Invoca hits 100-employee mark, opens SF office
By Stephen Nellis / Friday, June 13th, 2014 / Technology, Top Stories / Comments Off on Invoca hits 100-employee mark, opens SF office
Santa Barbara-based marketing technology firm Invoca has passed the 100-employee mark, opened an office in San Francisco and hired a bevvy of new executives. Invoca makes a platform that helps companies close more sales when customers call in. The company has raised $30.8 million from investors that include Santa Barbara-based Rincon Venture Partners, Palo Alto Read More →
South Coast firms launch statewide hotel building spree with Pismo project
By Elijah Brumback / Friday, June 13th, 2014 / Central Coast, Real Estate, South Coast, Top Stories, Tourism, Tri-County Economy / Comments Off on South Coast firms launch statewide hotel building spree with Pismo project
Two Santa Barbara firms are backing a 30-year veteran of the hospitality development market and his plans to build out hotels along the California coast, with the first test project taking shape in Pismo Beach.
South Coast housing demand drives demolition of State Street hotel
By Elijah Brumback / Friday, June 13th, 2014 / Real Estate, South Coast, Top Stories, Tri-County Economy / Comments Off on South Coast housing demand drives demolition of State Street hotel
Plans to bulldoze a profitable hotel on Upper State Street in Santa Barbara are moving forward as pent-up demand for housing means South Coast developers can price middle-market condos in the $1 million range.
Upper State Street office building sells for $10 million
By Staff Report / Thursday, June 12th, 2014 / Real Estate, Top Stories / Comments Off on Upper State Street office building sells for $10 million
The building anchored by Citibank at 3757 State St. in Santa Barbara has been sold for just shy of $10 million, marking the largest sale of an office property on upper State Street since 2005, according to brokers behind the deal. The buyer and seller were not disclosed. The 20,000-square-foot building, which retains a long-term Read More →
Natural Café banks on new locations for growing chain
By Marlize van Romburgh / Friday, June 6th, 2014 / Columns, Real Estate, Restaurants, South Coast, Tourism / Comments Off on Natural Café banks on new locations for growing chain
Kelly Brown is the first to admit that he let the success of his restaurant empire cloud his judgement. As a free-spirited young chef, Brown lived on a boat in the Santa Barbara harbor so that he could build equity to start his own business. Twenty-one years ago, he launched Natural Café in Santa Barbara, hoping to offer a laidback sit-down restaurant focused on affordable, unpretentious and health-conscious food.
Get a move on: StartupWeekend winner taps sharing economy for moving
By Stephen Nellis / Friday, June 6th, 2014 / Small Business, South Coast, Technology, Top Stories, Tri-County Economy / Comments Off on Get a move on: StartupWeekend winner taps sharing economy for moving
Moving is never fun, but a Santa Barbara startup is hoping to make it a little less stressful by connecting people who need to move with nearby truck owners looking to earn extra money. NextMover bills its service, which launched earlier this year, as “your friend with a truck.”
FindTheBest wins patent battle costs
By Stephen Nellis / Monday, June 2nd, 2014 / Law & Goverment, South Coast, Technology, Tri-County Economy / Comments Off on FindTheBest wins patent battle costs
Summerland-based FindTheBest has won what a federal judge called a “frivolous” and “objectively unreasonable” patent lawsuit against it and will recoup its costs from its opponent. Last summer, Delaware-based Lumen View Technology sued FindTheBest over a patent on matching user preference data. That patent was invalidated late last year, and Judge Denise Cote ruled on Read More →