A weekly roundup of L.A. tech company and product launches.
Hulu: Santa Monica video subscription service Hulu has launched an automated advertising marketplace that will allow marketers to buy video advertisements on without interacting with a Hulu salesperson. Ads will be automatically served to viewers based on demographics and online behavior.
Flipagram: Photo- and video-editing app Flipagram of Century City launched a do-it-yourself music video-making feature. Users can create their own lip-syncing music video with the app’s special effects features and catalog of licensed pop music.
GumGum: Santa Monica advertising technology company GumGum launched Mantii, an image recognition program. Its software sifts through images posted to social media and identifies the contents of those images, including the presence of brand logos.
Roy Choi: On-demand food delivery service Munchery of San Francisco has launched a partnership to deliver food from L.A. chef Roy Choi’s restaurants. Customers can order Choi’s Korean fusion foods in Los Angeles immediately and will be able to order in San Francisco, New York City and Seattle starting in September.
We Are LA Tech: L.A. tech community organization, podcast and website We Are LA Tech has launched an app. The app catalogs local tech events, hosts the organization’s podcast and lists local jobs.
Tapiture: Picture-sharing app Tapiture of Santa Monica has reworked its format around a Tinder-like swiping functionality. The app’s new homepage, called “Discover,” allows users to surface and “like” images from other users by swiping across their mobile phone.
Stop-Attack: Assault reporting app Stop-Attack of West L.A. launched. After the app is activated, it records video and audio, hopefully capturing incriminating evidence about an assailant. The app’s “Panic List” also sends email and text message links of the recordings and the user’s GPS location to a list of trusted emergency contacts.
Technology reporter Garrett Reim can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @garrettreim for the latest in L.A. tech news.
