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July 3, 2023

A Reliable Connection is Key to Cox Mobile’s Momentum

Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech and Hilliard Sumner from Cox Business during their fireside chat. The first time Hilliard Sumner…

April 28, 2023

Want to Improve Guest Experience? Start With Smart Hospitality Tech

Photo courtesy Unsplash/Getty Images Check out our latest podcast with John Fountain! Guests today are looking for hotels and public…

March 16, 2023

Bloombites: The State of Venture Capital

What a wild last week. I hope all of you were minimally affected but our industry as a whole will be forever changed.…

January 13, 2023

2022 Year in Review

It’s the end of 2022 and we’re excited to review a bit how the year went. We’re seeing a continued increase in private company fundings over three years now: 2022:…

December 22, 2022

Cox Communications Ushers in New Era of Connectivity with Cox Mobile

Photo by Fausto Sandoval on Unsplash When Tony Krueck, Cox Communications’ vice president of wireless, made the very first call…

November 29, 2022

Fintech Founder’s Dinner

We recently hosted a fintech founders dinner in San Diego and it was great to host some of OC’s finest at it…

October 5, 2022

Smart Home Automation is Easier Than You Think

Ashley Renne Nsonwu sets up a smart dimmer switch in her solar-powered smart home. Photo via @HeyAshleyRenne Twitter Listen to our recent…

September 16, 2022

Bloombites: AgTech Hackathon

We talk a lot about SaaS, hardware, mobility, aerospace, and biotech – but what do you know about SoCal’s agtech (agricultural technology)…

September 2, 2022

Bloombites: New OC Mobility Tech List on FST

If you’ve been reading our newsletters lately, you know we’re tracking the trend of mobility tech in OC and so we’ve started…

August 9, 2022

The OC Mobility Tech List

Land Alpha Motors (Irvine, Electric Retro Vehicles): With an advisory board of seasoned executives from the likes of Tesla, Alpha Motors is…

August 1, 2022

Bloombites: OC is an EV hotbed!

Automotive innovation continues in OC! Costa Mesa-based altCamp is building high end- electric RVs called ‘Four Seasons on Wheels!’ And the company seems to…

August 1, 2022

Bloombites: $145M Series B for eVTOL Startup

We’ve talked at length about OC being a road vehicle innovation hub like Rivian, space vehicles companies like Virgin Galactic, underwater vehicles…

June 27, 2022

Bloombites: $1.57B in 2022 Private Company Funding in OC!

At almost 6 months into 2022, it’s a good time to check how the startup and tech ecosystem is tracking. Now remember…

June 7, 2022

You Got Funded, Now What?

You hustled to the point of getting traction. You turned your dream into something profitable. You secured seed capital or Series A…

June 7, 2022

Bloombites: New Fund Alert!

NEW FUND ALERT! Congrats to Marc, Jeff and the Okapi Venture Capital team on Fund 4! With their new $53m fund, they’ve already invested…

June 7, 2022

Bloombites: Eurekafest

Last week was Eurekafest and I hope you came out to meet our local startups. Together with Cox Business, we hosted a…

April 7, 2022

Bloombites: New Website!

We’ve been sharing news of Orange County’s tech ecosystem for almost two years and it was time for a website refresh, so…

January 24, 2022

Why More and More Companies are Living on the Edge of Computing

Once upon a time, in a faraway land known as 1980, businesses had barebones computers, so-called dumb terminals, connected to a mainframe…

January 24, 2022

SoCal Companies Lead Defense Against Cyber Threats in 2022

The future of the workplace is hybrid and with it comes untold implications on data security. There were 1.5 billion attacks against…

January 24, 2022

Head in the Cloud? That’s a Good Strategy in 2022

Here’s something to get charged up about: Gartner forecasts end-user spending on cloud services to reach $482 billion by the end of…

January 12, 2022

Bloombites: Welcome to 2022!

Happy New Year! After a banner year in 2021, it’s exciting what could unfold in 2022. There’s certainly a lot of available…

January 12, 2022

Looking Ahead: Trends and Tips for Businesses Amid Pandemic Recovery in 2022

A new year is here and like 2021, 2022 will be shaped as businesses continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The…

December 10, 2021

Bloombites: The Downstream of Rivian IPO

While the ripples are still settling from the Rivian IPO, you may not have caught an additional local angle beyond Rivian being…

November 29, 2021

Technology Leads the New Frontier of Progressive Workplaces

Photo by Matilda Wormwood from Pexels Tech undoubtedly changed almost every aspect of the way businesses operate throughout the last 18 months.…

November 5, 2021

Shifting Work Environments Create Security Challenges: How to Prevent Cyber Attacks and Secure Email Protocols

The pandemic forced all businesses from the giant corporations to the smallest family-owned organizations to shift their operations from in-office to remote…

October 21, 2021

Bloombites: An OC Entrepreneur’s Journey | October 14, 2021

From collaboration between the Orange County and San Diego startup ecosystems, we’ve learned many things from each other and we’ve shared deal…

October 21, 2021

Bloombites: Cloud Building with Cox Edge | September 22, 2021

In response to the last Bloombites about Cox Edge, we’re hosting a Cloud Night virtual event to share learnings between other cloud…

September 9, 2021

Bloombites: Scale Your Startup with Cox Edge | September 9, 2021

We’ve been building tech communities for quite a few years now and 4 years ago Cox Business stepped up and asked how…

August 25, 2021

Bloombites: Celebrating OC’s Fast-Growing Companies | August 25, 2021

The latest Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies is out and 106 OC companies are on it. I dove deep into the data…

August 11, 2021

Bloombites: Celebrating OC Startup Success | August 11, 2021

It’s been a busy year for OC companies going public. With 12 companies that went public in 2021 so far, (three in…

July 27, 2021

Bloombites: Silent EV’s Making Noise in OC | July 28, 2021

Electric vehicles are making some real noise. Irvine-based Rivian just raised $2.5B more in funding from Ford Motors and Amazon, amongst other…

July 13, 2021

Bloombites: Inflow of Funding in Consumer Space | July 14, 2021

Summertime is seeing a steady flow of fundings, especially in the consumer space! B2C is even hotter now that hybrid life has become…

June 30, 2021

Bloombites: Welcoming the SB Tech Community | June 30, 2021

I’ve spent the last few years learning and sharing in tech communities. I’ve looked for other local leaders to share notes and…

June 16, 2021

Bloombites: Summer Economic Growth in OC | June 16, 2021

Summer is here, and it couldn’t come at a better time now that we are returning to some normalcy. While the economy…

June 4, 2021

Changing the World of Work: How the Cloud Can Give Businesses a Competitive “Edge”

The past year has seen a major transformation of the global workforce from brick-and-mortar to digital as many people have shifted to…

June 2, 2021

Bloombites: June Wins in the OC Ecosystem | June 2, 2021

Happy June! In another strong signal of our local software ecosystem, public analytics software maker Alteryx is launching a $50M venture fund.…

May 20, 2021

Bloombites: Join Us for Cybersecurity Night | May 20, 2021

The headlines have been full of ransomware hitting major companies, hospitals, and infrastructure. Due to today’s cyber climate, we have become numb…

May 4, 2021

Bloombites: Orange County Auto Scene and Space Tech News | May 4th, 2021

As we drive into May, I’m pretty pumped to see the auto scene alive, well and innovating in OC. While HAAS Motors…

April 28, 2021

Irvine-based Skyworks Solutions to Aquire Silicon Labs

Skyworks Solutions Inc., maker of analog semiconductors, announced plans to buy the Infrastructure and Automotive business of Silicon Laboratories Inc. for $2.75…

April 21, 2021

Bloombites: New Angel Investment Syndicate Interlock Capital | April 21, 2021

Well the cat is out of the bag and I can finally announce that I have launched an angel investment syndicate to…

March 31, 2021

Bloombites: Recent Stories in the Orange County Tech Ecosystem | March 31, 2021

“What are you working on, Neal?” I actually get this question multiple times per day. Read my blog post here to learn…

March 10, 2021

Bloombites: New Resources for OC Startups Available | March 10, 2021

The Orange County tech scene has serial entrepreneur Richard Sudek’s fingerprints all over it. From taking initiative at the multiple local universities…

February 17, 2021

Bloombites: Orange County Companies Going Public | February 17, 2021

Howdy all, I hope you’re having a good week. It is IPO city right now for OC companies! Between Viant, LoanDepot, Hancock…

February 15, 2021

Enevate Secures $81M for its Fast-Charging Electric Vehicle Battery Technology

Orange County-based Enevate, has secured a $81M Series E funding led by Fidelity. Enevate’s technology allows electric cars to charge in as…

February 11, 2021

Viant Raises $250 Million in IPO

Viant, an advertising software company that measures advertising across different platforms, allowing users to automate their advertisements. They priced 10 million shares…

February 3, 2021

Irvine-Based CoreLogic Receives a bid of $6.7 Billion

CoStar Group, who combines research, technology, and innovation to connect commercial real estate professionals to the necessary data, has submitted a bid…

February 1, 2021

Hyperice Acquires RecoverX

Hyperice has acquired RecoverX in preparation for the launch of a “new category of recovery technologies.” Hyperice is an Irvine-based company specializing…

January 29, 2021

Spotlight On Our Founder Neal Bloom

Neal Bloom, our Fresh Squeezed Tech founder, uses his media platforms to encourage connection across the Southern California business ecosystem. The engineer-turned-entrepreneur…

January 21, 2021

Bloombites: Local Growth In The EV Sector | January 21 , 2021

Hi all, we’ve talked a lot about how OC is playing a major role in EV adoption through new vehicle production and…

January 20, 2021

Investor Favorite Rivian Raises Another $2.6 Billion

Rivian, an electric-vehicle startup founded in 2009, has just raised another $2.6 billion in an investment round led by T. Rowe Price.…

December 16, 2020

Bloombites: Supporting Local Businesses into 2021 | 12/16/2020

Well, that’s a wrap. 2020 that is. Can’t say much more than what’s been said about the year as a whole, but…

December 2, 2020

Bloombites: Ending the Year Strong | 12/2/2020

Last month of this crazy year – we got this! Meanwhile, we’re all busy working away and expecting the internet to find…

December 1, 2020

Threat Assessment: Cox Business ups its Game on Cybersecurity During the Massive Shift to Work-From-Home

By Andrea Siedsma As the work-from-home (WFH) trend continues around the nation, cybersecurity incidents have also increased, including soaring phishing email rates…

November 11, 2020

Bloombites: Paving the Entrepreneurial Path for our Brave Veteran’s | 11/11/2020

Well another week, another rollercoaster of emotions. 2020 has sure given us that wild ride and it’s not over yet. With new…

October 28, 2020

Bloombites: Celebrating Women in Business and Startup Growth | 10/28/2020

Wow, a lot going on! Hoping everyone is safe and sound from the fires. If anyone needs anything, from sharing resources to…

October 14, 2020

Bloombites: Tech Growth in Orange County | 10/14/2020

As we roll deeper into fall, we are seeing the crunch time of feeling the end of the year already. While we’ll…

September 30, 2020

Bloombites: OC is Charging Up with Electric Vehicle Market Growth | 9/30/2020

Oh hello Q4. I hope you are waking up with as much of a hangover as I have from playing the presidential…

September 16, 2020

Bloombites: Getting busy after Labor Day | 9/16/2020

Hey OC friends! As I’m busy putting away all my white clothes after Labor Day, I’m excited to see all the funding…

September 2, 2020

Bloombites: New Fall Adventures in a Virtual Environment | 9/2/2020

Happy September! While summer is winding down, did we really get a summer break? Kids are going back to school but how…

September 1, 2020

Cox Business: Blazing a Trail in the Future of Work, Education and Healthcare During COVID-19 and Beyond

During the pandemic, many families have been juggling working from home while making sure their kids are on track with virtual learning.…

August 19, 2020

Talent in Orange County – 8/19/2020

A recent ranking of talent pools by CBRE showed Orange County in the top 25 across the country. 21st to be exact. While it’s nice…

July 8, 2020

Summer of Activity – 7/8/20

Hello July and hello summer of activity! I think you’ll see in this issue of the newsletter that things are heating up for…

June 30, 2020

Q2 2020 Acquisitions in Orange County

June 24: Newport Beach’s Planet DDS acquires Apteryx Imaging for $29M Brea-based Mullen Technologies to merge with Net Element June 10: Irvine-based Pacific Premier Bancorp purchases rival Opus…

June 29, 2020

Q2 2020 Funding in Orange County

June 24: Newport Beach’s Canterbury Consulting is raising $82M fund for new private equity opportunities Irvine’s YouAttest raises $700k in seed round led by CEO Garret…

June 24, 2020

Halfway Through 2020 – 6/24/20

Half of the craziest year is coming to an end. What’s in store for the 2nd half of 2020? I’d love to…

June 10, 2020

Turning Challenges into Opportunity – 06/10/20

It feels like 2020 just keeps throwing the challenges at us huh? With respect to the focus on police brutality towards the…

June 9, 2020

Orange County’s Science & Tech Community on the Front Lines of COVID-19 Innovation

By FST Staff Orange County’s science and tech community is rising to the occasion to help fight the new deadly coronavirus. Below is…

May 27, 2020

Tech and Entrepreneurship During COVID-19 – 5/27/20

Hey friends, As we continue to look at the impacts of Covid on our tech community, a lot of ideas come up…

May 13, 2020

OC Tech Community Pride – 5/12/20

Hi friends, how are you? Staying safe and sane? First, a continued thank you to our frontline workers, especially the moms and…

April 29, 2020

Community Support During a Crisis – 4/29/20

Hey friends, I hope you are doing ok. It’s incredibly inspiring to see companies and organizations continue to lean in and help…

April 15, 2020

COVID-19 Resources and Tech Coast Angels – 4/15/20

Hey friends, hope you are staying safe, healthy, and sane. All things considered, Orange County is doing incredibly well in terms of…

April 2, 2020

Regional Support for Local Businesses & Workers Impacted by COVID-19

Government agencies and organizations have launched a myriad of relief and support efforts for businesses and their employees who have been impacted…

April 1, 2020

Making the Most of Quarantine Time – 1/1/20

Hey friends, I hope you are staying safe and healthy. It’s been crazy huh? Are you finding new routines? I am getting…

March 18, 2020

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy – 3/18/20

Friends, first, I hope you are safe and keeping yourselves healthy. It’s a wild time but it’s also a time that hopefully…

March 4, 2020

COVID-19 and the Local Venture Capital Ecosystem – 3/4/20

Happy March! We’re in the thick of #covid_19, affecting the stock market, causing travel disruptions, conference cancellations, and more. Hoping everyone is feeling…

February 5, 2020

Cove Finishes Expansion and Y Combinator Visits OC – 2/5/20

Wow, February is here already and thank God. January was a whirlwind no? I’m still recovering from the loss of Kobe, to…

January 22, 2020

Distinguishing OC from LA – 1/22/20

Last newsletter , I ranted about OC being lumped into LA, and I have since learned why it’s so prevalent. MSAs, or Metropolitan…

January 10, 2020

Discovering the OC tech ecosystem – 1/10/20

Welcome back and into the new decade! I don’t mean to stir the pot right off the bat, but in a recent…

December 4, 2019

Irvine’s LAM has Raised $86M in 2019 – 12/4/19

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! It’s officially holiday party season and there’s a lot to celebrate locally. Check out all the…

November 20, 2019

UCI’s Waterborne Skateboards Partners with Australian Firm – 11/20/19

We’re nearing the end of the year and yet things keep heating up locally. UCI’s The Cove is opening up its new digs…

November 6, 2019

BotRide to Launch Autonomous Ride-hailing in Irvine – 11/6/19

I was recently honored to give some opening remarks at the OC Innovation Summit by 41Orange . I talked about innovation in building…

October 23, 2019

WeWork Signs Long Term 50k SF Lease in Newport Beach – 10/23/19

Happy Wednesday! What’s been fun over the last few months that I have been spending time in both Orange County and San…

October 9, 2019

Neuron EV Introduces New Line of Electric Utility Vehicles – 10/9/19

Hello Q4. Man that happened fast! As we fall forward, I would love to continue sharing people and resources I am meeting…

September 25, 2019

Irvine’s Anduril becomes Unicorn with +$1B Valuation – 9/25/19

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been taking time to build denser communities through our Founders Dinner and CTO Dinner series. Founders…

September 12, 2019

TCA OC Creating Their First Early Stage Fund – 9/12/19

Happy September! Lots of great news and events in this latest issue of the newsletter. A great trend worth spotlighting is the…

August 28, 2019

Fintech Startup Acorns is Raising More Celebrity Money – 8/28/19

Summer is almost over?! It feels like it with August coming to a quick end. But there’s a lot going on, especially…

August 7, 2019

Big City Tech Hub vs. Local Holistic Growth – 8/7/19

Happy August! I am back in the States after a great UK and Ireland trip. While there, I spent time getting to…

July 24, 2019

600 New Jobs from Epson And New Funding for Local Startups – 7/24/19

In OC, we are lucky to have an economy that brings many big tech and startup jobs. Between 600 new jobs from…

July 10, 2019

Salesforce has Partnered with the OC UnitedWay – 7/10/19

Happy July to you! It’s already the second half of the year and we have work to do. With the $63 billion acquisit…

June 26, 2019

Local VC Okapi Capital Invested in Crowdstrike IPO – 6/26/19

It’s been another great two weeks for both our startups and investors, including the Crowdstrike IPO which local VC Okapi Capital invested in.…

June 12, 2019

EvoNexus’s New Fintech Program – OC’s Fintech Experience in AI – 6/12/19

And just like that, it’s half way through the year! It’s getting hot out and so is the local capital with the…

May 29, 2019

Exciting Stuff Going On In OC – 5/29/19

I can’t believe it’s already almost June. The first half of this year has flown by, especially with so much exciting stuff…

May 15, 2019

Feel-Good Innovation And Honoring Local Female Business Leaders in OC – 5/15/19

In this week’s newsletter we share with you a wide range of stories, from feel-good innovation coming out of the nonprofit sector…

May 1, 2019

Inaugural Issue of Fresh Squeezed Tech – 5/1/19

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Fresh Squeezed Tech newsletter! We will be bringing you the latest news in the tech…