Category: Articles

Zynga Names New CEO

SAN FRANCISCO — Zynga, a provider of social game services, has appointed Frank Gibeau as Chief Executive Officer effective...

Cupertino Uses Aerohive Networks for Wi-Fi

CUPERTINO – The city of Cupertino has selected Aerohive Networks to deploy access points, branch routers, and switches to deliver Wi-Fi to its employees and guests.
News Facts

Cupertino is located 45 miles south of San Francisco and is suburban community known for its excellent public school district and as the home of Apple Inc. With approximately 60,000 residents, the City of Cupertino employs 160 staff. While the City contracts many of its services including police and fire, the City provides many valuable and key services to its residents.

GoPro to Acquire Apps Splice and Replay

SAN MATEO, CA — GoPro announced agreements to acquire two leading mobile video editing apps Replay and Splice. The acquisitions of Replay and Splice increases the company’s ability to deliver ultra-convenient, yet powerful, mobile editing solutions to GoPro customers and billions of smartphone users.

Mainsail Partners Raises $384 Million for Fourth Fund

SAN FRANCISCO — Mainsail Partners, a growth equity firm that invests in bootstrapped companies, said it has successfully raised $384 million for its fourth fund, Mainsail Partners IV, L.P. The oversubscribed fund closed in December and took just over two months to complete. The firm will use the fund to continue its strategy of investing in bootstrapped companies and driving accelerated growth through operational expertise and management support.

Forty Seven Inc. Completes $75 Million Series A

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PALO ALTO — Forty Seven Inc., a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company, has completed the first half of a committed $75 million Series A financing round and has licensed the rights to multiple immuno-oncology programs from Stanford University. 336601LOGO

The Series A financing was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sutter Hill Ventures with participation from Clarus Ventures and GV (formerly Google Ventures). The license includes rights to over 100 issued or pending U.S. or foreign patents that cover the antibody Hu5F9-G4 and several other novel immune checkpoint inhibitors and cancer-specific antibodies.

 

Nike Founder Donates $400 Million to Stanford

Stanford President John Hennessy and philanthropist Philip Knight. Photo: L.A. Cicero

STANFORD, CA– Stanford University announced the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, a graduate-level scholarship to prepare a new generation of global leaders with the skills to address the increasingly complex challenges facing the world.

The program is named for alumnus Philip H. Knight, philanthropist, American businessman and co-founder of Nike Inc., who is contributing $400 million, and Stanford’s outgoing 10th President John L. Hennessy. The program builds on Stanford’s preeminent position in higher education, with seven globally ranked multidisciplinary graduate schools that foster service, collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Salesforce Reports Record Revenues

Salesforce reported revenues for the quarter and year ended January 31, 2016.

www.salesforce.com. “By any measure, this was a spectacular finish to the year with 27% revenue growth in constant currency for the fourth quarter, and for the full year,” said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO, Salesforce. “We are raising our fiscal year 2017 revenue guidance to $8.12 billion at the high end of our range — unprecedented growth for a company of our size and scale.”

Full fiscal year 2016 revenue was $6.67 billion, an increase of 24% year-over-year, and 27% in constant currency.  Subscription and support revenues were $6.21 billion, an increase of 24% year-over-year.  Professional services and other revenues were $462 million, an increase of 28% year-over-year.

Google to Bring Fiber to Parts of SF

Google announced on its Fiber Blog that it plans to bring its high-speed fiber optic service to parts of San Francisco. The company will use existing fiber lines to bring service to some apartments, condos, and affordable housing properties.

Reflektion Closes $18 Million Series B Round

Reflektion, a leader in real-time, Individualized Commerce, announced the company has raised $18 million in Series B financing, putting its total amount of funding at $29.3 million. Led by Battery Ventures, the round also includes investments from Hasso Plattner Ventures and Intel Capital.

Fitbit Shares Plunge 20.8%

The Fitbit Blaze

The Fitbit BlazeFitbit, maker of wearable fitness devices, saw its shares drop 20.8% after reporting fourth-quarter earnings. Shares fell $3.44 on Tuesday to close at $13.08 per share near an all-time low.

Fitbit sold 8.2 million connected health and fitness devices in the fourth quarter which includes the holiday season. U.S. revenue in the quarter grew 100% from the previous year and made up 75% of fourth quarter revenue. The company sold a total of 21.4 million devices for all of 2015.

AT&T and Intel to Test Drones on LTE Network

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AT&T and Intel have agreed to test how Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones work on a network designed to connect devices on the ground.  Intel and AT&T will be working to solve major issues in the space, including connectivity. The announcement was made at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Yahoo Explores Strategic Alternatives

Yahoo says it is examining options which may include a sale of the company.

The Board of Directors has formed a Strategic Review Committee of independent directors to lead this effort, with the assistance and support of management.