Orange County has attracted another technology incubator.
San Diego-based EvoNexus, which is backed by Broadcom Corp., Qualcomm and the Irvine Company, among others, will expand its business model to University Research Park in Irvine.
The incubator, slated to open in February, will provide office space and administrative resources, and hosts programs to help startups achieve sustainability.
Some of the companies to move into the 10,000-square-foot space include:
• icClarity, a 3-D video imaging chip and software maker backed and advised by former Mindspeed Chief Executive and Conexant executive Raouf Halim;
•  PhageTech, a developer of in-vitro medical diagnostic tests based on UC Irvine research that detect cancer and other conditions;
•  Buildz, a mobile application and cloud software developer targeting the construction industry;
•  Kadho, a children’s mobile game and e-books publisher;
•  Polyceed, a smart products maker targeting mobile communications;
•  AGGIOS, a software maker targeting energy management in consumer devices.
The incubator is part of a larger two-story development project called the Vine, which will include 22,000 square feet of work space and executive suites by Newport Beach-based Real Office Centers and 32,000 square feet of move-in ready suites by the Irvine Co.
Catching Up With Fisker
Henrik Fisker, the founder of Fisker Auto-motive Inc., wasn’t too chatty when the Business Journal asked the noted car designer about the fate and legacy of his Anaheim startup that collapsed two years ago.
“I really don’t know much about what they’re doing, so I couldn’t answer that question,” Fisker told us when we caught up with him late last month at the Los Angeles Auto Show after he announced plans for a new muscle car developed with Los Angeles-based Galpin Motors Inc.
Fisker, whose iconic designs include the Aston Martin DB9 and BMW Z8 Roadster, was much more receptive to answering questions about his busy schedule since his resignation in March 2013 at the luxury automaker he established seven years ago.
“I’ve been doing a motorcycle, I’ve been designing watches,” he said. “I’m working on another big car project, which I can’t talk too much about right now. I’ve been quite busy, actually, doing a lot of different things.”
Fisker Automotive designed and sold several thousand of its luxury-hybrid Karma vehicles, according to industry estimates, before it burned through more than $1 billion in financing and government loans and filed for bankruptcy last year.
A unit of China-based Wanxiang Group Corp. recently bought the company’s assets out of bankruptcy for about $150 million and has signaled plans to restart operations as Costa Mesa-based Fisker Automotive and Technology LLC.
Microsemi Stock Moves
Aliso Viejo chipmaker Microsemi Corp. has made some aggressive moves related to its $100 million share repurchase program announced in September.
The company has already purchased about 860,000 shares at an average price of $23.53. That’s roughly 20% of the $100 million outlay.
“We see real value here and money well spent,” Chief Executive Jim Peterson told the Business Journal in a recent interview.
