The fastest-growing, most exciting startups in Southern California
Cool Companies is Connect’s annual capital program designed to match San Diego’s top-performing technology and life sciences startups, ready to raise Series A, with quality venture capital.
Network in-person with 150+ vetted VCs and receive strategic introductions year-round.
Access San Diego’s premier network of entrepreneurs and trailblazers.
Receive guidance from top-tier advisors for all business needs.
Gain public recognition as one of Southern California’s most exciting startups.
Showcase at top venues in San Diego.
The program operates on a calendar year schedule, running from January to December.
Interested in applying? Sign up to be the first to know when applications open.
The goal of Cool Companies is to help elevate the stature of our local innovation economy. While there have been Cool Companies selected from Utah, Arizona, and even Mexico, the bar is admittedly a little higher for companies outside of Southern California.
We want to get to know you and better understand your business so that we can find the right investors, partners, and supporters for you and your team. There will be mandatory events, advising sessions, and regular touch points throughout the year. You can look forward to a world-class investor networking event, a peer-to-peer networking event, a public showcase, and opportunities to speak with industry experts.
Throughout the year, we keep in touch with hundreds of VCs across the country and a few from around the world. This yearly selection of companies helps us stay up-to-date with what’s on the rise in San Diego so that we can share SD’s best and brightest with investors everywhere.
Our generous sponsors and grantors enable our nonprofit to provide free and subsidized resources to entrepreneurs like you. So if you have a chance, thank a Cool Company sponsor—Perkins Coie, Marsh McLennan, Banc of California, Procopio, and Stifel—for providing fiscal and industry support at a time when it is needed more than ever.
We are an official Small Business Development Center (SBDC), allowing us to offer services for free to startup businesses, and part of the San Diego & Imperial SBDC Network. We are funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the US Small Business Administration and in part through a grant with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.
There is no “grading system.” We believe it’s both art and science. Do you need to have key metrics? Of course, but every company is different, with varying industries, markets, stages of development, and management. We do our best to select companies across multiple verticals that we believe will be of interest to VCs.
We still want to help! If you’re not at the right stage for Cool Companies, we have other programs to help get your company there. Check out our year-round Springboard program, our workshop and educational series called Frameworks, and Office Hours for free one-on-one assistance.
Many Cool Companies are not selected the first year they apply. We still want to get to know you. We regularly help companies at various stages of growth with more than just connections to capital.
You only get to make a first impression with a VC once, and we want you to be ready for that meeting.
To learn more about the Cool Companies program, contact Program Manager, Matt Alamo.
