FanBread: Venice’s FanBread, a portfolio company of startup accelerator AmplifyLA, launched a free website builder for social media celebrities. The company aims to give social media stars another way to make money, by hosting the content they want to share with fans alongside advertisements. As a service, FanBread’s team will also help find outside content that fits their clients’ social media brands.
ChowNow: Venice online meal ordering and payment system ChowNow announced the integration of Google Wallet. After registering a credit or debit card, Android phone users can pay for meals with a “Buy With Google” button. With 70 million Android phones in use in the United States, ChowNow expects the feature will help drive order volume to their restaurant clients.
Warner Bros. Interactive: Danish Lego Group, British video game developer TT Games and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment of Burbank announced the launch of “Lego Dimensions,” a new video game based on the recent “The Lego Movie.” The video game will be available on Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Wii consoles and will be played with physical Lego brick sets as well as digital ones.
Washos: Washos, an on-demand car wash and car detailing mobile app for iOS launched. The company promises service anywhere in Los Angeles within 30 minutes. Cleaners are background checked and insured. Prices vary from $29 to $179 for a car wash and detailing job. Washos wants to expand to all of California by the summer and to the East Coast by September.
Wakē: An alarm clock that shines light and funnels sound at sleepers named Wakē started a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to help launch first-run production. The light and sound emitting Wakē box is mounted above a bed, controlled via a mobile app and can separately awake individuals by tracking their body heat with an infrared sensor. The Los Angeles company wants to raise $100,000 by the end of next month.
Hulu: Los Angeles’ Hulu is trying to insert itself into social media conversations with the launch of The Perfect GIF, a website were users can find and share short television clips. The GIFs are watermarked with a Hulu logo and are part of an effort to drum up interest in shows on Hulu’s website. WhipClip, a television clip sharing app with similar intentions, launched in March.
USC: The University of Southern California Marshall School of Business announced the fall 2015 launch of an online MBA program focused on Internet analytics, social media, virtual teams and entrepreneurial thinking. The 21-week program will be conducted by USC Marshall School faculty via weekly webcam courses and a one-time, one-week on-campus event.
Technology reporter Garrett Reim can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @garrettreim for the latest in L.A. tech news.
