The Downtown San Diego Partnership partnered with Congressman Scott Peters to convene entrepreneurs, investors, and startup pioneers to raise awareness of the growing tech startup ecosystem in downtown San Diego. The gathering, held on “Startup Day Across America”, was an opportunity for the attendees to share their experiences, opportunities, and challenges facing the San Diego startup community.
During the ceremony, Congressman Scott Peters emphasized the need for elected authorities and stakeholders to work hand in hand with the startup community to address San Diego's challenges and opportunities. One of the high-points of the event was the interactive panel session, held at Classy, that addressed the opportunities and challenges relating to the San Diego startup ecosystem.
The Downtown Partnership’s 40-member Tech Startup Committee will use the feedback and thoughts from the town hall meeting to create a stronger recruitment and retention strategy that focuses more on attracting talent and businesses to Downtown San Diego, as well as showcase the opportunities that abound for startups in the region.
San Diego, with its sunny disposition and highly educated populace, has attracted more than thirty companies from various industries to Downtown within the last 18 months. Elected officials and stakeholders are constantly seeking ways to attract more companies and startups to San Diego.
The priorities and feedback which were discussed during the event included the establishment of an online forum where startup successes can be shared beyond San Diego; the development of a manual that connects potential investors with San Diego startups, encouraging them to invest locally; and the creation of a direct line between local universities and Downtown startups to attract, retain and train burgeoning talent.
Representatives from companies present at the meeting included Melani Gordon, CEO, and co-founder of TapHunter, Chester Ng, Co-founder of SweetLabs, and Jarrod Russell, Director of Public Affairs with Underground Elephant. These entrepreneurs discussed the strengths and opportunities of the San Diego startup ecosystem and how it positively affects the emerging technologies sector. Ettiene DeBruin of 7CTO's was also present at the event.
Additionally, the Downtown San Diego Partnership's 20-year vision plan called Imagine Downtown shows its commitment to supporting its thriving startup community. Downtown Partnership President and CEO, Kris Michell, voiced the importance of Startup Day Across America to raise awareness of the critical role that startups play in the region's economy, as well as an opportunity to advocate for resources needed to grow the tech cluster.
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