Finally! After a quiet few months, things are picking up...

A sports training roll-up with more than 50 products and national distribution through major retailers is seeking a CEO to guide the company to become a major player in the industry. Though under $100 million in revenue, the firm has a solid reputation and an emerging presence at the highest levels of sports retail.

A firm that is creating currency and a trading platform for rewards and loyalty points across major brands is seeking equity capital. He company has a technological platform to consolidate and rationalize loyalty program points for consumers so hat they can effectively be used as an alternative form of currency.

A seasoned Newport Beach entrepreneur is seeking to establish the next major American beer brand, and is off to a good start. The company contracts with very well-known celebrities to use their images on its bottling in localized regions. The company has a distribution agreement with a major grocer and is expanding from its Orange County roots to begin brewing in a major Southeastern plant. The company is looking for debt or equity capital, primarily for marketing activities.

A team consisting of a Northern Californian and a group of San Diegans has the exclusive right of negotiation to buy a major league sports franchise until mid-December. The team's leader has already been blessed by the league as an approved owner, and the group has the ability to structure one of several deals that cold include stadium rights and real estate.

A technical entrepreneur is looking for funding for a device for early detection of breast cancer that would be inexpensive enough to be purchased and used by consumers.

An advertising video company in San Diego is looking for proof-of-concept funding. The firm produces news-quality videos featuring commercial enterprises demonstrating their expertise in certain areas, and then packaging and marketing the videos through social media. The firm is pre-revenue but is operational.

An apparel company with a strong management team and a focus on the power sports apparel market is looking for seed funding. The firm features executives of stong surf and action sports apparel brands, with top-tier marketing, sourcing and merchandising expertise.

A former family office executive and an investment banker are looking for a partner to facilitate a roll-up of well-established apparel surf brands.

Slow month....

A destination winery in the Temecula area is for sale through a San Diego-based investment bank. The winery features 28 wines, five-star dining and a large event facility.

One of the co-founders of one of San Diego’s most interesting craft beer brands, Lost Abbey, is launching a new label and brewery, to be called Latitude 33. A very limited investment opportunity is available.

A longtime NFL player and his business partner have launched a networking/peer group for professional athletes to meet and work with business owners and professionals in the Southern California market.

Busy month...be sure to check previous posts

FOR SALE:  Highly profitable data aggregation company that dominates its space. Expected to sell in the $15 million to $20 million range.

LOOKING FOR MONEY: Loudie is a location-based network that allows music fans to communicate about their favorite artists and concerts, while incentivizing them to attend more concerts and share their experiences. It allows artists and music companies to

directly market their products and services to music fans in real-time with no outside interruptions. $500,000.  Review: http://soletron.com/2011/07/22/loudie-iphone-app-video/

REDUX: One of the founders of a one of San Diego’s leading craft brewers is spinning off to do another brewery and brand line, and is looking for investors interested in the space. The principal is a CPA with a strong financial background, and the brand line has an affinity angle.

A for-profit educational company is seeking a proven CEO who can thrive in what has become a very challenging environment for the industry.

More News and Networking

RESTAURANT OPPORTUNITY: One of Southern California’s recognizable names in the ‘fast-casual’ dining space is looking for $2 million to fund a pre-packagd turnaround under experienced restaurant leadership.

SOLD!!  An OC-based firm in the electronic payments space has been sold to an Israel-based firm for $19 million, closing in July.


BOARD OF ADVISORS A company in the social gaming space is looking for an marketing executive and a finance executive with experience in the gaming/interactive industy for their LA-based advisory board.

News and Networking

• HELP WANTED: A private equity firm has identified a deal in the action sports apparel space, and is currently searching for a management team…or at least a CEO who can assemble one.

• SOLD!  A Southern California-medical device company founded by physicians has been sold for more than $75 million. He deal comes about 8 months after a prior deal to sell the firm for more than $100 million fell through.

• SOLD II! A specialized family-owned chemical company in the region has been sold for more than $50 million.

• LAWYERS NEED APPLY:  A mid-sized but highly regarded law firm with offices in Los Angeles and Orange County is seeking a trust and estate planning associate with two to five years of experience to help ease the enormous workload being shared by the firm’s T&E partners. No book of business is required or expected.

• ON THE HUNT I: A wealth management firm in Southern California is looking to acquire an asset manager in the San Diego market with an excellent reputation and at least $500 million under management.

• ON THE HUNT II: A mid-sized accounting firm in Orange County is looking to acquire sole proprietor and small CPA practices.

• LOOKING FOR A TARGET One of the executives and founder of a recreational vehicle company in the Inland Empire is looking to buy a manufacturing company, preferably one in which the business owner is retiring and is looking for a long-term payout from an experienced management team.

• FOUND: One of the executives previously highlighted in this blog has found a target, becoming a partner in a Dallas-based automotive retailer. He is still in the hunt for a beverage-related company in Southern California.

• HELP WANTED: One of Southern California’s leading distributors is looking for a CFO who can handle both expansion and sudden contraction. Company now has about $400 million in revenue, and is facing some critical growth issues.

• CAPITAL RAISE:  A medical marketing company with great traction is searching for expansion capital. The firm uses social media for lead generation for local medical providers.

• CAPITAL RAISE II:  A firm that pays people to text – while serving targeted ads to texters and text receivers – is looking to raise $2 million for expansion and the development of strategic partnerships.

• HELP WANTED: One of the top law firms in Southern California is launching a private family practice focused on the ultra-wealthy. Starting off with a team of ACTEC attorneys and three billionaire family clients, the firm to actively trying to recruit a top-tier international estate planning partner-level attorney. The firm currently has offices in the UK and China, as well as several in the US, and does extensive work in Latin America.

Networking and News

GREAT NETWORKING NEXT WEDNESDAY NEAR SNA

Wednesday, May 4 at 8 am at The Pacific Club – More than 200 professionals are expected to hear Dick Hoey, BNY Mellon’s lead global economist, give his prognosis for the next months and year. No charge, but RSVPs are required to paul.thiel@bnymellon.com.

Moving TO California!

For all the anti-hype there is about the business climate in California, the state remains attractive for business. Case in point: A major manufacturer of audio equipment is moving its headquarters from the East Coast to San Diego. The company is expected to employ about 65 professionals, including executives and engineers. Selected for its labor force, San Diego beat out Austin TX, Las Vegas, NV and several other sunbelt cities. The company is currently looking to fill several positions, including CFO and controller.

On the way UP!

The Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research at the University of San Diego reports that next year’s entering class of masters’ canidates will include students from Chile and Argentina. Part of the University of San Diego, the Institute acceptance rate was 40%, and one student who was turned down by USD was accepted and is expected to enroll at Columbia.

Filling the Gap

Vistage is for operating executives. Tiger21 is for those who’ve cashed out and made $20MM or more. Now a former Vistage executive is starting a program to serve those business owners who want to sell their businesses in the next 2-5 years. Like Vistage, the groups will meet for a full day each month and have 1-on-1 coaching in between, all focused on building value that future buyers will pay for.  The group is currently taking business owners in San Diego and Orange Counties.

April 2011

Know a corporate law partner who feels underappreciated in at his or her current firm? Give them a tip – one of Southern California’s leading law firms is looking for a lead corporate partner for one of its most dynamic offices.

Would you be a greener shopper if you just knew what or who was green? A new San Diego-based company is betting you will. Looking to raise a friends and family round of about $600,000, this firm has a persistent online opt-in tool that helps consumers put their apparel dollars at environmentally conscious companies. The firm has a working product that operates dynamically at the product level, steering consumers away from, say, The Gap, to, say Patagonia.

Texting runs $30 a month or more. Think there’s a market for someone to pay you to text instead? A new ad-supported service from a San Diego company offers not only free texting, but shares advertising revenue with subscribers.

Leave a legacy: For a mere $5 million – terms can be negotiated – you can name the Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research at the University of San Diego. The nationally acclaimed program is offering donors a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to name an organization that is rapidly growing in prominence and prestige.

A $30 million online and offline specialty retailer is considering a product line extension and partial recapitalization to allow the founder to take some chips off the table. This highly regarded retailer, which is so powerful in its space that it has 180 terms with full return privileges from its suppliers, is talking to private equity firms as well as others.

A $3 million company in the cosmetic space is looking for a partner and/or product endorser to help it expand across product categories and help it growth. The company has IP formulas for its products.

An agent for top-tier Major League Baseball players is looking for local and regional endorsement opportunities in Southern California, Arizona and Florida.

A buyer is looking to buy a restaurant chain with at least $50 million in revenue, $5 million in EBITDA and multiple locations.

Still active (see previous posts):

• Credit card receivables...$1 million investment minimum.
• UK investor looking to spend $20 million + to acquire brand with big potential
• 9% or 11% returns for investors in private mutual fund buying full recourse receivables
• Parcels available at desert race track