When San Diego Startup Week first came to Carlsbad in 2022, the conference was held in an abandoned auto garage on State street. Even though the space was tight, the team completely renovated the area to accommodate more than 30+ exhibitors, 300+ attendees, and 25+ speakers for the kick-off event. Fast forward to this past Monday, October 23rd, 2023, San Diego Startup Week completely took over Carlsbad Village! We closed down Christiansen Way to host over 50+ exhibitors featuring startups from North and South Counties, 500+ attendees, hosted panels in the New Village Arts Theater and filled the entire Carlsbad Village Theater with startup enthusiasts for the Vuori Story keynote.
This past Monday was an absolutely monumental event in Startup Week history! Not only did we highlight the startup scene in North County, but we also got to spotlight the founders who are building stellar startups and inspiring entrepreneurs and future founders. A huge shout out to our day sponsors, The City of Carlsbad and Aleph One, for helping make day one of SDSW unforgettable for the community!
Building Startups, Brands, and Ecosystems in North County
The programming for Day One of San Diego Startup Week focused on Celebrating the Creative Coast, which meant celebrating companies, founders, startups leaders, creators, designers, and entrepreneurs that were creating impactful solutions while also growing the local economy.
The featured panels and speakers included:
“Built in North County,” moderated by Jennifer Schoeneck, Deputy Director of Economic Development, City of Escondido
Panelists:
- Todd Harris, Founder & CEO at Tyra Biosciences
- D’ontra Hughes, Founder & CEO at Spare
- Sandra Carter, Founder at M2 Ingredients OM Mushrooms Superfood
- Sashee Chandran, Founder & CEO at Tea Drops
“Building the Startup Ecosystem,” moderated by Maisha Cobb, Startup San Diego Board Member & Founder
Panelists:
- Kimberly Davis King, Director at StartR at UCSD Rady School of Management
- David Graham, Chief Innovation Officer at the City of Carlsbad
- Paul OrlandoPaul Orlando, Director of USC Incubator Program
“Building the Brand,” Bob Rief, Executive Director at San Diego Sports Innovators
Panelists:
- Brianna Showell, VP of Marketing at prAna
- Ronan Galvin, Co-Founder of Sunday Golf
- Mike MateyMike Matey , VP of Sales at Reef
These panels touched on a variety of topics, from strategies to best practices, and leaned into the power of community, innovation, and creativity in order to help their startups succeed.
The Vuori Story Featuring Joe Kudla, Founder & CEO
We ended the programming at the Carlsbad Village Theater with an inspiring keynote from Vuori Founder and CEO Joe Kudla. Joe told his whole journey from graduating college, being a CPA, traveling as a model, failing with two previous apparel businesses, and building Vuori from the ground up. The entire keynote will be uploaded on our Youtube Channel this week, so make sure to subscribe.
Simple Custom Wild: The Guide For Non-Technical Entrepreneurs On How To Build Tech Products
With programming done, the crowd headed back to New Village Arts for the official Kick-off remarks and the book launch of Simple Custom Wild: The guide for non-technical entrepreneurs on how to build tech products by Stanislav Synko.
This is more than just a book, it’s an accessible gateway into the tech world, curated from Stanislav’s wealth of knowledge and experience, especially for those without a technical background.
Through this book, you’ll discover how to:
- Classify your startup idea as Simple, Custom, or Wild to pursue optimal tech strategies
- Avoid over-engineering or under-delivering on your product’s technology
- Determine when you need a technical co-founder vs outsourcing development
- Transition your product smoothly as it evolves from Simple to Wild
- Make smart decisions about APIs, blockchain, AI, and other emerging tech
- Choose the best mix of tools and platforms for your product
- Manage technical debt and prevent your platform from breaking
- Scale your startup’s tech smoothly as you grow
The book is now available on Amazon. If you would like to read more, you can check out the first chapter for free here.
“Outstanding programming and event management for #SDSW2023 in our hometown of Carlsbad for “Creative Coast” Day. Thank You to the City of Carlsbad for venue (and parking!) management; It was super, without a hitch. Awesome food and beverages from the local Carlsbad Village merchants loved the expo hall and the local NCSD entrepreneurs on the panels: Todd Harris from Tyra Biosciences, D’ontra Hughes from Spare, Sandra Carter from Om Mushroom Superfood, Sashee Chandran from Tea Drops. Jennifer Schoeneck was an excellent moderator; no one else better to do that moderator job than her.
“We were thrilled to welcome over 400 attendees to the kickoff of San Diego Startup Week in Carlsbad. The energy was palpable, with enlightening panels, inspiring speakers, and a dynamic showcase of startups. This event not only highlighted the growing entrepreneurial spirit in North County but also underscored the importance of fostering such activities to strengthen our local ecosystem. The turnout and engagement demonstrate the vibrant future we envision for our North County startup community. The City of Carlsbad was proud to play a role in this journey and looks forward to the continued growth and innovation throughout our region.” – 
