Recap of Startup San Diego's 1st Mondays at Sharp Prebys Innovation & Education Center

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Recap of StartupSD 1st Mondays powered by Logicboost Labs at Sharp Prebys Innovation & Education Center

Posted: September 13, 2024

By Ella Napata

On Monday, September 9th, Startup San Diego hosted its signature quarterly event, 1st Mondays powered by Logicboost Labs at the Sharp Prebys Innovation & Education Center (SPIEC). This edition brought together over 100 attendees, including MBA students from surrounding universities, recent graduates, founders, investors, community leaders, mentors, and others from the vibrant San Diego startup ecosystem. With an evening packed full of networking, insightful panel discussions, and delicious food, the event created an inspiring space for connecting and learning from some of the region’s top innovators.

“From Scratch to Scale” – Insights from Local Founders

The highlight of the evening was the expert panel, moderated by Eric Weiss, Founder of Chaos to Clarity and a Startup San Diego board member, with opening remarks presented by Startup San Diego’s board members Cheryl Goodman, CEO of FindGood.tech and Ping Wang, Founder of Ansir Innovation Center. The panel focused on the topic “From Scratch to Scale: Local Tech Founders’ Journey to 50 Paying Customers.” This insightful discussion dove into the journey of scaling a tech business, with real-world experiences shared by local founders who have successfully navigated the startup landscape.Hear what Community Members are saying about 1st Mondays

Panelists included:

Kelly Ko, PhD, VP of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives at Sharp Healthcare
Afif Khoury, CEO & Founder of SOCi, Inc.
Ryan Rusnak, CTO at Airspace
Christopher Zwickilton, Founder & CTO at Housecall Pro

Each panelist shared their unique challenges and milestones as they grew their companies from inception to securing their first 50 paying customers. The discussion covered everything from finding product-market fit to building a scalable customer acquisition strategy, and the importance of perseverance in the face of early obstacles. One key takeaway was how each founder had to be adaptable, leveraging local resources and networks to grow and evolve their businesses.

Hear What the Community Has to Say About the Event

View the Full 1st Mondays Panel ft. San Diego Startup Founders

Check out the Photos from 1st Mondays! Share with your Audience

Building Community Through Networking

Startup San Diego’s 1st Mondays powered by LogicBoost Labs at the Sharp Prebys Innovation & Education Center was a resounding success. The event brought together over 100 members of the local startup community, creating an environment that encouraged learning, growth, and collaboration. From the lively networking sessions to the invaluable insights shared by the expert panel, the evening was a testament to the power of community in driving innovation.

Special thanks to Sharp Innovation’s team for catering and making sure everything ran smoothly. As the night came to a close, attendees left with new connections, practical insights, and a renewed sense of inspiration to take their entrepreneurial journeys to the next level.

We look forward to seeing you at the next 1st Mondays event taking place in December and continuing to build a thriving startup ecosystem here in San Diego!