Inside a Highland Park phone case operation; Kassoy joins Omaze as president; MediaAlpha secures new credit line.
Omaze Names Kassoy New President
Will Kassoy joined Culver City-based online fundraising platform Omaze Inc. as its new president April 3, VentureBeat reports. Kassoy was previously the co-founder and chief executive of Brentwood-based mobile and video advertising outfit Jirbo Inc., doing business as AdColony. AdColony was acquired for roughly $350 million by Norway-based Opera Software in June 2014. Omaze reports it has raised over $100 million from influencers, nonprofits and individual donors to fund more than 350 charitable campaigns since its 2011 founding.
MediaAlpha Receives Credit Line
The Business Journal reports downtown-based MediaAlpha ad exchange platform received an undisclosed amount of credit to accelerate its growth plans. Walnut Creek-based private equity firm Insignia Capital Group, which represented MediaAlpha in a February 2019 minority stake sale, led the credit line alongside Chicago-based Monroe Capital.
Inside a Highland Park Shed, Hikawa Develops Phone Cases
A new feature from The Verge profiles Bailey Hikawa, a classically trained artist turned entrepreneur who founded cell phone case outfit Kame from her residence in Highland Park. Hikawa launched her company in December 2018 from a shed in her backyard and currently designs and manufactures all products herself. To date Hikawa hasn’t raised money for her venture, opting to take out loans and rely on savings. Eventually she hopes to sell cases to boutique stores across Los Angeles; one store in Chicago already carries her product.
Tech reporter Samson Amore can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 556-8335. Follow him on Twitter @samsonamore.
