In a blog post released by Google Fiber this week, the company announced Los Angeles and Chicago are the next cities in their national expansion. After focusing on mid-tier cities like Provo, Austin and Kansas City, the internet provider will make a major step with their upcoming launch in Atlanta before taking on LA and the Windy City. [Exploring Fiber for Chicago and Los Angeles: Google Fiber]
In the wake of their recent $130 million investment from South Korea's Netmarble, SGN acquired Seattle's Fat Rascal Games and Palo Alto's Kiwi Inc. to their gaming empire this week. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. [SGN scoops up two more game development studios: LA Business Journal]
Glendale's LegalZoom acquired Beaumont Legal this week for an undisclosed amount. The company was recently approved by regulators to provide legal services in the United Kingdom and this purchase marks the first step towards their expansion to the UK. [LegalZoom Acquires British Law Firm for International Expansion: LA Business Journal]
Former Dreamworks Exec joins
board
Rubicon Project, the LA-based online advertising technology developer, named Lewis W. Coleman as an independent director on their board this week. Coleman had served as President and CFO at Dreamworks and was most recently Vice Chairman of Dreamworks Animation. [Rubicon Project Adds Former DreamWorks Exec As Board Member: SoCal Tech]
GoPro links with UCLA theater school
GoPro announced this week they have partnered with the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television to equip students with cameras and accessories. The company will also provide workshops and mentoring to the students. The news follows a similar partnership between GoPro and USC which began in October. [GoPro Links With UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television: SoCal Tech]
SteelHouse, the Culver City-based advertising software company, announced a $49 million round of funding today led by Mercato Partners, a Salt Lake City-based growth capital provider, with participation from Staley Capital and Silicon Valley Bank. According to CEO Mark Douglas, they plan to use the funding to double their team size. [SteelHouse secures $49M, plans to double size of team: Built In]
announces $35M Series B
Jason Nazar's stealth startup, Crew32, raises $5.2M
According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Crew32 closed a $5.2 million seed round from 11 investors this week. Nazar has not revealed the nature of the business but the news came a day after his first company, Docstoc (which was purchased by Intuit two years ago), closed its doors. [Jason Nazar Raises $5.2 Million for Stealth Startup: LA Business Journal]
