Tacos and Tech Podcast

Brook and Rema are co-founders of Cup O’ Sugar, a mobile app that allows neighbors to connect over sharing and requesting food ingredients. 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 industry. Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Chad Sweet is the co-founder and CEO of ModalAI, a tech company that provides autonomy solutions for robots, and more recently, drones. Tune in to hear about Chad’s journey as an entrepreneur in San Diego’s autonomous tech industry and get the scoop on his favorite taco spot in San Diego. Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Listen in as Startup San Diego Executive Director Alexa-Rae Navarro joins host Neal Bloom and guest co-host Amy Chang, entrepreneur and investor, to talk about the latest tech news. The episode kicks off with Alexa-Rae providing updates on Startup San Diego events and then goes into a discussion about local tech news [starting at 18:54]. Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego startup and tech ecosystem.

Darin Anderson is co-founder & CEO of NXT Robotics, a company that provides service robots to support increased security monitoring and alerting requirements. Tune in to hear about Darin’s journey as an entrepreneur in the tech and cybersecurity industries and get the scoop on his favorite taco spots, both across the border and in San Diego. Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Tune in to hear how siblings Teal and Tristan Cooper turned a midnight coffee craving into a successful startup. VendiBean’s sleek coffee vending machines can be found in various locations, like college campuses, hospitals, and offices. The duo also describe their recent hardships with the global health crisis and its effect on their business. Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

With the world upside in quarantine, serial entrepreneur Bobby’s local grocery delivery app is growing leaps and bounds. Hear how his entrepreneurial journey and upbringing has led him to having a helpful business in the middle of the COVID-19 Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Listen in as Brittany and our host, Neal, discuss current happenings in the local tech scene (starting at 16:30) and learn about Brittany’s backstory. Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego startup and tech ecosystem.

Lou Cooperhouse is CEO of BlueNalu, a startup that’s creating seafood directly from fish cells, a sustainable, ethical, and tasty alternative to traditional seafood. Listen in to hear about Lou’s prosperous career in the food industry. Also learn why cell-based seafood is looking to be a big player in the future of food and how San Diego is at the perfect spot to be a major center for this industry. Thanks to our partners Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Gina Jacobs is the program manager of the San Diego International Airport (SAN) Innovation Lab, a program that works with startups innovating in the airport industry. Listen in to hear about Gina’s experience running the SAN Innovation Lab, as well as her favorite taco spots. Investor Amy Chang joins the chat. Thanks to our partners Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Steve Beck is a managing partner at Serra Ventures, an early-stage venture fund focused on IT and agtech. The Illinois-founded fund has about 85 portfolio companies. Listen in to hear about Steve’s journey from entrepreneurship to church founder, investor, and avid mountain biker. Al Bsharah and Amy Chang join in for a fun group chat. Thanks to our partners Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Amy Chang is an entrepreneur, angel investor, and healthcare analyst. Listen in to learn about her 14-year run at AMN Healthcare and how she made the transition into angel investing, as well as her favorite taco spot. Thanks to our partners Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Mike Krenn is the President & CEO of Connect w/ SDVG, which elevates innovators and entrepreneurs throughout their growth journey. Listen in to hear how Mike Krenn got his start being involved in the local tech scene, what he’s currently doing at Connect w/ SDVG, and get the scoop on his favorite local tacos. Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego startup and tech ecosystem.

Pulkit Agrawal is the CEO and Co-Founder of The 5th Ingredient, a software startup that has developed a platform that breweries can use to track their data from grain to glass. Listen in to hear how Pulkit went from starting his career at Ballast Point to founding The 5th Ingredient, and get the scoop on his favorite local tacos. Thanks to our partners Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Maritza Diaz is the CEO of ITJuana, a startup that enables companies to create software centers of excellence in Tijuana. 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 Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.

Al Bsharah is VP of Product Operations at Seismic, a sales enablement platform. The show is also joined by Amy Chang, CEO of Delta Nutrassentials. Neal, Al, and Amy are all members of Tech Coast Angels, which will give you an investor perspective of the San Diego tech scene in this episode. Thanks to our partners at Cox Business for their support in enabling us to grow the San Diego ecosystem.