With 2020 already a record topping year with San Diego total VC funding of over $5 billion, expect a similar blockbuster year in 2021. 2020 matched 2000 in total dollar amount, but the number of deals was way down. This means later stage mega fundings are taking precedence over early stage funding. While San Diego startups are getting some big later stage fundings, we need to make sure we’re filling the funnel up top too. I predict 2021 sees more early stage angel and angel funds come to...
Happy New Year! Remember where we were a year ago? I don’t either. What I do know is that the tech community largely persevered in 2020, while many small businesses struggled. What I’m most proud of is how our ecosystem leaned in to help those who are struggling. Whether it’s to provide resources, donate to help furloughed workers, distribute food with the San Diego Food Bank, check in on a friend, buy from a local store or restaurant, thank you. We’re going to need a lot more of this...
Even though the year continues to be challenging overall, it’s been a pretty busy and successful last few weeks in our tech community. Due to the growth of some of our leading industries during the pandemic, there’s been some blockbusting fundraising for a few startups. Autonomous trucking unicorn TuSimple raised another $350M, bringing its total to $648M in funding to date. Small business digital tool maker GoSite raised $40M of funding in a Series B, 100 days after its Series A....
Happy early Thanksgiving, friends. With the holidays upon us, it may be time to slow down a bit, but our tech ecosystem is still going full steam ahead. There has been some big news recently on fundings and acquisitions, including VelosBio’s $2.75B acquisition by Merck, and eStudySite by Velocity Clinical Research. November fundings have been pretty massive too: Ambrx biotech raised $200M, Prometheus Bio was funded with $130M, RayzeBio launched with $45M, Trust & Will had...
Well, what a week and weekend. We stood up and voted and we have a lot of new leadership all around, including in San Diego. We have a lot to be proud of so let’s keep the momentum going with ensuring our tech ecosystem and the communities that support it stay relevant. Now that we will have new leaders in the New Year, it’s the time to check in, not check out, and make sure they hear our actual needs and voices.
As Veteran’s Day approaches, I also want to give a shout out to our...
It’s the last week of October and the last week of the inaugural San Diego Startup Month (SDSM). The great programming continues and the final night will close with highlights of both social entrepreneurship and aerospace innovation, two standout areas of San Diego. Ticket prices have dropped each week, so get a one-week pass and join us.
Have you gotten to know the SDSM Incubator companies like EntireTask? Check out the Demo Day this Friday. Maybe you heard a panel on how our...
Wow, last week’s SD Startup Month content was hot! We named 10 young companies to the first virtual SDSM incubator, Techstars led a series of great talks, Tag-n-Trac won the Inventors & Investors Pitch Comp, and there were so many more great talks. Remember, all of them were recorded and can be replayed with your ticket. This week, the talent tracks kick into the next gear, so come enrich and learn that new skill set you’ve been shying away from. We all need to improve together,...
October?? Already? Does every week get busier and busier for you too? Well this week is exceptionally busy in a fun way. IT’S THE START OF SAN DIEGO STARTUP MONTH, #SDSM2020! In its 8th year, San Diego Startup Week has come a long way. From the quality of the speakers, the maturity of the startups, the breadth of skills-based content, and now this year, all virtual, and an entire month. The team has been working exhaustedly behind the scenes and are eager for you to join in. Grab a...
I’ve been thinking about how mentoring matters even more during Covid-19. During this time of uncertainty, the generations behind us may need some extra support to keep them on track for the future. After all, mentors can help boost confidence in difficult times.
What are you doing to help someone just behind you? For a while, the general thinking was that once someone had a lot of success, then they would have the time to give back. That’s not going to cut it today. Any time you move...
I wasn’t always a startup ecosystem evangelist. In fact, my first job out of college was building rocket engines for the Space Shuttle program. With that said, my nature is to still be a champion for whatever I am working on. I was recently invited to speak with Caitlin Wege and other fellow Tech Coast Angels San Diego members about manned space, past, present and future. It was a great discussion and we’ve turned it into this week’s podcast.
Listen in to learn how rocket engines...
