Get To Know Connect's Strategic Inclusion DirectorSince the moment I started working with the entrepreneurship community, I knew this was more than a passion - it was my calling. These past ten years in San Diego have only confirmed those feelings. I received my...
Connect Blog
Meet The Connect Team: Matt Kroe
Get To Know Connect's Capital Programs Manager My name is Matt Kroe and I’ve been working at Connect for just about four years now. I joined the Connect team in early 2018 during the last semester of my Statistics degree at San Diego State University. I have worked...
The SD 500: Connect’s Leaders Are Gamechangers
Connect congratulates all of this year's cohort of The SD 500. Each year, The San Diego Business Journal puts together their list of the 500 most influential business leaders from around the region. We're excited and grateful to be able to highlight the sixteen...
The Impact of Local Innovation on San Diego County
Editorial by Matt KroeIn 2020, San Diego’s innovation economy directly generated more than $69 Billion in Sales, employed more than 164,000 workers, and provided over $23 Billion in payrolls. The direct economic contribution of the innovation economy to San Diego’s...
Highlights from SCEIN Partner: Cleantech San Diego
The Southern California Energy Innovation Network (SCEIN) is a free program for startups that are developing solutions to help California meet its energy goals. The program provides access to the resources and facilities of a number of regional partner organizations...
Venture Update — Editorial by Matt Kroe
Breaking Records Year After YearOur San Diego startup ecosystem continues to break venture capital records with investment into San Diego County already outpacing all of 2020 by over $2.6B, with two months still left in the year. In total, San Diego County companies...
SBIR@Connect: Ready to Apply?
Want to propose a solution to an SBIR/STTR topic but don’t know how? SBIR@Connect is here to help! The 21.3/C cycle, the third BAA cycle of this year, Opens for proposals September 21st, consisting of three Navy topics, two of which belong to NAVWAR. The DoD has a...
Connect’s International Springboard Program with Yokohama, Japan
San Diego's first Sister City was with the City of Yokohama, Japan, starting in 1957. Together, over the ensuing 60 years, San Diego and Yokohama have continued to promote and strengthen the friendship and economic development of both regions. Most recently Yokohama...
SBIR@Connect: Navy Primer
Starting the journey to work with the government can initially seem overwhelming and confusing, but SBIR@Connect is here to help. Below are some helpful tips to understanding the Navy domain. Tip 1 - Understand Function and RelevanceThe Department of Navy (DoN) is one...
SBIR@Connect: Topics are Open!
The time to submit your proposal is now!The 21.2/B SBIR/STTR topics are openThe Open period has begun, May 19th, 2021. The Navy’s 21.2/B cycle has a total of 39 traditional SBIR topics, and 3 Direct to Phase II topics. To take a look at the Navy topics and start...
Announcing the 2021 Cool Companies
SAN DIEGO — Connect announces the 32 top-tier innovation companies to present to venture firms across the country Cool Companies is an annual Connect program designed to match San Diego’s top-performing technology and life science startups with quality venture capital...
Cool Companies of 2021
Since 2015, Cool Companies have raised over $718M (just in Series A)Thank you to the Cool Companies 2021 Sponsors Announcing the Cool Companies of 2021! Every year we gather applications from tech and lifesci startup companies around the region and select around 30 to...
Topics are Out! What You Need to Know from SBIR@Connect
Committed to our mission of helping innovative companies thrive so they can make a meaningful impact in the development of San Diego, Connect has partnered with the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, NIWC Pac, under Naval Information Systems Warfare Systems...
Q1 Roundup — Editorial by Matt Kroe
San Diego is on a roll! After finishing 2020 by raising a record high of over $4.9 Billion, San Diego startups have closed the first quarter of 2021 by raising a blistering $2.4 Billion. This total is doubly impressive when considering that just a few years ago, San...
2021 Q1 – Fundings Report
Venture Capital is coming into San Diego at a record pace, with quarter one of 2021 coming to $2.42B ($3.5B if you include M&As). Companies we've worked with, who raised this quarter include: CommSafe Ai — 2020 Cool Company Coursekey — 2016, '17, '19 Cool Company...
2020 in Review & Venture Outlook Ahead — Editorial by Matt Kroe
Well, 2020 was… something.One thing that 2020 brought us here in San Diego was an absolutely phenomenal influx of venture capital funding. In just a few short years, San Diego county has matured from a metropolitan area that raised less than $2B in 2017 to one that...
Making a Macro Impact
Dear friends, Thank you for all those little extra things you did in 2020, and will continue to do to make our community a better place. Our innovation economy continues to contribute to San Diego’s overall health. It’s worth noting — each innovation job helps to...
The Path Forward from Biocom
Biocom has just released The Path Forward 2.0, the Return to Work Guide for California's Life Sciences industry. The community has come together to provide comprehensive best practices for the workplace, current vaccinations and up-to-date CDC guidelines. Access the...
Connect’s International Springboard Program with Yokohama, Japan
On October 27th, three different companies will demonstrate the results of their hard work in the mentoring program while presenting their innovative technologies and products to investors, potential partners, and everyone interested.Past EventThe City of Yokohama,...
2019 San Diego Innovation Report Editorial
As this year winds to a close and we have a full picture of last year’s innovation data through the 2019 San Diego Innovation Report, it’s fair to say that 2019 was a big year for San Diego. San Diego county, in 2019, recorded the highest total money invested in by...