9.15.14

Entertainment:

·         Netflix expands to central Europe in its biggest international launch to date. It is now available in France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg

o   http://deadline.com/2014/09/netflix-launches-in-france-bouygues-numericable-834461/

o   http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-netflix-needs-europe-732815

·         American Psycho Musical was shut down ahead of its US bow

o   http://deadline.com/2014/09/american-psycho-musical-cancelled-off-broadway-second-stage-schedule-833720/

·         Digital First Media is looking at buyers to help it make the transition from a newspaper to an online news site

o   http://deadline.com/2014/09/digital-first-media-los-angeles-daily-news-for-sale-833599/

·         Please see below for a new Hunger Games trailer

o   http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/new-hunger-games-mockingjay-trailer-731904

·         Jeffrey Soros and Simon Horsman have formed Los Angeles Media Fund as a full service entertainment production and financing company

o   http://variety.com/2014/biz/news/los-angeles-media-fund-jeffrey-soros-simon-horsman-1201304986/

·         Frank Ocean’s dad is suing Russell Simmons for $142MM for calling him a deadbeat

o   http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/6251496/frank-oceans-dad-sues-russell-simmons-for-142-million-report

·         Claudia Chang of S.H.E Media wants to change women’s media to focus on women’s empowerment and not celebrity gossip

o   http://www.fastcompany.com/3035633/strong-female-lead/the-entrepreneur-on-a-mission-to-change-womens-media

Tech:

·         Several shoe companies are using 3D technology to make customers custom made shoes for them on the spot

o   http://www.wired.com/2014/09/3d-printed-shoes/

·         Apple sold 4 million iPhone 6 and 6 plus pre-orders in the opening 24 hours

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/15/apple-sells-4m-iphone-6-and-6-plus-pre-orders-in-opening-24-hours/

·         A Colorado high school student invented a smart gun that unlocks with your fingerprint

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/13/colorado-high-schooler-invents-smart-gun-that-unlocks-with-your-fingerprint/

·         Govtech Fund raises $23MM to try to avoid another healthcare.gov

o   http://venturebeat.com/2014/09/15/govtech-fund-raises-23m-fund-so-we-can-avoid-another-healthcare-gov/

o   http://recode.net/2014/09/15/new-venture-fund-focuses-on-government-technology-startups/

·         Kickstarter has launched in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Ireland

o   http://venturebeat.com/2014/09/15/kickstarter-launches-in-denmark-norway-sweden-and-ireland/

·         Kateeva, a hardware startup that builds flexible displays, raised $38MM

o   http://venturebeat.com/2014/09/15/silicon-valley-hardware-startup-kateeva-raises-38m-for-flexible-displays/

·         LA based fund, Upfront Ventures, is the lead investor in a gluten food testing gadget made by 6SensorLabs

o   http://www.socaltech.com/upfront_ventures_backs_6sensorlabs/s-0056906.html

·         Video advertisements will come to Flipboard

o   http://recode.net/2014/09/15/video-ads-come-to-flipboard/

·         Side Car, the rise sharing service, raises an additional $15MM to compete against Uber/Lyft

o   http://recode.net/2014/09/15/little-guy-sidecar-is-still-kicking-raises-15m-more-for-ride-sharing/

Deals:

·         Microsoft has acquired the Mojang, the creator of Minecraft, for $2.5B

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/15/microsoft-has-acquired-minecraft/

·         Qualcomm quietly acquired Euvision, an AI image recognition startup

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/15/qualcomm-quietly-acquires-ai-based-image-recognition-startup-euvision/

·         Square has raised another $100MM

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/12/payments-startup-square-raises-100-million-more/

Business:

·         Elon Musk doesn’t plan to take SpaceX public as he would rather try to establish a city on Mars

o   http://www.socaltech.com/spacex_s_elon_musk_no_ipo_our_goal_is_a_city_on_mars/s-0056902.html

·         Alibaba is planning to increase its IPO price

o   http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-15/alibaba-said-to-plan-boosting-ipo-amid-heavy-investor-interest.html

·         German car parts maker, ZF, has reached a deal to buy TRW Automotive Holdings for $13.5B

o   http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/15/us-trw-auto-hldg-m-a-zf-fridrichshfn-idUSKBN0HA1FM20140915

·         Air France’s pilots are on strike and each day it is costing the company $26MM

o   http://mashable.com/2014/09/15/air-france-strike/

·         Google is betting on the Nest CEO, Tony Fadell, to help them outsmart Apple in their next product designs

o   http://www.fastcodesign.com/3035239/innovation-by-design-2014/nest-hatches-a-connected-home-boom

Exec Moves:

·         Whalerock Industries has added 3 new execs to its film/TV unit

o   http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/lloyd-brauns-whalerock-industries-adds-execs-in-tv-and-film-unit-1201303919/

Retail:

Startups:

·         RJMetrics, a business analytics company, raised $16.5MM in its Series B led by August Capital

o http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/15/rjmetrics-series-b/

·         Product Hunt, the aggregation site that is a competitor to TechCrunch and other tech blogs, raised $6MM from A16Z

o http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/13/producthunt-raises-6-million-from-a16z/

Government:

Other:

·         Tom Skeeter, owner of Sound City Studios, has died

o   http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/6251492/tom-skeeter-sound-city-studios-owner-dies