Where we start and where we end up are two things that are so incredibly different, but equally important when evaluating success. As a rising entrepreneur from South Africa, Jonathan Cogley exemplified this journey and showcased how much can be achieved with tenacity and passion. Jonathan is the CEO at LogicBoost Labs, a startup accelerator in San Diego designed to help B2B startups go from $0 in revenue to $1 million. 

After growing up in Johannesburg, South Africa, Jonathan moved to the UK upon graduating college, where he pursued a degree in microbiology and genetics. He stumbled across many fields over time, working in hospitals, consulting companies, and eventually BBC - a job he greatly enjoyed. A few years later, he took a big step and moved across the pond to the United States. He lived in Pennsylvania for a couple years and then proceeded to move to Washington D.C., where he started his first services business. Here, he was able to grow his business to $2 million a year in consulting revenue, but soon realized his disinterest with the servicing industry given how difficult it is to scale and develop. With that, he decided to transition from servicing to software.

Like with any new project, Jonathan ran into many problems with logistics, as he found it difficult for his team of five to effectively figure out how to securely manage servers and routers while maintaining company credentials. This problem influenced the idea for his first successful product, an “IT admins password vault,” which ultimately resulted in a $100 million business. 

Some hurdles he encountered on the way dealt primarily with talent acquisition, as he struggled to find people in commercial sales and marketing in D.C. He and his team overcame this by developing their own sales talent by hiring college graduates and sales coaches and introducing talent programs in the D.C. area. In addition to maintaining his startup, he continued to mentor and invest in other companies.

Soon, he took part in angel investing and learned many things surrounding the startup industry. He realized that despite how much help and money was offered to different companies, their success depended far more on the strength of the team. This revelation in understanding “the formula for what startups need to be successful” encouraged the genesis of LogicBoost Labs. 

While still in D.C., Jonathan started looking into San Diego and eventually moved, only to discover how vibrant the tech scene in San Diego is. With LogicBoost, he utilized all his knowledge regarding startup growth and placed more emphasis on hiring people into the company who can offer other startups exactly what they need to flourish but couldn’t find elsewhere. With more money came more investors, so a key component to their mission was maintaining consistent funding so long as company milestones were achieved. 

LogicBoost Labs runs processing cohorts and issues applications quarterly, looking specifically for B2B SAAS companies with full time founders (June 30 deadline for current cohort: sign up now!). They invest in approximately one-to-two startups each quarter, with a max initial deal size of $300,000 dedicated towards investments and services. Once a company is accepted into the cohort, there is a two year timeline in which the cohort works with them. LogicBoost Labs has budgeted $2.5 million a year for the next four years, covering all company and investment costs. Going forward, the company is looking to hire consultants or people with experience in sales and marketing. If you or anyone you know is interested, please apply and join LogicBoost Labs in helping startups everywhere grow. 

Jonathan’s Favorite Tacos:
Mikes on Newport Ave. He recommends the carne asada nachos!

Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Accelerating Startup Growth with Jonathan Cogley

Listen on Apple, Google, Spotify, and other platforms. 

[02:10] Sashee gives an overview of what Tea Drops is
[02:35] Sashee shares her background and her entrepreneurship journey that lead to launching Tea Drops
[03:54] The things Sashee learned from her parents as she was growing up, including buying and selling homes, and how to run a store
[05:42] Sashee shares what she learned working at eBay and how it helped her on running her own business
[09:57] Sashee shares how she came up with Tea Drops and the process from ideating it to turning it into an actual business
[13:05] Sashee shares where she got her funding and help for her business, including using her own funds and entering pitch competitions
[16:46] Sashee shares some of her struggles in sharing her products in San Francisco versus when she moved to LA
[17:26] Sashee talks about Tea Drops and how the business is going since its launched and the pandemic affected Tea Drops positively in terms of sales
[20:36] What made Sashee move to San Diego, how Tea Drops work as a team, including having get-togethers and working remotely, and a job opening in their company
[24:34] Sashee shares her favorite taco spots, City Tacos 

Resources:
Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson


Follow Sashee online
Twitter | LinkedIn

Tea Drops: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Making Tea Drinking More Fun for the Modern Age Tea Drinkers With Sashee Chandran of Tea Drops

Todd gives an overview of what Tyra Biosciences is [02:21]
How did Todd find his way into the biotech industry? [02:53]
When did Todd realize he wanted to pursue bioscience as a career [04:39]
Todd shares what led him to start his own company and his first business idea [05:52]
Todd talks about his experience working for a project that turned into a company, and how that helped him in his own business [06:26]
Todd talks about how he envisions IPO [08:25]
Todd shares the founding story of Tyra Biosciences [10:10]
Todd talks about his experience in the Bio, Tech and Beyond [11:39]
Todd gives an overview of what’s happening in the precision space [13:09]
What has it been like for Tyra Biosciences for the last two years?[16:07]
Todd talks about where Tyra Biosciences is at right now, and their future plans and goals for the company [19:04]
Todd shares his favorite taco spot, Pure Taco [20:13]

Helping Patients With Purpose-Built Drugs With Todd Harris of Tyra Biosciences

Sanjay gives an overview of what aTyr is [02:44]
How did Sanjay end up in the pharma and biotech industry? [04:11]
What brought Sanjay to San Diego? [06:26]
Sanjay talks about what aTry is currently working on right now, including trials [08:02]
Sanjay shares the technologies that have changed over the years and why they couldn’t have been done 20-plus years ago [10:16]
Sanjay talks about running a biotech company today, if you should also run it like a software tech company, and whether it’s unique in San Diego [13:54]
Sanjay talks about the flip side of data, including building good cloud trial classes with data in mind [16:52]
Sanjay shares the difference between running a public versus private company, and the importance of being honest with patients instead of overselling things [19:44]
Sanjay shares his favorite taco spot, El Viejon [24:16]

Innovative and Meaningful Medicines With Sanjay Shukla of aTyr Pharma

Tony gives an overview of what Cox Communications is [02:28]
How did Tony end up in the telecom industry? [03:15]
Tony shares what made him want to get into engineering [06:16]
Tony shares whether he knew it was going to be a long-term communication strategy for him when he was working on satellites while he was in the military [08:02]
Tony talks about the early days of Cox Mobile and how telecom decides when it comes to infrastructure investment [12:30]
When did Cox realize they should be looking at things from a product perspective? [16:39]
Tony shares the internal development that turned into Cox Mobile and what had to go into it from a product development standpoint [19:35]
What was it like for Tony’s team to reenter Cox into the mobile space product development-wise? How did they turn that into a consumer product? [21:20]
Tony talks about the Cox Mobile launch and its timeframe now [25:48]
Tony shares what’s happening behind the scenes now that they’re in launch mode, and where they’re iterating product and the development team right now [28:53]
Tony’s favorite burrito and taco spots, Fajitas and Watersound Beach Club [30:43]

Connecting People With Quality Services and Technology With Tony Krueck of Cox Communications

Andrea gives an overview of what Vessel is [02:21]
Andrea shares her background and how she ended up in the industry [02:59]
What was it like for Andrea to move from Spain to San Diego? [06:37]
Andrea talks about the convergence of different technologies and its relation to what Vessel does [09:54]
Andrea shares her thoughts on the long-term change that people are doing based on consistent data, and Vessel’s role in this [14:40]
How does Vessel collect data into the app? [18:20]
Andrea shares Vessel’s future plans and where they’re headed [20:17]
Andrea talks about the manufacturing side of the business and where it’s going [23:29]
Andrea shares her favorite taco spot, Blue Water Seafood Market & Grill [24:34]

Andrea Giralt of Vessel: Improving Health and Wellness With Accurate Data

Dan Engel gives an overview of what Santa Barbara Venture Partners is [02:50]
Dan Engel talks about his background and what the tech community was like in Santa Barbara [05:19]
What’s the tech and investment education like in Santa Barbara? [07:46]
When did the tech community come up on Dan Hedden’s radar? What made him want to become part of it? [08:33]
What made Dan Engel decide to become a full-time investor? [10:17]
What attracted Dan Hedden to switch to the investor side after working at a startup? [13:17]
Dan Engel shares where they prefer to make investments, and where they usually get and look for deals [15:40]
Dan Engel talks about some of the successes they’ve achieved in terms of acquisitions etc. [20:35]
Hedden and Engel share the right time to meet companies, what they look for, and the importance of building rapport with founders [22:17]
Dan Hedden talks about deep-level data tracking of companies and trends [24:34]
Dan Engel shares what it’s like in their workplace, why admin work is essential, and why don’t rely on their service providers entirely [25:35]
How did Engel and Hedden know it was the right time to look at another fund? [26:53]
Dan Hedden and Dan Engel share their favorite taco spot, Mony's Tacos [28:01]

Dan Engel & Dan Hedden of Santa Barbara Venture Partners: Making Genuine Investment Partnerships

Neal: Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News by Neal Bloom and Fred Grier from Fresh Brewed Tech. Every Friday at 12:30pm Pacific on Clubhouse and now we record them for you to enjoy as well. Find these episodes on Freshbrewedtech.com and favorite podcast player for Tacos and Tech Podcast. I’m Neal Bloom, entrepreneur, investor, and community builder 

Fred:  I’m Fred Grier, journalist and author of SD Founders substack. I wrote about the tech industry for the San Diego Business Journal for two years. I covered the ins-and-outs of the startup world for much of that time, breaking news on IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A.

For May 12, 2023:
- Q1 Venture Capital Report by Fred Grier
- Viasat: Launch & Merger
- Upcoming events: Summer Social by Connect

San Diego Tech News Weekly – May 12, 2023

Hilliard gives an overview of what Cox Mobile is [02:31]
Hilliard shares his background and how he got into tech [03:56]
Hilliard talks about what it’s like to launch a new product [05:49]
Hilliard shares what it’s like testing their new product in different markets [07:05]
Hilliard talks about his involvement in customer development, and what blueprint sessions are like [08:40]
What are some of the new use cases Hilliard has seen months after launching Cox Mobile [09:50]
How did launching Cox Mobile help in terms of building a better portfolio and competing with other companies in the space [10:43]
Where does Hilliard see Cox Mobile headed in the next two years? [12:37]
Hilliard shares the customer reception to Cox Mobile and the opportunities he sees from them [14:21]
Hilliard shares his favorite taco spots, Aquí Me Quedo and bartaco [15:46]

Infrastructure and Connectivity Tech with Hilliard Sumner of Cox Mobile

June 16, 2023: 
- CEO change at Illumina
- Ex-Qualcomm leaders pick their SPAC candidate
- Stadium in Midway - Billionaire Stan Kroenke joins development effort

Events:
- Connect Summer Social Debrief
- Evonexus Demo Day - June 26
- SDxAI Hackathon - July 15-16

San Diego Tech News Weekly – June 16th, 2023

June 23, 2023:
- Beam global - acquisition
- Kate Therapeutics - raises $51m, comes out of stealth
- Funding environment update

Events:
- AIxBioxSD June event debrief
- Evonexus Demo Day June 26
- SD Tech Hub Job Fair w/ SD Workforce Development & SD Supplier Diversity June 27
- SDx Hackathon - July 15-16

San Diego Tech News Weekly – June 23rd, 2023

Victoria gives an overview of what thoughtbot is [02:20]
How did Victoria end up in the tech industry? [02:58]
Victoria talks about her work experience in the federal area [03:54]
Is there a lot of development agency work in the government or do they do a lot in-house? [04:40]
Victoria shares the history of thoughtbot and how it started [05:47]
Victoria talks about their platform guide and expanding more into their site reliability engineering space [07:08]
Victoria shares some use cases, particularly in the need for tech in businesses [08:32]
Victoria shares what other industries she has spent some time in since working at thoughtbot [09:14]
What’s it like for Victoria to work and collaborate with a team remotely? [10:34]
Victoria talks about the San Diego scene and the meetup community [12:36]
Where does Victoria see communities going especially in a way that thoughtbot is looking at engaging developer communities? [15:28]
Victoria shares her favorite taco spot, City Tacos [18:04]

Victoria Guido of thoughtbot: Helping Businesses Every Step of the Way

Jon gives an overview of what Vessel is [02:59]
Jon shares how he started his first business [07:11]
Jon recalls his first business, building an e-commerce site, and how it’s different from Vessel [12:54] 
Jon talks about the shift from having a bad cash flow business to having a successful one, how he applied the marketing techniques he learned to his website, and “growth hacking”
What made Jon stay as an entrepreneur even after having two successful companies already? [20:33]
Jon talks about venture and bootstrapping and why he prefers the former [25:14]
Jon shares his thoughts on going hardware versus software  [27:15]
Jon talks about the founding story of Vessel [29:04]
Jon shares how they decide what products or services to add for Vessel, and lessons he learned along the way [33:57]
Jon talks about their recently launched 2.0, new tests, and Vessel Flex [36:11]
What are Vessel’s future plans? [38:40]
Jon shares his favorite taco spots, Barrio Star, Cocina De Barrio, El Agave, and King and Queen Cantina [40:45]

Jon Carder of Vessel Health: An Accessible Way to Reach Your Wellness Goals

July 24:
Q2 VC Funding Report 
DTx Pharma acquisition and impact for local community

Events:
SDx Hackathon event review
SD Founders Hike August 2
1st Mondays with Startup SD August 7
AgTech Gathering August 17
Connect Innovation Day Sept 14

San Diego Tech News Weekly – July 24, 2023

AI news:
Tech companies adding in GPT - Travato, SOCi
AIxBio event debrief with PersonalAI presentation

ECommerce:
Sunday Golf
Sendlane - E-commerce Commerce Roundtable Event in September 18
Steerpoint Capital acquired Escondido Mall to make it an entrepreneur-friendly mall

CoWorking:
VentureX CoWorking opened in Scripps Ranch
Mission CoWorking opened in Mission Valley

Events:
Welcome to SD Virtual event - August 1
SD Founders Hike - August 2
1st Mondays - August 7 AI panel
AgTech Gathering - August 17
Top Tech SD - September 13
Innovation Day - September 14
Green.org San Diego Summit - September 16 - Use code Tacos25 for a discount
Sendlane Commerce Roundtable - September 18
San Diego Startup Week - Oct 23-27

San Diego Tech News Weekly – July 28, 2023

Chrissy gives an overview of what Second Front Systems is [02:50]
Chrrisy shares how she got into the tech world and how she started her career originally [03:02]
Chrissy gives a background of what Second Front Systems is and its products [07:53]
What was Chrissy’s role when she first started in Second Front Systems versus what she’s doing now? [09:32]
Chrissy shares what she’s learned from her mentors and how they helped in her job [12:02]
Chrissy talks about Second Front Systems’ technology and where it's affecting the world today [13:33]
What’s DevSecOps? [15:34]
Chrissy talks about their Game Warden platform and their next Game Warden product [16:44]
How does a public benefit organization like Second Front Systems impact the community that they’re staying in? [18:48]
Chrissy explains what a SkillBridge program is [19:53]
Chrissy shares what it’s like being a fully remote company and how they utilize the virtual space platform, Gather.town [23:14]
Chrissy shares her favorite taco spot, Velvet Taco [27:28]

Chrissy McGarry of Second Front Systems: Delivering Disruptive Software for National Security

Davey gives an overview of his work at UC San Diego  [02:23]
How did Davey end up down the path toward infectious diseases? [03:23]
Davey talks about the first time he heard about COVID-19 [06:02]
How did Operation Warp Speed come together and when did Davey get involved? [07:21]
Davey shares his observations on Model Medicines [11:25]
Davey describes the technology Model Medicines focus on and how they apply it to many areas [13:10]
Davey talks about his current involvement such as preclinical testing and preparing for clinical trials [15:05]
Davey explains why COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses will continue to be a threat, and why new treatments are necessary [16:43]
Davey emphasizes the need for investing in the science and research to improve next-generation drugs [00:18:55]
Davey shares how AI is changing the way drug development is being approached today [20:01]
On the FDA's flexibility and alignment with Model Medicines' plans for testing and development [20:48]
Davey talks about future plans for Model Medicines, his plans on launching a clinical trial for respiratory viruses, and basket trial [00:22:23]
Davey shares his take on the technology communities and collaborative and problem-focused culture of San Diego [23:40]
Davey shares his favorite taco spot on Washington Street, El Cuervo [00:27:05]

Davey Smith of the University of California San Diego: The Future of Clinical Medicine

Aadeel gives an overview of what PSYONIC is [02:34]
Aadeel shares his background and how he got interested in building bionic limbs [03:17]
How did Aadeel get started in bionic engineering [04:17]
What’s the difference between prosthesis and bionic devices? [07:45]
Aadeel talks about their product designs, the difference of the devices, and the barriers for patients  [09:03]
Aadeel shares the founding story of PSYONIC [10:44]
What’s entrepreneurial life like for Aadeel? [15:12]
Aadeel compares San Diego and Chicago, and why he chose to move to San Diego [18:05]
Aadeel explains why their brand is very big on consumer-facing approach [24:00]
Aadeel shares what’s is like to have a public facing brand [28:19]
Aadeel talks about where PSYONIC will be a year from now, their future plans, etc. [30:14]
Aadeel shares his favorite taco spot, City Tacos [32:17]

Aadeel Akhtar of PSYONIC: Affordable and Accessible Prosthesis

August 21, 2023:
- SD’s top AI startups  
	- Real World AI Applications panel from Interlock Summit
- Inc.’s 5000 list 
	- SD companies highlighted + 89 listed on full list
- Acquire.com moves to SD
	- Welcome back Andrew Gazdecki and team!
- EDC Summer Bash recap  
- AgTech event recap and Escondido AgTech Hackathon on Nov. 2-4

Upcoming tech events:
- Innovation Day Sept 14 / Innovation Week - Sept 12-16
- San Diego Startup Week - Oct 23-27

San Diego Tech News Weekly – August 21, 2023

The Tacos and Tech Podcast highlights the builders of companies, technologies, and the ecosystem of San Diego with a local flair for our lifestyle as well.

Meet Dr. Ashley Van Zeeland, who came to San Diego in 2008 as a postdoc scientist at Scripps Translational Science Institute and within 10 years never left a 2.5 radius mile of La Jolla/Torrey Pines. From finishing her postdoc, getting her MBA at UCSD Rady School, being the first female-led and genomics company in startup incubator EvoNexus, and acquired by cloud-first genomics unicorn Human Longevity, she has had quite the San Diego journey. She’s now advising multiple startups as she works on her next endeavor.

Season 1

Ashley Van Zeeland - CoFounder of Cypher Genomics and CTO of Human Longevity

Meet James Martin, founder and CEO of Rally Corp., a messaging platform that engages customers by shortening the feedback loop. James started his career as a patrol cop and in this episode you'll find out how he found his way to tech and to San Diego.

James Martin, Founder and CEO of Rally Corp

Samantha Urban - Founder & CEO of Urban Translations

Meet Scot Chisholm, CEO & co-founder of Classy - A social enterprise fundraising software focused on helping non-profits grow their revenue. Classy was named while he and his friends were first brainstorming the concept of Classy while watching Anchor Man - Stay Classy San Diego. Classy is now a 200+ employee SaaS startup that has now processed over $1 billion in funds for non-profits through its platform. Thanks to Cox Business for their support of the local startup ecosystem.

Scot Chisholm - CEO & Co-founder of Classy

Mike Glanz is the co-founder and CEO of HireAHelper, an online marketplace for shopping of moving services. The company has full-service and labor-only movers in 50 states.

A San Diego native, Mike grew up in the Mission Bay area and went to school at Clairemont High. He later moved to Riverside to attend college at California Baptist University, where he studied information systems management. After college, Mike landed a “real” job in the area only to start his company a year later. As soon as he was able to afford it, Mike made his way back down to San Diego, landing in Oceanside. 

Mike and his co-founder struggled finding investors who believed in their startup, so they raised a family and friends round, totalling $150,000. The duo’s funds allowed them to launch HireAHelper in June 2007. Nearly 12 years later today, the company has a nationwide presence.

Listen in to hear all about the challenges Mike had to overcome in the first few years of HireAHelper and his plans for the future of the company.

Thanks to our partners Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Mike’s favorites:
Tacos - Beef tacos at Mexico Viejo in Carlsbad 
Mexican food - Santana’s Mexican Food in Pacific Beach
Coffee - Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in Pacific Beach and Keurig Donut Shop K-Cups

Keep up with HireAHelper on social media: 
Instagram & Twitter: @HireAHelper
Facebook
Pinterest

Mike Glanz - Co-founder & CEO of HireAHelper

Hayley Brooks is co-founder & CEO of Whooo's Reading, an EdTech company that provides a machine learning algorithm that automatically assesses students’ responses for elementary and middle school teachers. This tool is a viable replacement for multiple choice and encourages students to think more critically and creatively about what they’ve read.

Hayley spent most of her childhood in San Diego, having moved to the area when she was just six years old. She went away to attend college at Williams College in Massachusetts for a few years before making her way back to the sunny city. Majoring in math, Hayley did not know what she wanted to do after college until she took a class during her senior year, where she learned how to write a business plan. She and her classmate, who is now her co-founder, also conducted market research for their business idea.

After graduating from Williams College, Hayley and her co-founder decided to try building the business they had already created a foundation for. The duo ended up recruiting and third co-founder, their former classmate, who was able to manage the technical side of the business. Together the three of them started working on the business remotely. After getting funding months later, the Whooo’s Reading team was able to move to San Diego in order to work on the business together.

Listen in to hear all about the genesis of Whooo’s Reading, Hayley’s plans for the future of the company, and her local favorite eats and brews.

Thanks to our partners Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Hayley’s favorites:
Tacos - Avocado & mushroom tacos at Tacos Libertad in Hillcrest
Coffee - Better Buzz’s Hillcrest location
Beer - Orange Avenue Whipped from Coronado Brewing Company

Keep up with Hayley on social media: 
Instagram: @hayley.marie.26
LinkedIn

Keep up with Whooo’s Reading on social media: 
Facebook & Twitter: @WhooosReading

Hayley Brooks - Co-founder & CEO of Whooo's Reading

Ana and Octavian Florescu In Diagnostics (InD) is a biotech company that is commercializing a single-use chemistry panel. It uses digital technology to try to miniaturize a blood test to a small, single-use disposable that you can put a drop of blood on and discard after use.

Listen in to hear all about their journeys as entrepreneurs, their plans for the future of InD, and their local favorite eats and brews.

Thanks to our partners Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Their local favorites
Tacos - Fish 101 Leucadia
Beer - Latitude 33’s Blood Orange IPA

Keep up with InD: 
Facebook: @InDiagnostics
Twitter: @In_Diagnostics
indiagnostics.com

Ana and Octavian Florescu of In Diagnostics

The #sdtechos theme song written for the Tacos and Tech Podcast by The School of Rap

Tacos & Tech Podcast Anthem

Kim Walpole is the Co-Founder & CEO of Trials.ai, a startup that’s developing frontier technology that helps research teams develop their clinical trial protocols.

Originally from Bronx, New York, Kim did a lot of traveling with her family growing up. She worked for the American Management Association and later began consulting a couple of pharma companies. After meeting her now-husband, she moved out to San Diego in 2010, where she currently resides. 

A few years after moving out to San Diego, Kim’s best friend had a stomach ache which turned out to be pancreatic cancer. He was given 5 months to live. Being told he could not be treated, he reached out to Kim in hopes that she could get him into a trial. She tapped into her network but quickly learned that by the time her friend would be able to participate in a trial, he’d be gone. In that moment, Kim began reevaluating the protocols that were in place in the industry. She knew the process had to change, leading her to found Trials.ai.

Listen in to hear all about her founding story, and get the scoop on her favorite local eats and brews.

Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Kim’s local favorites:
Tacos - anywhere that ends in an “-erto’s”
Coffee - Lofty Coffee

Keep up with Trials.ai: 
Facebook: @Trialsai
Twitter: @Trialsai
https://www.trials.ai/

Kim Walpole - Co-Founder & CEO of Trials.ai

Maritza Diaz is the CEO of ITJuana, a startup that enables companies to create software centers of excellence in Tijuana.

Originally from Ecuador, Maritza was working her first job out of college when her company offered to move her to the US for one year. The young software engineer took the opportunity and moved to Chicago, never turning back. During her time working at Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Chicago office, Maritza was offered the opportunity to relocate to its San Diego office, and she took the opportunity 10 years ago, and has resided here ever since.

After leading an initiative to grow software centers of excellence abroad for her employer, Maritza decided to start her own company. With the various skills she acquired over the years, Maritzia was able to build a strong foundation for ITJuana.

Listen in to hear how Maritza helped expand San Diego-based Thermo Fisher to employ hundreds of engineers in Tijuana and now empowering dozens of companies to do the same, utilizing the strength of our mega-region.

Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Maritza’s Tijuana favorites:
Tacos al pastor from TACONAZO 
Pulpo tacos from Telefónica Gastro Park

Keep up with ITJuana: 
LinkedIn
https://itjuana.com/

Maritza Diaz - CEO of ITJuana

Bobby Brannigan is co-founder & CEO of Mercato, an online marketplace for independent grocery stores, which enables local grocery delivery and helps them compete with larger chains in the industry.

Bobby is no stranger to entrepreneurship. The serial entrepreneur started his first business in his college dorm in upstate New York. It was a college textbook marketplace that competed directly with Amazon, beginning in 2001. 18 months in, the startup had garnered $100M revenue with no external funding, and was eventually acquired. During this venture, Bobby began collecting feedback from bookstores and realizing they preferred to sell their books on Amazon but desired a reverse marketplace where they could repurchase books from students. Thus, Bucks4Books was born.

In 2008, after working out of Buffalo, NY for some time, Bobby, along with seven of his Bucks4Books team members, made the move to sunny San Diego. After their big move, the team grew sales from $7 million to $18 million in a few years, all bootstrapped. 

After selling the startup, Bobby took some time to plan his next move and ended up investing in about 20 companies. Soon after, Bobby decided to help his father’s independent grocery store by building software to help him appeal to tech-savvy consumers. In building the tool, he realized there was a big market for it, and so, Mercato was born in 2015. 

Mercato strives to enable the nation’s independent grocers with technology in order to remain competitive.

Listen in to hear about Bobby’s journey as a serial entrepreneur and the lessons he learned along the way. Also get the scoop on his favorite local taco spot.

Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Bobby’s favorite local tacos:
Eggplant parmesan tacos & tofu tacos at Not Not Tacos in Little Italy

Keep up with Bobby: 
LinkedIn

Keep up with Mercato: 
Instagram: @shopmercato
Twitter: @shopmercato
Facebook: @shopmercato
https://www.mercato.com/

Bobby Brannigan - Co-Founder & CEO of Mercato

Brook Sheehan and Rema Abedkader are the co-founders behind Cup O’ Sugar, a mobile app that allows neighbors to connect over sharing and requesting food ingredients.

Single moms and close friends for nine years, Brook and Rema originally got their app idea when they were missing a vital ingredient for a recipe. Rema texted a neighbor of hers and managed to get the ingredient, leading them to question whether they could take an old-school philosophy of neighbor support and convert it to mobile technology.

They began their work in 2017 and the app finally launched in 2018. Both Brook and Rema discussed how their personal goals feed directly into the app: Brook, who is super against food waste, and Rema, who thrives on community connections, agree that this app is a perfect combination of their personalities. 

Right now, due to COVID-19, their app is more popular than ever as users hope to find ingredients that their local grocery stores have run out of.

Tune in as Brook and Rema join host Neal Bloom and guest co-host Amy Chang, entrepreneur and angel investor, to discuss their journey as entrepreneurs in the San Diego tech scene.

Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Brook and Rema’s favorite local tacos:
Taco Stand 
Puesto

Connect with  Brook and Rema: 
LinkedIn: Brook and Rema

Keep up with Cup O’ Sugar: 
http://cuposugarapp.com/
Facebook: @CupOSugarApp
Instagram: @CupOSugarApp
Twitter: @CupOSugarApp
LinkedIn

Brook & Rema - Co-Founders of Cup O' Sugar

Stanley Kim is the Co-Founder & CEO of WinSanTor, a biotech company focused on developing pharmaceutical solutions to peripheral neuropathy.

Stanley graduated from UC Berkeley after studying genetics, but after realizing he had no desire to work in a lab or go to med school, he went to go work for a law firm and became an IP attorney. Eventually, Stanley landed an IP attorney role at San Diego’s Salk Institute, a top biology institution.

There, Stanley played a pivotal role in starting numerous companies, including Emotient, a company specializing in machine perception, which was eventually acquired by Apple; Emotient’s technology later went on to become the basis for Apple’s facial recognition feature. Then, in 2011, Stanley was approached by a group of scientists to pursue a branch of science that seemed to hold the solution to peripheral neuropathy, a debilitating disease that targets 15-20 million Americans every year. His team’s solution is the first of its kind--an anomaly in the diabetic industry that only provides pain management drugs. 

Tune in as Stanley joins host Neal Bloom and guest co-host Darin Anderson, co-founder and CEO of NXT Robotics, to discuss his journey as a serial entrepreneur in the San Diego tech scene.

Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Stanley’s favorite local tacos:
Lucha Libre and Taco Stand 

Connect with Stanley: 
LinkedIn

Keep up with WinSanTor: 
https://winsantor.com/
LinkedIn
Facebook: @winsantorinc

Stanley Kim - Co-Founder & CEO of WinSanTor

Mike Roberts is the founder of San Diego Code School, which focuses on helping individuals prepare for careers as software developers through apprenticeships. 

Mike began coding when he was 12 or 13, purely as a hobby at first. After his attempt at going to college to be an accountant was unsuccessful, Mike chose to get a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s degree in engineering, ultimately becoming a software engineer. Then, he did everything he could to get involved in San Diego’s tech scene in order to help make the market available for amateur coders. 

When Mike initially created San Diego Code School, it was a fast moving bootcamp that was meant to help prepare people for careers as software engineers in the local tech scene. He chose to pivot his company model about 6 months ago, when he realized that the college-to-company pipeline was failing both companies and their employees: new hires fresh off college graduation lacked the experience of hands-on coding projects that actually added business value to companies. 

His San Diego Code School is working to fix that. Mike’s apprenticeship approach is incredibly unique; as a program that pays you to learn, it allows interested individuals to work in the field under managerial supervision until they gain enough skills to be fully independent. Additionally, the locations of Mike’s School are intentionally in underrepresented communities in order to lift them up and upskill them for 21st century jobs. Apply here: https://sdcs.io/apply/
 
Tune in as Mike joins host Neal Bloom and guest co-host Amy Chang, entrepreneur and angel investor, to discuss his journey as an entrepreneur in the San Diego tech scene.

Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Mike’s favorite local tacos:
TJ Tacos

Connect with Mike: 
LinkedIn

Keep up with San Diego Code School: 
https://sdcs.io/
Facebook: @sandiegocodeschool
LinkedIn

Mike Roberts - Founder of San Diego Code School

Josh Komenda is the Co-Founder & CEO of Veyo, an affordable rideshare program for those who rely on Medicaid and Medicare. Like Uber/Lyft, the company has a call center that runs a technology platform, but delivers a service in partnership with existing health plans. Veyo is available in the app store. 

When Josh’s cab-hailing startup was outshone by emerging rideshare startups, his team began looking at other opportunities in the ride-hailing market. They realized the medical transportation sector was lacking and antiquated so they set out to build a startup that met that need.

4:17 Josh shares details about the start of his entrepreneurial career as an intern at Qualcomm in San Diego. At the tech giant, he led a global engineering team from 2004-2010. Technology interested him from a young age, so Qualcomm gave him a chance to get familiar with the industry to eventually start his own venture.

6:40 Josh discusses his first startup idea, GoFastCab, which he and his friends launched in 2009 to make the ordering of cabs and taxis easier. Little did they know rideshare startups would disrupt the entire ride-hailing industry. Total Transit eventually hired him and his team, allowing them to further explore their goals. 

11:10 In 2013, Total Transit acquired GoFastCab, and hired Josh and his team to ensure more widely available and higher quality service in a new health care transportation venture, Veyo.	
	
15:28 Josh explains Veyo’s business model. Like Uber and Lyft, a plurality of the company’s employee population runs its call center. 

17:39 Veyo’s average customers are health payers, so the transportation benefit is primarily catered towards those who struggle with gaining access to transportation services in the moment. Healthcare providers partnered with Veyo help book and manage claims/trips, taking into account the customers’ insurance and maximum benefit. Company growth is generally geographic and insurance based.

23:55 Covid has pushed the startup to make a significant amount of adaptations, as there is a concern regarding the risk of infections spreading. Recently, Veyo contracted with Meals on Wheels to help the nonprofit deliver thousands of meals. Veyo drivers also delivered PPE to at-risk Medicaid members. Lastly, the startup also started an initiative to safely transport those who have been infected by Covid. Josh plans for Veyo to continue taking some of these safety precautions even after the pandemic ends. 

Listen in as Josh takes us through his entrepreneurial journey, going from cab-hailing to health care transportation, and the changes he has had to make in light of the pandemic.

Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Josh’s favorite local tacos: 
Puesto at The Headquarters 

Connect with Josh:
Linkedin:
Twitter: @josh_komenda

Keep up with Veyo:
Website: https://veyo.com/
Linkedin
Facebook @veyologistics
Twitter: @veyologistics

Josh Komenda & Veyo Are Connecting Those in Need With On-Demand Medical Transportation

Serial entrepreneur, John Burd, co-founder and previous CEO of Dexcom, continues advancements in diabetes and many more health treatments with Lysulin, and Wonder Spray.

Listen in as host, Neal Bloom, chats with John Burd about his extensive entrepreneurial history and the impact his products have had on millions of lives.

Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Full show notes here: https://bit.ly/33PFJoZ

Finding Natural Solutions to Healthcare Problems with John Burd

Small businesses everywhere are looking for an outlet to grow and expand their customer base, especially in the virtual tech environment we find ourselves in today. To assist these transitioning businesses, Alex Goode, founder & CEO of GoSite, launched this platform to help small businesses, namely service ones, transition from offline to online. 
Listen in as host Neal Bloom and co-host Ashok Kamal, Executive Director at Tech Coast Angels San Diego, discuss the process of bootstrapping a startup and much more with Alex Goode. 

4:37 Alex has been surrounded by small businesses since he was a child, as his family members owned and operated them. He spent much of his childhood helping run those ventures. Alex went on to study engineering at University of Michigan, where he learned how to code and build websites. When he wasn’t in class, Alex utilized his  skills to help his family members and other business owners develop an online presence. After graduating, he moved to San Diego where he recognized an opportunity to help San Diego small businesses, and launched GoSite in 2013. 

6:20 Like most startups, Alex started his journey with nothing but an idea and some pocket money. When GoSite first launched, it was more of an agency model, in that it was service-oriented and the team was very hands-on with their customers.  At that time, the startup didn’t even have a tech buildout. After running the company for a few years, Alex realized that there was an opportunity for GoSite to create a tech platform that would more effectively help small businesses grow and operate. In 2017, the startup launched its first product on its SaaS platform. By the end of the year, the GoSite team decided to pivot and become a tech company.. In 2018, they scaled their SaaS business from zero to $2 million within 18 months of pivoting.

11:39 While there are companies like Shopify designed to help businesses sell products online, GoSite goes a step further and caters to those who more specifically want to sell local services, like nail salons, auto repair shops, etc.

13:14 Although some investors prefer not to invest in ventures that cater to small businesses, GoSite has found support from many investors who are able to see the massive opportunity to help small businesses navigate the transition to digital.

14:50 GoSite’s main goal is to transition businesses online, and COVID acted as an accelerant. As Alex puts it, COVID “has changed GoSite from being a nice-to-have to a must-have.” Small businesses are constantly looking for new ways to attract and retain customers, so GoSite gives these business owners a platform on which to digitally engage with customers without worrying about the technicalities themselves. GoSite has partnered with various SoCal investors such as Serra Ventures, Tech Coast Angels, and many more to fundraise and grow the company.

21:08 Looking ahead, Alex aims to continue growing the company and team. His focus currently is centered around product development and engineering. 

Alex’s favorite local tacos: 
Avocado tacos at Fat Fish in Pacific Beach 

Connect with Alex:
LinkedIn

Keep up with GoSite:
LinkedIn 
Website: https://www.gosite.com/
Facebook: @gositeinc
Twitter: @gositeinc
Instagram: @gositebusiness

Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Taking Small Businesses Digital with GoSite Founder Alex Goode

Christopher Mizer is the President and CEO of Vivaris Capital, an alternative asset investment company designed to fund growing tech firms and real estate properties. 

Christopher dives in and shares his journey from life as an investment banker to becoming the CEO of Vivaris Capital. Having grown up in a small town in Ohio, Christopher was never exposed to many tech opportunities. He then graduated from Case Western with two undergraduate degrees and two masters degrees. After working in investment banking for 10 years until his mid 30s, he travelled across the world to various countries and eventually settled in San Diego and founded the company. 

At Vivaris Capital, he engages with companies of all sizes, focusing primarily on how he and his team can help create value for them with personalized resources, product development, and business expansion. Post COVID-19, Christopher discusses how they are adapting to the new norm and introducing new programs and technologies. 

Listen in as host Neal Bloom chats with Christopher about his intrigue with biotech and investment focus moving forward. 

Christopher’s favorite local tacos: Galaxy Taco in La Jolla

Connect with Chistopher:
LinkedIn

Keep up with Vivaris Capital:
Website: https://www.vivariscapital.com/
LinkedIn
Facebook:  @vivariscapital

Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Investing into your Future with Christopher Mizer

Steven Cox is the Founder and CEO of TakeLessons, a virtual marketplace that connects learning enthusiasts with instructors in topics ranging from sign language to music, business skills and chess. TakeLessons helps instructors simplify marketing and manage their business with integrated communication tools. 

Steven tells about how he first got involved with the tech space working for an ecommerce company that served SeaWorld in San Diego. It was this opportunity that prompted him to leave Ohio for San Diego. Once he moved cross country, he started work at his first startup, CollegeClub.com. A precursor to Facebook, the platform was created in 1996 as a space for college students to connect. Growing in value to $110 million, the site was the 30th biggest in terms of traffic during its time. 

Following this, Steven worked for Cisco, but felt as if he wasn’t making a difference at such a large company. TakeLessons was born after Steven wanted to help his friend and bandmate find more students for his drum teaching business. He sought to create a platform that connected instructors to students, giving learning enthusiasts an alternative way to learn new things. Upon facing financial hardship himself, Steven found support within the San Diego community, who really helped get the business off the ground. 

Since then, TakeLessons has continued to grow, and is now known as one of the best places to work in San Diego.  The company, which started with just a few local instructors, now has over 10,000 instructors in nearly every city in America. Despite the hardship the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, TakeLessons.com has retained its customer base while seeing an increase in platform use by teachers seeking supplemental income. Steven talks about how he sees TakeLessons making a difference in the lives of those who have been displaced by the pandemic. 

Listen in as host Neal Bloom talks with Steven about his management approach and the trends TakeLessons has seen since the onset of COVID-19. 

Steven’s favorite local tacos: Salud in Barrio Logan

Connect with Steven:
LinkedIn

Keep up with TakeLessons:
Website: https://takelessons.com
LinkedIn
Facebook: @TakeLessons

Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Bringing the Classroom to Learning Enthusiasts with Steven Cox

Welcome to the Tacos & Tech Podcast with Neal Bloom, where we discover cutting-edge technology and the creators making it happen, right here in sunny San Diego.

Tacos & Tech Podcast

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