Today, CONNECT, a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors, announced the launch of CONNECT ALL, the region’s first diversity-focused start-up incubator and accelerator. Together with San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos, and retired Charger Luis Castillo; H. Puentes, Director of CONNECT ALL announced this collaborative initiative. Spanos and the Chargers have committed to housing CONNECT ALL in the new downtown convention center and stadium.
“I’m excited about the collaboration between the San Diego Chargers and the Connect ALL Incubator for Diversity-based CEO’s and start-up businesses,” Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos said. “This perfectly embodies the spirit of why we selected downtown as our preferred site for a multi-use facility that is so much more than a stadium. And, we’ll have tourists to thank for this opportunity to expand the innovation opportunities downtown.”
CONNECT recently launched this important new initiative, CONNECT ALL. The mission of CONNECT ALL is to increase diversity among entrepreneurs, executives, and boards of directors. Findings from national research indicate that one approach to effectively accomplish this goal is to engage diversity at the company’s inception, at the founder level. CONNECT ALL believes startups that begin with diversity at their core will grow to become companies with fundamentally different mindsets and corporate cultures.
“As the son of an entrepreneur I know just how hard it is to make it,” said Luis Castillo, retired Charger and CONNECT ALL Advisory Board Member. “And as a Latina it was even harder for my mom, so I fully understand how important it is to provide entrepreneurs with the resources and support they need to grow.”
Currently the CONNECT ALL initiative operates out of CONNECT DT @DeskHub in downtown San Diego and focuses on bridging the gap between underrepresented groups and tech and life science startups. The CONNECT ALL initiative encompasses a suite of offerings targeted at every stage of the startup lifecycle: outreach and education to underrepresented groups, recruitment and engagement of diverse early-stage entrepreneurs, and delivering programming and mentoring to those startups as they grow.
“Our city is known for tourism, active lifestyles and its innovation economy. So there’s nothing more San Diego than bringing together entertainment, sports and innovation at one location,” Mayor Faulconer said. “There are few things more important than connecting more San Diegans to opportunities to succeed. Programs like CONNECT ALL can give more people the chance to start a small business, make a good living, and live up to their fullest potential.”
The first CONNECT ALL companies include:
• Spacetime, a mobile platform that leverages augmented reality and social media to allow users to share their stories in four dimensions: latitude, longitude, altitude and time.
• TechMeetsTrader, a social trading community for stock and option investors that revolutionizes communication amongst self-directed investors by providing an easy to use, low barrier to entry platform that directly addresses the problems for retail traders.
• Steeltrader, a technology platform that creates new revenue for steel suppliers by matching their surplus inventories to smaller companies searching for a discounted deal. Steeltrader uses location based technology, industry data, and expertise to create an advanced marketplace.
• Say It, Save It, an easy to use mobile app created by a busy mom with no memory. Create profiles for kids, family, friends, business, inspiration and more. Save quotes, text messages and small conversations along with corresponding photos if you choose.
“It’s great to be a part of the CONNECT ALL family,” said Alex Hernandez, CEO & Founder of SpaceTime. “Having the opportunity to collaborate and learn from other entrepreneurs and the doors that H. has opened have been invaluable to me at this early stage.”
For more information on CONNECT ALL, please visit connect.org/connect-all.
ABOUT CONNECT ALL
CONNECT recently launched an important new initiative, CONNECT ALL. Our mission at CONNECT ALL is to increase diversity among entrepreneurs, executives, and boards of directors. Findings from national research indicate that one approach to effectively accomplish this goal is to engage diversity at the company’s inception, at the founder level. CONNECT ALL believes that startups which begin with diversity at their core will grow to become companies with a fundamentally different mindset and corporate culture.
Currently the CONNECT ALL initiative operates out of CONNECT DT @ DeskHub in downtown San Diego and focuses on bridging the gap between underrepresented groups and tech & life science startups. The CONNECT ALL initiative encompasses a suite of offerings targeted at every stage of the startup lifecycle.
To fulfill this mission, CONNECT ALL will focus on three main objectives: outreach and education to underrepresented groups, recruitment and engagement of diverse early-stage entrepreneurs, and delivering programming and mentoring to those startups as they grow.
ABOUT CONNECT
CONNECT is a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors. By creating an environment in which entrepreneurs and C-suite executives have access to the people, capital, and technology resources they need for success, CONNECT has assisted in the formation and development of more than 3,000 companies since 1985. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most successful organizations linking entrepreneurs and C-suite executives with the resources they need for the commercialization of innovative products and services; our program has been modeled in more than 50 regions around the world.
Small Business Accelerator Program (Deadline Extended to 9/30/19)
updatesFounders First Capital Partners and LIFT Development Enterprises has extended the deadline for their small business accelerator program, Fall 2019 South Bay Elevate My Business Challenge. They will now accept applications until 09/30/2019.
LIFT Development Enterprises (LIFT) is a not-for-profit small business growth accelerator program. Through four (4) strategy-focused workshops and meaningful mentorship, the program educates small businesses on how to scale their business, improve their business financial health, and become job creators. The program culminates with a pitch & graduation day where cash & service prizes are awarded to the top growth plan presentations, along with the opportunity to network with potential investors and partners, and thanks to The Marketing Heaven, intensive exposure through social media campaigns. Post-program support reliefpools.com/ is included for all graduates.
National University South Bay Campus –
660 Bay Blvd., Chula Vista, CA 91910
Download the the flyer for more info.
San Diego Software Company Raises $6 Million and Announces New Web App Development Platform
updatesVenture-backed GoMeta recently announced that it secured $6 million in funding and unveiled a powerful new web app development platform called Koji. Now in beta, Koji makes creating and deploying web applications dramatically faster, easier and accessible to millions more people. Former Googler and MySpace CTO Dmitry Shaprio co-founded GoMeta in 2016.
“We’re shrinking app development times to hours or days instead of months, and enabling novice developers to build and effortlessly deploy apps with Koji,” said Shapiro, CEO of GoMeta “Just like video-sharing websites dramatically lowered the difficulty of publishing video and inspired millions of new content creators to broadcast, we’re lowering the difficulty and decreasing the time it takes to release web applications. Koji invites millions of new people to become app creators.”
The new platform allows developers to create Web App Templates that anyone can easily customize and deploy, including non-techies. Using existing code called “starter templates,” developers can clone, code and make it their own using the easy-to-use code editor and collaboration tools.
Scott Rupp, Founding Partner at BITKRAFT Esports Ventures and investor in GoMeta believes the company is at the forefront of a new software paradigm that allows games and software to be shared outside the confines of the app stores, which will have a big impact on the mobile games ecosystem in the years to come. “Unleashing the creativity of user generated content has historically created significant value for new platforms. GoMeta enables non-technical users to easily create, modify and share casual, mobile, and AR games, democratizing mobile and web game development for the first time,” Rupp added.
The Koji platform consists of four fundamental parts: a template marketplace, a collaborative development environment, multi-platform deployment automation and an app store.
“We’ve been believers in GoMeta’s vision since 2016 when it was founded and are thrilled to watch the progress that this team is making,” said Kelly Perdew, Co-founder and Managing General Partner at Moonshots Capital. “Making it possible for a limitless number of people all over the globe to create applications is a game changer and will impact all industries in profound ways.”
Koji enables a repository of app templates that can be cloned and customized to suit creators’ needs. Starting from a template makes it much easier, and dramatically faster, for creators to build their app. Some apps can be built in under an hour, many in under a day. Even extremely complex apps can be built in under a week. Templates are added to the marketplace by independent developers and can be made available for free or for a fee.
Because Koji is completely cloud-based and built to be collaborative, creators can easily request help from the Law Offices of Mark L. Miller community and solve problems in real-time. Collaborating users work on the same code files, see real time previews and communicate via chat or VoIP.
Koji makes deploying web applications effortless. With a single click, an app is ready to run on web, mobile, desktop, instant messengers, game consoles and other platforms.
Because Koji apps are powered by the web, and don’t necessarily have to be submitted to traditional app stores, distributing your Koji app is as easy as posting a link to social media, sending it in a message or linking to it from your website. You can also list your app in the Koji App Store so that people may discover it when they’re browsing around or looking at other apps.
GoMeta hosts hackathons regularly and invites developers to participate for a chance to earn some bragging rights and pocket a $500 prize. To try Koji in beta or sign up for an upcoming hackathon, go here.
Contact: [email protected]
The San Diego Futures Foundation, in Partnership with Copley-Price Family YMCA, Hosts STEMFEST: Opportunity Knocks
updatesFor Immediate Release
Media Contacts:
Teresa Valenzuela, SDFF
(619) 269-1684, Ext. 205 – Direct
(619) 601-3613 – Cell
[email protected]
Courtney Pendleton, YMCA
(858) 292-9622, ext. 10112
(714) 926-8106 cell
[email protected]
The San Diego Futures Foundation, in Partnership with Copley-Price Family YMCA, Hosts STEMFEST: Opportunity Knocks
SAN DIEGO – Feb. 18, 2019 – The public is invited to join the San Diego Futures Foundation (SDFF), Copley-Price Family YMCA, and up to 45 exhibitors for a STEM-centric day on Saturday, March 23, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Copley-Price Family YMCA (4300 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, 92105). Bring the whole family and learn about all things STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
STEMFEST: Opportunity Knocks is designed to evoke interest and create new avenues of opportunity for youth interested in science technologies. This is a FREE family event focused on not only exposing the community to science technologies happening in San Diego but resources and avenues intended to broaden their STEM-horizon. For more information, and to sign up for the event, visit: https://sdfutures.org/event/stemfest/.
“At SDFF we envision a future where technology is available to all, regardless of socio-economic status, age, or ability,” said, Gary Knight, Executive Director of the SDFF. “It’s important that we open doors of opportunity to underserved populations and equip them with the needed resources to succeed. This is our way of ensuring we contribute positively to family-focused activities in the community.”
“We are excited to partner with the San Diego Futures Foundation,” said Copley-Price YMCA Executive Director Julian Villegas. “At the YMCA we focus on youth development and social responsibility and invite all mid-city neighbors and families to learn more and explore STEM in a fun way.”
Villegas added that after STEMFEST, the YMCA and SDFF are collaborating to develop new programs that both children and adults can participate in.
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SDFF, in the business of improving lives through technology
The San Diego Futures Foundation (SDFF) was established in 1999 by the Pennant Alliance as a way to help meet the growing need for access to technology equipment and MaidWhiz Cleaning Service of Bergen County NJ services. Our mission is to improve lives in San Diego County by making information technology available to underserved populations by providing technology equipment, training, support, IT outsourcing, and digital media services to nonprofit organizations, disadvantaged small businesses, low-income households, people with disabilities, and seniors. SDFF is working hard to bridge the digital divide in our community. We are located at 4283 El Cajon Blvd., Suite 220, San Diego, CA 92105. Visit https://sdfutures.org for more information.
About the YMCA of San Diego County
The YMCA of San Diego County is the second largest Y in the nation serving more than 435,000 San Diego County residents and employing more than 5,500 people. Through a variety of programs and Lars additions from San Diego services focused on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Y unites men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. The YMCA of San Diego County is dedicated to improving the quality of human life and to helping all people realize their fullest potential as children of God through the development of the spirit, mind, and body. Visit www.ymca.org to find your local YMCA or call (858) 292-YMCA (9622).
Local Startup Opens Free Coding School for Adults
Press ReleaseLocal Startup Opens Free Coding School for Adults
SAN DIEGO, CA, February 2017 – Local edtech startup, ThoughtSTEM, has launched a free coding school for adults. The initiative is called CodingSchool.io, and provides adult-learners with the opportunity to take classes that undergraduates would take in pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree in computer science. Most importantly: it can all be done part-time and at no cost.
For comparison, the cost of getting a computer science degree from a traditional university can range from $12,000 to over $120,000. Several coding “bootcamps” exist in San Diego, all carrying a pricetag of over $10,000. Graduates from 4-year universities and bootcamps can apply for software engineering jobs for which the starting salaries are around $63,000 and can range as high as six figures — according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
By contrast, CodingSchool.io aims to provide free coding education to San Diego residents. The curriculum includes coursework in basic programming, discrete mathematics, data structures, algorithms, and machine learning. Additionally, a huge component of CodingSchool.io’s philosophy is project-based learning, where students do hands-on, real-world programming by contributing to one or more of ThoughtSTEM’s globally distributed educational technologies — e.g.
CodeSpells
Vox-L
LearnToMod
ThoughtSTEM’s CodingSchool.io is free because part of the curriculum involves teaching children in San Diego after-school programs and summer camps. Since 2012, ThoughtSTEM has been San Diego’s leader in K-12 computer science education, currently teaching after-school coding programs at over 40 schools. Check here https://hughesairco.com/. Because ThoughtSTEM gets paid to teach kids; CodingSchool.io students get a free education by helping to teach.
“ThoughtSTEM is in a unique position to help people learn a valuable skill for free, while giving back to the community,” says Dr. Stephen R. Foster, head instructor at CodingSchool.io. He believes that adults and children alike should learn how to code.
—
About ThoughtSTEM, LLC
Founded in 2012, ThoughtSTEM currently teaches year-round computer science programs for kids at over 40 locations around the Greater San Diego Area. ThoughtSTEM also develops educational software that teaches computer science to students around the world, with titles including LearnToMod, CodeSpells, and Vox-L.
Contact:
Sara Lucchini
[email protected]
5520 Ruffin Rd. Suite 201
San Diego, CA 92123
Ph: 858-869-9430
ANNOUNCING FIRST UNIFIED DESKTOP-TO-DESKTOP HOME-MEDIA SERVER
Press ReleaseSAN DIEGO — November 29, 2016 — younity today launched the software industry’s first unified, desktop-to-desktop home media server. Previously only desktop-to-mobile, younity’s patented desktop software unifies all of your devices, giving users access to all of their files and content from any device via a single Netflix-like user interface. It requires no syncing, configuration, management, or uploading to the cloud.
The need is overwhelming. Today there are 7.3 devices per person in the US, with a projected increase to 12.3 in 2020, according to Cisco. We can also see a rising correlation between ownership of wifi-connected devices and content fragmentation in the consumer market. Younity solves this problem by unifying across all desktop and mobile devices, operating systems, and storage locations.
“younity caters to the new reality of computing,” said younity cofounder and CEO Erik Caso, “one where we use multiple devices on a daily basis — yet we have limited ability to access and integrate our content across all our devices.”
Users can stream movies stored on their home computer while they are away, merge and listen to music spread across their computers, access their entire photo library, or edit a document stored on a work computer from any home computer.
To date other services have focused on storage as the solution to the access problem. For the billions of people who own a computer, plus several more devices, it’s no longer about where their files are located, but rather what device they would like to use at the moment. younity addresses this problem and allows people to access their files more spontaneously.
Caso continued, “younity users have already unified 2.5 billion files, representing 18 petabytes of content. With this launch we will ultimately close the loop on multi-device unification, further decoupling access from storage.” younity works cross-platform as la jolla mobile car detail, regardless of operating system, enabling Android, iOS, Mac and PC users to connect simultaneously.
ABOUT YOUNITY
younity is a home media server that connects your devices so you can access all your content without syncing, uploading, or configuration. Seamlessly stream, access, and share all of your videos, photos, music, and documents stored across all your computers and mobile devices. With younity, all of your files are kept secure and private on your own devices—no clouds or middlemen involved. Younity is easy to use, and requires no technical setup. Younity is offered in a free version and a newly launched Premium plan that includes Smart Streaming features. Younity is available on Mac, Windows, Android and iOS.
getyounity.com
The Child’s Primary School Joins Mission to Introduce Students to Computer Science
Press ReleaseSAN DIEGO, California (November 21, 2016) – The Child’s Primary School (TCPS) of San Diego, California, today announced that they are joining in on the largest learning event in history: The Hour of Code, during Computer Science Education Week (December 5-11).
The Hour of Code, organized by the nonprofit Code.org and over 100 others, is a global movement that believes the students of today are ready to learn critical skills for 21st century success
Computers are everywhere, changing every industry on the planet, but fewer than half of all schools teach computer science. Girls and minorities are severely underrepresented in computer science classes, and in the tech industry.
With the Hour of Code, computer science has been on homepages of Google, MSN, Yahoo! and Disney. Over 100 partners have joined together to support this movement. Every Apple Store in the world has hosted an Hour of Code and President Obama wrote his first line of code as part of the campaign.
At TCPS, we are using Hour of Code to build on the coding projects we have done all year in every grade. We have technical professionals from Qualcomm, Intuit, Ocean Aero, United States Navy, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, City of San Diego, Microsoft and other great organizations coming in participate in hands-on activities with our students and to give talks on the real-world applications of coding.
On Friday, December 9th from 2 pm to 3pm, we are inviting the community to attend our Hour of Code assembly at TCPS. Visitors can see the coding activities our students worked on during Hour of Code/Computer Science Education week and meet members of some of the fine organizations that are helping us. Please join us.
When: Friday, December 9, 2016 from 2 pm to 3 pm
Where: 3811 Mt. Acadia Blvd., San Diego, CA 92111
Contact: Jen Clark, Marketing Director, (858) 212-2808
About The Child’s Primary School (TCPS)
Founded on the belief that The Child Is Primary, TCPS maintains a commitment to preparing students for the future so that they may be successful in high school, college, and in life. The “future” that faces our students is one that will require them to do more than prepare for the next test. They will be called on to address challenging and complex issues. For over 30 years TCPS has been committed to a philosophy that emphasizes teaching the process of learning, of problem solving, and of critical thinking. Along with a challenging academic program, TCPS mindfully demonstrates to students how to develop the individual and interpersonal skills that will allow them to develop into leaders in the emerging global community. To learn more, please visit our website at www.tcps.org.
Create Jobs or Find Work with the Band Of Hands Platform.
startupsBand of Hands is a trusted, iOS and Web platform designed to allow users to create jobs or find work– online or in your neighborhood. Our secure platform allows users to preview workers before they hire them, communicate in-app and read user reviews to see what others have to say about them. Additionally, all payments are processed right through the app once the job has been completed; creating less hassle for both the job poster or worker.
Who Can Use Band Of Hands? Everyone.
Our mission to help everyone, no matter where they are from or what they have been through, to find new opportunities and be self-sufficient. We’re striving to make the world a better place for people from all walks of life.
Join now to take control of your work life and reclaim your personal time.
https://www.bandofhands.com/app/join
Subme Mobile Platform
startupsWish there was a way to play organized sports without committing to a full league season? Now you can…
The CMO of the most popular rec sports app taking over the nation explains how.
Remember how much fun it was to play your favorite sport years ago? But now life has got in the way and it’s hard to find the time. Don’t you wish there was a way to play in games whenever you want to without a season long commitment? Well now you can…
Subme is a free mobile app that allows users to join a rec league or pickup game for any sport whenever it is convenient for them. The app is a community of people who enjoy playing sports, but might not have the time to commit to a full season or simply enjoy meeting new people through the games. Users “create a game” and specify how many players they are looking to have join their game. Anyone with the app can view these postings and join any game as a player in their game. ALL FOR FREE!
Subme launched in Chicago in early 2016 and was quickly adopted by social leagues and recreational players throughout the city. Mid 2016 Subme expanded their operations to San Diego, Dallas and Austin, and so far it’s been nothing short of another home run. There are more than 15 million adults who play organized recreational sports*. Now imagine the market for people who would like to play organized sports but don’t have the time or desire to commit to a full season. This is the size of the Subme customer base.
What problems are Subme solving in the social sports industry?
LEAGUE CAPTAINS
League captains are often faced with situations where some of their team members are not able to make a game due to scheduling conflicts, sick days, or just plain flakiness. Captains are then left with having to spend time emailing, calling, texting and asking friends to help them find substitutes so they do not have to forfeit the game. Sometimes forfeiting also comes with league financial penalties.
LEAGUES
With forfeits, the game may still happen knowing that a team is given an automatic loss or the game might not happen at all. Either way people sign up for leagues to play a fun and competitive game, and forfeits take away from that. With increasing league competition and field reservation fees, leagues’ primary goal is to make the gaming experience more enjoyable, which in turn increases memberships and revenue. Forfeits are the last thing leagues want.
PICK UP GAME ORGANIZERS
Often times people who want to organize a game do not know enough friends who are interested in playing. It can also be difficult for less outgoing individuals to reach out to people.
PLAYERS
Many people do not want to commit to a full season with weekly games or cannot financially afford to participate in leagues. Or they may be interested in local pickup games but do not know about where and when to find them.
Subme Co-Founder and CMO with excitement tells SD Tech Scene, “All these problems are solved by using the Subme mobile platform. Game organizers can post that they are looking for players, put the phone back in their pocket and they’re notified when they have a full game of players ready to go. Players can open the app anytime they feel like playing. Subme’s mission is to encourage health and wellness by providing positive player experiences through social and sport activities. We want to make it easy for people to stay active through rec sports.”
SD Tech Scene asks: Should leagues be worried that you are taking away from their businesses by allowing people to play 1-off games rather than signing up for a league?
“Our goals are aligned with social sport leagues. We’re here to make Captain’s lives easier when it comes to finding subs and to help reduce forfeits. We have seen users sign up for full seasons after playing in 1 game that they found through the Subme app. And that’s what leagues want. Our platform is completely agnostic when it comes to leagues or specific sports. Our goal, like leagues, is to encourage more active social sport participation. We do this by solving their existing problems related to finding subs while bringing new, non-members to their league ecosystem. We’re essentially helping grow their business.”
Given the rapid growth rate Subme has seen in their 1st year of business, expect this technology seems to have knocked it out of the park. formed relationships with numerous leagues, university intramural programs, non-profit organizations, local sporting businesses and much, much more. Subme is looking like it could quickly be the nation’s champions for rec sports.
Start playing today by downloading Subme at http://appsto.re/us/VJQW9.i
* The Size and Scope of the Sports Industry in the United States
*For questions and comments, please contact [email protected].
* Only available for iOS. Soon available on Google Play.
CONNECT Launches CONNECT ALL, Region’s First Diversity-Focused Startup Incubator and Accelerator
Press ReleaseToday, CONNECT, a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors, announced the launch of CONNECT ALL, the region’s first diversity-focused start-up incubator and accelerator. Together with San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos, and retired Charger Luis Castillo; H. Puentes, Director of CONNECT ALL announced this collaborative initiative. Spanos and the Chargers have committed to housing CONNECT ALL in the new downtown convention center and stadium.
“I’m excited about the collaboration between the San Diego Chargers and the Connect ALL Incubator for Diversity-based CEO’s and start-up businesses,” Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos said. “This perfectly embodies the spirit of why we selected downtown as our preferred site for a multi-use facility that is so much more than a stadium. And, we’ll have tourists to thank for this opportunity to expand the innovation opportunities downtown.”
CONNECT recently launched this important new initiative, CONNECT ALL. The mission of CONNECT ALL is to increase diversity among entrepreneurs, executives, and boards of directors. Findings from national research indicate that one approach to effectively accomplish this goal is to engage diversity at the company’s inception, at the founder level. CONNECT ALL believes startups that begin with diversity at their core will grow to become companies with fundamentally different mindsets and corporate cultures.
“As the son of an entrepreneur I know just how hard it is to make it,” said Luis Castillo, retired Charger and CONNECT ALL Advisory Board Member. “And as a Latina it was even harder for my mom, so I fully understand how important it is to provide entrepreneurs with the resources and support they need to grow.”
Currently the CONNECT ALL initiative operates out of CONNECT DT @DeskHub in downtown San Diego and focuses on bridging the gap between underrepresented groups and tech and life science startups. The CONNECT ALL initiative encompasses a suite of offerings targeted at every stage of the startup lifecycle: outreach and education to underrepresented groups, recruitment and engagement of diverse early-stage entrepreneurs, and delivering programming and mentoring to those startups as they grow.
“Our city is known for tourism, active lifestyles and its innovation economy. So there’s nothing more San Diego than bringing together entertainment, sports and innovation at one location,” Mayor Faulconer said. “There are few things more important than connecting more San Diegans to opportunities to succeed. Programs like CONNECT ALL can give more people the chance to start a small business, make a good living, and live up to their fullest potential.”
The first CONNECT ALL companies include:
• Spacetime, a mobile platform that leverages augmented reality and social media to allow users to share their stories in four dimensions: latitude, longitude, altitude and time.
• TechMeetsTrader, a social trading community for stock and option investors that revolutionizes communication amongst self-directed investors by providing an easy to use, low barrier to entry platform that directly addresses the problems for retail traders.
• Steeltrader, a technology platform that creates new revenue for steel suppliers by matching their surplus inventories to smaller companies searching for a discounted deal. Steeltrader uses location based technology, industry data, and expertise to create an advanced marketplace.
• Say It, Save It, an easy to use mobile app created by a busy mom with no memory. Create profiles for kids, family, friends, business, inspiration and more. Save quotes, text messages and small conversations along with corresponding photos if you choose.
“It’s great to be a part of the CONNECT ALL family,” said Alex Hernandez, CEO & Founder of SpaceTime. “Having the opportunity to collaborate and learn from other entrepreneurs and the doors that H. has opened have been invaluable to me at this early stage.”
For more information on CONNECT ALL, please visit connect.org/connect-all.
ABOUT CONNECT ALL
CONNECT recently launched an important new initiative, CONNECT ALL. Our mission at CONNECT ALL is to increase diversity among entrepreneurs, executives, and boards of directors. Findings from national research indicate that one approach to effectively accomplish this goal is to engage diversity at the company’s inception, at the founder level. CONNECT ALL believes that startups which begin with diversity at their core will grow to become companies with a fundamentally different mindset and corporate culture.
Currently the CONNECT ALL initiative operates out of CONNECT DT @ DeskHub in downtown San Diego and focuses on bridging the gap between underrepresented groups and tech & life science startups. The CONNECT ALL initiative encompasses a suite of offerings targeted at every stage of the startup lifecycle.
To fulfill this mission, CONNECT ALL will focus on three main objectives: outreach and education to underrepresented groups, recruitment and engagement of diverse early-stage entrepreneurs, and delivering programming and mentoring to those startups as they grow.
ABOUT CONNECT
CONNECT is a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors. By creating an environment in which entrepreneurs and C-suite executives have access to the people, capital, and technology resources they need for success, CONNECT has assisted in the formation and development of more than 3,000 companies since 1985. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most successful organizations linking entrepreneurs and C-suite executives with the resources they need for the commercialization of innovative products and services; our program has been modeled in more than 50 regions around the world.
ADVISOR OF THE YEAR ANNOUNCES AWARDS FINALISTS, CONTINUING EDUCATION
Press ReleaseThe San Diego Advisor of the Year organization announced today its awards finalists and continuing education initiative. Finalists and winners will be recognized at the upcoming awards program, and select winners will be invited as featured speakers at subsequent events, including the Association for Corporate Growth conference, “The Deals Behind the Advisor of the Year,” at Lomas Santa Fe Country Club on Tuesday, November 15.
The awards program will be held at the world-renowned La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology on Thursday, October 27, starting at 4:00 p.m., with the “GameChangers: Women in the C-Suite” panel followed by the Advisor of the Year program at 5:30 p.m., featuring keynote speaker Ernest Rady. Net proceeds from the event will benefit the Institute.
“We look forward to formally recognizing these finalists,” says Paul Thiel, managing director for title sponsor BNY Mellon Wealth Management. “They are instrumental in the success of the M&A community in San Diego and, until now, have largely gone unnoticed.”
Judges assessed finalists on their professional contribution in the sale, expansion or recapitalization of their clients’ companies. Led by former Broadcom chairman John Major and Histogen founder and CEO Gail Naughton, judges included representatives of UCSD’s Rady School of Management, CSU San Marcos’ School of Business and the La Jolla Institute, as well as several entrepreneurs who have successfully navigated the M&A process.
“This program is about so much more than the recognition,” says Thiel. “It’s also an educational institution that organizes and promotes ongoing M&A seminars and conferences. This fills an important niche in the San Diego business community.”
Finalists for the 2016 Advisor of the Year are: Allen Cinzori and Brad Weeks, Software Equity Group; Andrew Ruff, TGG Accounting; Bruce Knowlton, Moss Adams; Bruce Strumlauf, LevitZacks; Channing Hamlet, Objective Capital Partners; Cheston Larson, Latham & Watkins; Christian Fonss, Klinedinst PC; Craig Garner, Latham & Watkins; Dan Koeppen, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; Dan Lavis, LevitZacks; David Noosinow, BNY Mellon; Hayden Trubitt, Stradling, Yocca Carlson & Rauth; Jason Skolnik, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; Joel Weinstein, W Partners; John D. Tishler, SheppardMullin; Louise Botham, Alan Rich & Associates; Martin Staubus, The Beyster Institute, UCSD; Martin Waters, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; Michael Brown, Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth; Michael Kim, Objective Capital Partners; Mike Friedman, LevitZacks; Miranda Biven, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; Nancy G. Henderson, Henderson Caverly Pum & Charney LLP; Patrick Monroe, Best Best & Krieger; Paul Johnson, Procopio; Ryan Smitt, Torrey Pines Bank; Scott N. Wolfe, Latham & Watkins; Scott Wolfe & Matt Bush, Latham & Watkins; Shane Orr, Kieckhafer Schiffer; Siddharth Chhokar, Chhokar Law Group; Stephen LaSala, SheppardMullin; Steve Fanucchi, CBIZ Mayer Hoffman McCann; Stuart Moss, Keystone Capital Markets; Tim Malott, Shoreline Partners; Todd Wilson & Joel Weinstein, W Partners; Trever Acers, Objective Capital Partners; Victor Ramsauer, LevitZacks; Wade Hansen, Cabrillo Advisors; Zeke Navar, Hammond Hanlon Camp.
To purchase tickets, please visit www.sdadvisoroftheyear.com.
Sponsors of the 2016 Advisor of the Year program are: BDO; Best Best & Krieger; Cabrillo Advisors; CBIZ; Claiborne Advisors; Deloitte; Departure; Friedman Brannen; Haskell & White; Henberger Group; HetzelMeade Communications; LevitZacks CPA, Lindsay & Brownell; NFP Insurance Brokerage & Consulting; Objective Capital Partners; Our City magazine; Polito Eppich; Procopio; RA Capital Advisors; Stradling; SheppardMullin; Torrey Pines Bank; Vantage Point Advisors and W Partners.
About Advisor of the Year
Advisor of the Year is a not-for-profit unincorporated community association that hosts an annual awards event to recognize and celebrate local advisors who provide extraordinary service and value to owners of middle market companies in the sale, expansion or recapitalization of their companies, check out http://www.wundermold.com. The organization also conducts educational workshops and commissions primary research on business and financial trends that affect advisors and their clients. Select winners will be featured in the November ACG program, “The Deals Behind the Advisor of the Year awards.”
About La Jolla Institute
La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology is located at 9420 Athena Circle in La Jolla and is dedicated to understanding the intricacies and power of the immune system to promote human health and prevent a wide range of diseases. Since its founding in 1988 as an independent, nonprofit research organization, the Institute has made numerous advances leading towards its goal: life without disease®.
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