubin was a student trying to make extra money on the side when he founded Varien, the company that went on to launch Magento, an ecommerce platform that enables billions of dollars in online sales. He came to Mixergy to talk about why Varien grew (it had a lot to do with focus) and how the company launched Magento (his developers pushed him to do it).

Agoura Hills-based Murano Software, a provider of outsourced software development, is branching out into Google Android application development. Murano Software maintains four offshore development centers in Russia. According to the firm, it has created G1MobileSoft, an offshore development company devoted solely to creating mobhile applications. The firm said it will create both iPhone and Android applications for its clients.

The City of Los Angeles has gone live with Google's cloud software suite, Google Apps, Google said today. Google won the a $7.2M Google said that 34,000 Los Angeles city employees will gain access to Google Apps for email and other collaboration starting today. contract with the city back in October for email service. The move to Google came after a intense battle between Google and Microsoft for the contract. ...Tags:

Los Angele-based Leads360 , a developer of web-based, lead management software, is powering a new feature in Google's Adwords program, the firm said Tuesday. According to Leads360, it is working with Google to help power the new AdWords Comparison Ads feature, which allows users of Google's search engine to find and compare mortgage quotes from lenders. Financial details of the win were not disclosed, Leads360 is backed by Rustic Canyon Partners. READ MORE>> ...Tags:

He graduated from Rhodes College and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth (MBA). Sam Cimino, Sales Manager SW of YouTube/Google As YouTube’s Southwest Regional Manager, Sam is responsible for generating revenue across YouTube and the Google Content Network which comprises a media network that reaches nearly 80% of all internet users worldwide. Focusing on the entertainment, automotive, technology, retail and financial sectors, Sam oversees all aspects of the groups advertising relationships in conjunction with Google Team managers and sales leads across the region.

San Diego-based Gizmo5 , the voice-over-IP service and software started by former MP3.com founder Michael Robertson, has been acquired by Google. Google announced the deal late Thursday afternoon. According to Google, it does not have any specific features to announce right now, but will be adding Gizmo5's engineers to its Google Voice team. Google said it is suspending new signups for Gizmo5's VoIP service, and existing users will no longer be able to sign up for a call-in number. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A report from TechCrunch claims that San Diego-based Gizmo5 , the voice-over-IP startup founded by Michael Robertson, has been acquired by Google. No confirmation of any deal was provided by either Google or Gizmo5. Gizmo5 is a developer of voice-over-IP software based on the SIP standard, and is headed by former MP3.com founder Michael Robertson. Quoting unnamed sources, TechCrunch claims that the deal is worth approximately $30M in cash. The report follows an earlier rumor, also from TechCrunch, which said that Skype was buying Gizmo5.

San Diego-based OpenCandy , which develops software and services to monetize downloads of open source software, said today that it has added Joe Kraus of Google Ventures to the firm's board of directors. OpenCandy develops services which help to promote and monetize the downloading of open source and other software. Tags: opencandy executive software Kraus is the co-founder of Excite and Jotspot. OpenCandy said that Kraus was an early investor in the firm.

San Diego-based Brickfish , a developer of social media and networking software being used by brands, reported today that it has hired on a Paul Botto, most recently Head of Analytics for the North American Sales Organization at Google, as its Vice President of Sales. Botto joined Google through Google's acquisition of Urchin Software, where he was Business Development Manager. Brickfish is venture backed by DCM, Draper Richards L.P., Mangrove Capital Partners, and OCA Ventures, and counts such firms as Nike, MTV Networks, Coach, The North Face, Samsung, and

In what might be some new competition for Santa Monica-based Rubicon Project , the high profile ad optimization firm headed by Frank Addante, search engine giant Google told its advertisers late Wednesday that it will begin to offer similar capabilities in its AdSense program. Google said it will open its door to third party advertising networks, allowing the ads in those networks to compete with AdWords advertisers for ad space on publishers. Google said it will be certifying those networks, and will be rolling out the new service over the next few weeks. Rubicon Project