Tech guru Gary Augusta of Octane laments that there have been no venture-backed IPOs in nearly three months. (The last one was former OC 50er Jim Sweeney’s San Diego-based CardioNet in mid-March.) “Is this tied to the subprime mess? Does a spooked capital market in one asset class bring down the whole capital chain?” Augusta asks. Or, he wonders, are companies simply “being built to be sold, not built to prosper?” Will less-regulated foreign markets grab the IPO action? Are new companies short on true innovation? “Or is it just one heck of a St. Patty’s Day hangover?” …
Marian Bergeson is taking fellow Great Park Conservancy board member Walkie Ray skydiving for his 63rd birthday. First time for him, third dive in eight years for the amazing Bergeson, who at 82 is no longer shy about her age: “When I turned 60, I thought, ‘This is tough.’ When I turned 70, I thought, ‘This is tough.’ When I turned 80, I thought, ‘Oh, this is pretty good!'” …
The Insider asked Donald Bren what cause means more to him, the environment or education? After pausing a moment, Bren indicated with his hands that they balanced equally but then said he’d probably give the edge to education. Maybe the setting influenced The Irvine Company chairman’s answer: He was being honored at Disney’s Grand Californian by Think Together, the Santa Ana-based operator of afterschool programs that has received $10 million in pledges from Bren …
What would a house be for Yard House founder Steele Platt without a yard, too? So after spending six months and $10 million remodeling a new home in The Tides neighborhood of Crystal Cove, restaurateur Platt decided he needed a finishing touch before moving in,a $1.2 million yard that includes a grotto with hot tub, a cabana and two fireplaces, all stone imported from Europe …
Thinking big: The Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce is now the Greater Santa Ana Business Alliance …
Irvine-based Blizzard Entertainment periodically coaxes gamers out of their computer-room dungeons into the open air to party with others of their ilk. Thousands are expected to attend Blizzard’s international conventions in Paris June 28 and 29 and in Anaheim Oct. 10 and 11 …
Lots of laughs at South Coast Rep’s season-ending British romp “Taking Steps,” through Saturday …
One revival for another: Balboa Pavilion hosts “The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a Time Warp Party” Friday evening, with proceeds going toward the reopening of the Balboa Theater. Call (949) 673-0895 …
Scaling 23,000-foot Mount Aconcagua was hard. Qualifying for the Boston Marathon was harder. Hardest of all, says Chapman U Prez Jim Doti, was doing the quick step at the “Dancing for Tomorrow’s Stars” fundraiser for the Assistance League: “Mountain climbing and running are rather mindless physical challenges. Dancing requires incredible mental focus.”
