A weekly roundup of must-read L.A. tech investments and acquisitions.
Stem
$4.5 million
Type: Equity
Location: Hollywood
Investors: The seed round was led by Upfront Ventures, with participation from Mark Cuban, Vayner Capital, and Scooter Braun.
Description: Stem is a platform to help musicians organize, maintain, and track royalty contracts. The platform tracks music across YouTube, Apple Music, SoundCloud, and Spotify.
DreamWorks Animation
$3.8 billion
Type: Acquisition
Location: Glendale
Buyer: Comcast Corp.
Description: Comcast’s NBCUniversal has reached agreement to buy DreamWorks Animation. Under the terms of the deal, Jeffrey Katzenberg, the Glendale studio’s chief executive, would become chairman of a new division called DreamWorks New Media and a consultant to NBCUniversal. The acquisition still needs regulatory approval
TasteMaker Mom
Undisclosed
Type: Acquisition
Location: Encino
Buyer: Mom Media Enterprises
Description: Mom Media Enterprises, creator of the Mom 2.0 Summit and producer of the annual Iris Awards for parent blogging, acquired Tastemaker Mom for an undisclosed amount. The transaction closed in early April 2016. Tastemaker Mom facilitated opinion polls and surveys of mothers for businesses. The company received seed funding from accelerator Amplify.LA.
TheAmplify
Undisclosed
Type: Acquisition
Location: Culver City
Buyer: You & Mr. Jones
Description: TheAmplify, a network for social media celebrities to sell endorsements, has sold a majority stake to branding company You & Mr. Jones of New York. TheAmplify was founded in late 2013 and maintains a network of about 500 so-called social media influencers: users on platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook with significant followings. The network is built on a technology platform that allows brands to coordinate endorsements with influencers, target audiences, and measure the impact of their campaigns.
Technology reporter Garrett Reim can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @garrettreim for the latest in L.A. tech news.
