Tag Archives: SDSU

Forbes Ranks San Diego as #1 Startup Location in USA

Gaslamp District, San Diego

Gaslamp District, San Diego

If you live in San Diego like I do, this headline surprises you. San Diego, #1 startup location, really? Was there a mistake? If you live in Silicon Valley, you are probably saying the same thing as you wisp across a Fortune-500 tech campus on a Segway. Put your iPads down, folks, San Diego is trying to rid itself of the “sunshine discount” by creating a vibrant quality-of-life business community for boomers and millennials alike.

An article in Forbes earlier this month titled, The Best Places To Launch A Startup In 2014, gave SD startup gold using the following criteria:

  1. Small businesses as a percentage of total businesses.
  2. Percentage of small businesses that accept credit cards.
  3. Percentage of small businesses in high growth industries.
  4. Percentage of small businesses with Facebook pages and websites.
  5. Percentage of businesses with online reviews.

As a freelance consultant with more clients in Latin America than in San Diego, I often gripe about the need to have a more robust community here locally. I remember past conversations with friends and mentors where, after a trip to SXSW, I’d say, “Have you been to Austin lately? Now they are doing it right!”; or “Seattle is the place to be right now as a young entrepreneur.” Now, after reading this article, I am saying to myself, “There is a lot of good happening right here at home! Maybe I should check the surf a bit less and pay closer attention to the temperature of the SD business community.” Since my background is in international affairs, sustainable development, and corporate social responsibility there is a strong professional pull to Sacramento, San Francisco, DC,  New York, and (in my case) Rio de Janeiro. My goal is still to make San Diego my home base — which makes mom and dad happy up in Oceanside. For any young professional in San Diego, I believe patience and creativity on the professional front will provide big returns in the long run… and the timing is right.

Despite our Port, our proximity to the border with Mexico, our industries (defense, bio, tourism, beer making, renewables, etc), and our weather; I’d still say San Diego punches below its entrepreneurial weight. Yet, there is a real sense of a turning point. I remember when Nathan Fletcher was running for mayor after Hugs-Too-Much Filner got canned. Nathan proposed San Diego change its name to hint at something more innovative than America’s Finest City. “FINE” sounds like “ok”; but truth be told, we are doing exceptionally well.

America’s exceptional city is creating a gravitos thanks to organizations like CONNECT, CleanTECH San Diego, The San Diego Venture Group, CommNexus, UC San Diego, SDSU, and the list goes on. We’ve also got a pair of Fortune-500 HQs — Qualcomm and Sempra — as well as a benevolent global NGO called Project Concern International and a wonderful, community-focused institution called The San Diego Foundation. My favorite international environmental organization,  Citizens Climate Lobby, was founded and is headquartered here in Coronado Island just outside downtown San Diego. I volunteer for them about as much as I receive paid work for my clients, seriously.

(On a side note: I was saddened to see Nathan lose in his electoral bid for mayor, but am encouraged by what he did next: He took a trip to put it all behind him and got back to doing his innovative work for Qualcomm and UC San Diego.)

Here’s the list of other top cities:

  1. San Diego
  2. Denver
  3. Austin, TX
  4. Seattle
  5. Portland, OR
  6. San Francisco
  7. Dallas, TX
  8. Boston
  9. New York City
  10. Chicago

Well, that’s it for now. It’s 75 degrees and sunny. Time for a quick surf before I get back to work. Maybe I’ll see Craig Venter out in the water 😉

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#Green Week Ahead (May 07-13)

Hello everyone — I hope you had a festive Cinco de May weekend!

Here’s what I am planning to attend this week. If anyone has any additional events that they would like to share – this week or next – please feel free to comment.

Tues May 08

One of thousands of islands in Queensland, Australia.

On a personal note, I am excited to announce that I will be teaching a monthlong course on sustainability this summer for San Diego State University undergraduates. The course, as part of their study abroad program, will be conducted throughout Queensland, Australia. I will be giving a pre-departure orientation on this day as we prepare to explore, firsthand numerous socio-environmental issues, developing a new perspective regarding our relationship with the planet.

 

Wed May 09

CleanTECH Advocacy Meeting from 2-3:30pm.

David Victor

New Ways to Stop Global Warming from 5:15-7:00pm. Professor of Political Science and Climate Change Specialist, David Victor discusses how global warming is affecting our planet today. Professor Victor will explore strategies that would be more effective in addressing issues surrounding climate change. He recently authored a 2011 Economist Best Book – Global Warming Gridlock – and advises countries and companies regarding energy and climate policy.

Here’s an interview I did with Professor Victor while studying with him at UCSD. My Interview with David Victor.

 

“IF WE DO NOT CHANGE OUR DIRECTION WE ARE LIKELY TO END UP WHERE WE ARE HEADED” – Chinese Proverb

Green Week Ahead (Feb 27 – Mar 04)

It looks like this will be an entrepreneurial week for me, as our budding community of innovative businessmen and businesswomen convene for a couple cool events.

Here’s what I am planning to attend. If anyone has any additional events that they would like to share – this week or next – please feel free to comment!!!

Wed Feb 29

San Diego Tech Coffee from 9-10am at the Pannikin in Del Mar. The group’s organizer, Brant Cooper, says “The idea for this group is a ‘working’ meetup, i.e., not a networking event. Come share your ideas, talk ‘lean startup’ and ‘customer development’, demo products, etc., but also roll up your sleeves and get to work in a collegial, coffee-shop environment.”

Tech Coast Angels hosts Meet the Angels from 6-9pm.“Mintz Levin invites you to join us for Tech Coast Angels’ ‘Meet the Angels’, an incredible opportunity for private investors and entrepreneurs to connect. If you are a financier looking for an exceptional investment opportunity, or a startup company in need of capital to bring your idea to market, there is no better place to find it than at this exclusive meet and greet. Dozens of cutting-edge companies with great new ideas and products will be in attendance, and to make those products a reality, they are looking to the Angels. Especially in today’s economy, an event like this one–with unprecedented access to investors and entrepreneurs alike– is not to be missed.” Unfortunately, I believe registration is already closed and the event is full. For those of you not attending, I will be sharing interesting ideas and info via my twitter feed (@JarrodMRussell).

In a recent meeting with Duane Roth, CEO of Connect, we talked about many things. During our conversation, he took the time to explain the concept of dilution as it relates to shares in a young, fast-growing company. I am eager to talk shop and increase my start-up IQ this week. With our great universities and industry clusters (e.g. biotech, solar, etc.), one wonders when we will see an entrepreneurial and investment community that challenges Silicon Valley. Maybe it already does… and I just don’t know it yet. I look forward to finding out.

Thur Mar 01

I will be meeting with Jess Ponting, Director of SDSU’s Center for Surf Research. As a surfer with extensive travel in Latin America, Indonesia, and Africa, I believe in the Center’s Vision: “Surfing’s impact on the world is entirely positive. By incorporating principles of sustainable tourism, surf tourism promotes healthy lifestyles and is a key driver for the environmental, social/cultural, and economic well being of destinations.” Though I know my greenhouse gas emissions to get to these destinations is not positive, I like to think that the role I played as an ambassador to the sport and our country have positively impacted the communities I visited. Judging from his bio, Jess sounds like a great guy and — whether we are talking about where to find better barrels or how to build sustainable communities — I am sure we’ll have plenty of stories to exchange.