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 create an additional 2.6 jobs to our regional economy. It’s never been more important that we all do our part.
Not only did we surpass 2019 investment levels — we #crushedit.
Five years ago, SD companies raised $1.4B.
2019 brought in $3.4B.
In 2020, our companies raised a whopping $4.66 billion.
It’s a phenomenal testament to the strength of San Diego, and the breadth of our tech and lifesci communities.
Be proud… but only for a moment. We’ve got more to do.
Check out all the companies and who have raised money — on the coolest table on the web: connect.org/fundings
While our life sciences and biotech innovation here has been renowned in venture capital communities for years, tech has had a more challenging time breaking out. That, however, has officially changed.
VCs are calling. They’re ticked they missed out on Cloudbeds, or Flock Freight, or GoSite. Or Seismic, Ecwid, Kandji, Clickup, and so on. And indeed we love our amazing lifesci companies — Ambrx, Prometheus, BioAtla, Velos, Truvian, Cue, Erasca and sooo many more… Those are just some of the companies that raised money in 2020, and it doesn’t include the stealth co’s we love!
The team at Connect is fired up for 2021. We have some big plans we’re embarking on — big ideas to a make macro impact across the community. We absolutely will continue our efforts in the trenches (it’s what we do!), helping individual companies, working with mentors, and hounding VCs. But big picture, we are very much here to help build an enduring, well-conceived regional community, with innovation as a driving force to empower economic opportunity — for all from TJ to North County. One year, three years, 10 years… we are pushing. We’re here to make a generational impact.
Come join us. We dig you! Be kind, stay scrappy,
And think big in 2021!
— Mike & the Connect team