Kind of blue: Latest challenge to strawberry
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, July 26th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Kind of blue: Latest challenge to strawberry
Although strawberries are still by far the highest-grossing crop in the Tri-Counties, another fruit is starting to make its way into the spotlight — blueberries. Blueberries are traditionally suited for places with high soil acidity and cold winters, such as Michigan, which is the top producer in North America, and Maine, where blueberries are the Read More →
Big deals drive region's venture growth
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, July 26th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Big deals drive region's venture growth
Companies in the Tri-Counties raised $146.5 million in venture capital in the first half of this year, already close to double the amount raised in the region in all of 2009. About 77 percent of this year’s total came in major funding rounds for five companies in different branches of the technology sector. Ceres Bioscience, Read More →
New oil company drilling in old wells
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, July 19th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on New oil company drilling in old wells
A newly public Carpinteria oil firm backed by industry veterans has garnered $20 million to go after black gold in California and Wyoming. NiMin Energy Corp. raised $11.5 million in a public offering in May and now trades under the symbol NNN on the Toronto Stock Exchange, where many natural resource companies make their home. The Read More →
Mindbody reaches for growth: SLO software firm connects wellness centers nationwide
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, July 19th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Mindbody reaches for growth: SLO software firm connects wellness centers nationwide
San Luis Obispo-based Mindbody has spent the past nine years building up a roster of thousands of wellness companies who depend on its Web-based software to manage yoga, spa and fitness appointments and run their businesses. It’s now turning that client list into an online service that lets consumers find and book wellness appointments anytime, Read More →
SLO reboots: Fresh wave of tech firms take hold
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, July 19th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on SLO reboots: Fresh wave of tech firms take hold
San Luis Obispo is relaunching as SLO 2.0. Over the past decade, San Luis Obispo and the nearby Five Cities area have blossomed as a mini tech hub, with companies such as MindBody (see accompanying article), Shopatron and REC Solar propelling the area forward. Although the San Luis Obispo area struggled throughout the recession, in part Read More →
Santa Barbara researchers to test artificial pancreas
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, July 19th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Santa Barbara researchers to test artificial pancreas
Santa Barbara will soon host trials of a first-ever artificial pancreas being developed by researchers at UC Santa Barbara and Sansum Diabetes Research Institute to help treat type 1 diabetes. Under development for the past several years in Santa Barbara, the artificial pancreas is now in clinical trials around the globe. Much of the funding Read More →
Marked for lawsuits: Two companies hit with patent actions
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, July 12th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Marked for lawsuits: Two companies hit with patent actions
Alan Brite, an ex-Marine awarded a Purple Heart in World War II, has owned his own business for 59 years. He’s not about to take any guff over a new wrinkle in patent law. A few months ago, his company, Santa Barbara-based Copper Brite, received a letter from a Texas law firm. Brite was being Read More →
