STARTUPS & INNOVATIONS

LAUNCH

Flikflix launched a new version of its app, which lets users find movies recommended for them across multiple service providers such as HBO, Hulu and Netflix.

The Dana Point-based company plans to add TV shows to its platform by year-end.

“We want to help people discover movies they love,” said Chief Executive Bill Denk. “Right now, everything is siloed.”

Users “flik” or swipe through movies, which generates recommendations based on their favorite actors, genres and other criteria. A “matchmaker” feature allows users to sync their accounts.

Flikflix is free and available on the App Store for Apple products.

The company makes money through affiliate relationships; execs said it helps streaming services by reducing churn.

Denk founded the firm after three years with Costa Mesa-based AI-driven marketer Veritone Inc. (Nasdaq: VERI). He said successful digital companies for consumers have one thing in common: they take structured data and let users interact with it in a social environment.

Flikflix has been self-funded thus far, but is currently seeking funds to expand globally.

Smart Chain Accelerator, a self-described “innovation lab” and unit of Irvine automotive IoT technology provider Procon Analytics, has developed a GPS tracking device for consumers that alerts users via Bluetooth when their car has been moved or stolen.

The device uses trilateration––latitude and longitude, and the three closest cell towers in the area––to determine the location of a vehicle. Company officials say the tracking technology has a 98% success rate.

After two years of R&D, the company recently launched its “Place and Trace” device on crowdfunding site Indiegogo for market validation and customer feedback; it is listed for $99 with a four-year battery life. 

Procon has also introduced the technology to dealers and drivers and placed 25,000 devices in the market. Of 104 vehicles stolen equipped with the device, 91% were recovered in as little as four minutes, the company said. 

“Smart Chain Accelerator was launched to bring B2B solutions to consumers in an affordable, effective and reliable way,” Chief Revenue Officer Daniel Walpole told the Business Journal.

Smart Chain is led by Walpole, with Chief Technology Officer Bill Cheney.

FINANCING

Newport Beach-based Bennufit Health recently raised $250,000 from Profound Ventures LLC and launched its artificial intelligence platform, which aims to solve chronic pain and opioid abuse by assessing behavioral, environmental, genetic and other factors in patients.

The company has also developed a SaaS product that delivers reports on risk and pain; a wearable shirt that assesses vital signs and is designed to prevent patients from overdosing; and an at-home rehabilitation software from Irvine-based Flint Rehab.

Co-founder and Executive Chairman Brian Meshkin, who is also the managing partner at Profound Ventures, said the company will likely develop more applications for the technology over time.

Meshkin previously helmed Proove Biosciences Inc., a genetic testing company that amassed 278 employees and $28 million in annual revenue by 2016; he won a Business Journal Excellence in Entrepreneurship award that year.

In 2017, the company went into court-ordered receivership, after trade reports questioned the validity of Proove’s science.

Bennufit’s name comes from the Bennu bird, an Egyptian mythological bird that “rises from the ashes,” said Meshkin, who has disputed much of the claims levied against Proove.

Proove’s intellectual property is not part of Bennufit’s platform, according to Meshkin, who cited liability reasons when asked why the company had to develop an entirely new platform.

Bennufit recently opened its Series A round.

PERSONNEL MOVES

Newport Beach-based ticketing insurance provider Protecht said president Casey Callinsky has taken on a new role as chief operating officer.

In the new role, Callinsky will strengthen relationships with current and prospective clients with a focus on technology, products and overall operations, according to Chief Executive Bryan Derbyshire. 

He said Callinsky has helped Protecht’s transition from startup to growth-stage; it’s on track to insure 20 million tickets a year.

Revenue has grown 250% year-over-year; the company expects to post $12 million in revenue this year. 

Callinsky spent about 16 years at Wells Fargo as a manager and area president before joining Protecht. 

He is a Huntington Beach resident and a graduate of Pacific Lutheran School of Business.

Inventory and workflow management software provider Locate Inventory in Laguna Hills brought on Annie Terry as chief business officer to spearhead business development and strategic partnerships.

Terry was most recently a senior program manager at Mountain View-based Intuit; she received her undergraduate degree from Boston College.

“While I was at Intuit, I was able to see firsthand how talented the product and team at Locate are,” she said.

Locate aims to help mid-market businesses grow by combining inventory features of an ERP system with the accessibility of a cloud-based platform.

OFFICE SPACE

Translucence Biosystems LLC is moving part of its operations down the road; the imaging system maker has secured space at the new wet lab incubator by University Lab Partners.

Part of its operations will remain at the TechPortal incubator at Calit2 at University of California-Irvine.

Company officials said the move boosts company access to the biotech community and recruiting opportunities.

The company’s first product—the Mesoscale Imaging Sys tem—provides faster 3D imaging.

It has received two Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grants from National Institute of Health for brain imaging work. Longer term, its technology could improve detection of cancer, skin disorders and disorders of the brain, officials believe.

Translucence was founded by Chief Executive Damian Wheeler, who spent nine years at San Diego-based Dart NeuroScience, and Chief Scientific Officer Sunil Gandhi, an associate professor of neurobiology and behavior at UCI. Ricardo Azevedo is chief technology officer.

The company has eight employees and is hiring.