Launch
Irvine-based blockchain and transactions startup Xeeda Inc. is taking orders for its inaugural product, a cryptocurrency hardware wallet and integrated app to be used with smartphones.
The Xeeda Hardware Wallet is designed to provide “a convenient and secure way to access, exchange, and manage your bitcoins and other digital currency assets directly from your smartphone,” the company said.
It’s the first bitcoin hardware wallet for smartphones, according to the company.
The product is currently listed for sale at $119. The first batches are scheduled to ship in the first quarter of next year, according to the company’s website. It’s designed to be supported on both iOS and Android devices.
Xeeda co-founder and Chief Executive Kevin Maloney was previously a vice president of institutional sales and marketing at Santa Ana-based First American Corp., and he also held a position at Newport Beach-based Pacific Investment Management Co.
The firm’s other co-founder and chief operating officer, Parham (Paul) Sadrizadeh, currently works with the University of California-Irvine in security engineering.
Advisers to the company include Bill Collins, a past president of Tech Coast Angels in Los Angeles.
The amount of the funding the company has raised has not been disclosed.
— Mark Mueller
People
Irvine-based Cie Digital Labs tapped John Montgomery as chief design officer, a newly created position.
He will oversee design, content and product strategy for the company, which provides digital media content for large enterprises.
Prior to joining Cie Digital, Montgomery founded and was chief executive at marketing consultancy and content studio GoodLab. Clients include adaptable workspace furniture design firm Haworth Inc., Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) and Wynn Resorts Ltd. (Nasdaq: WYNN).
In addition to its core business, Cie Digital is also an accelerator. Some of its startups include native advertising platform Nativo, on-demand tire installer ASAP Tire, and school lunch management software provider Titan School Solutions.
Cie Digital folds startup companies into its existing infrastructure, allowing those companies to use services such as accounting, IT services, as well as software and content development.
— Sherry Hsieh
Funding
StartUp Health, a New York-based healthcare investor backed in part by Irvine-based medical device firm Masimo Corp., has closed a $31 million fund, its second, and is looking for startups to invest in.
The new StartUp Health Transformer Fund II was announced this year. It’s focused on strategic investing in early-stage companies looking to achieve “health moonshots,” and address global issues, like curing cancer; children’s health; nutrition; and access to care.
The fund plans to invest in 200 or more companies, with typical investments in the $500,000 range.
Startup Health was founded in 2010, and its first fund was $3 million and largely provided seed-stage financing.
The new round will be for Series A and Series B rounds, according to news reports.
Along with Masimo (Nasdaq: MASI), large investors in StartUp Health include Swiss pharma giant Novartis and the venture arm of Chinese insurance firm Ping An.
— Mark Mueller
