September 30, 2020
THE FRESH SQUEEZE

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BLOOMBITES

Oh hello Q4. I hope you are waking up with as much of a hangover as I have from playing the presidential debate drinking game. (You can't really lose that way.)

One of the interesting trends we've been watching in OC is the rapid growth of the electric vehicle (EV) market. From what has been a slow build from GM's EV1 of the 90's to California policy forcing only new electric vehicle sales by 2035, we're going to see a lot of growth of an entire ecosystem.

First, three big vehicle makers are now in Orange County with Rivian, Fisker, Karma in addition to battery maker Enevate. All of these will benefit from the talent of LA's makers Tesla, Proterra, BYD, Romeo Power, XOS, and San Diego's TransPower. The charging infrastructure is what is needed to grow and local charger maker Noodoe is growing with demand. What other parts of this industry are growing locally? Know of a startup in this space that we should be featuring? I'm excited for these big opportunities coming.

Speaking of excited, I got to sit down with Carey Ranson on the Accelerate OC podcast recently and we nerded out over early stage startups and building the community that fosters them. Listen in and let us know where you want to jump in and help.

Also great to see two new early stage financings with Violux and Vertanza, both getting funding from local investors as well. Congrats and let's go!

Cheers,
Neal
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Local Podcast - Accelerate OC
Listen to Carey Ransom interview our own Neal Bloom, CEO of Rising Tide Partners and founder of Fresh Squeezed Tech.
ORANGE COUNTY TECH ECOSYSTEM NEWS

California to ban sales of gasoline-powered cars by 2035 due to new order by Gov. Newsom

Irvine's Karma Automotive plans to launch GS Series of more broadly accessible luxury electric cars in 2021 & partners with AYRO on EV production

Irvine's Enevate boasts over 300 patents in battery tech for electric vehicles

Tustin's Zigzy announces virtual open house app Townify for realtors

First virtual event for Women in Technology at UCI sees over 240 attendees

UCI Beall's support of entrepreneurs in the Applied Innovation program creates real-world impact

Mike Morhaime, cofounder of gaming giant Blizzard, based in Irvine, launches new gaming startup Dreamhaven

Huntington Beach-based Rocket Lab announces plans to explore Venus

Fountain Valley-based HyperX launches new USB microphone for streamers, podcasters and work from home professionals
NEW FUNDS

Newport Beach's L Squared Capital closes new fund at over $500M for investments in edtech, services and software, and industrial technology
DEALS

Violux of Irvine nets $1.2M in seed funding for UV light disinfection technology led by Okapi Venture Partners

Virtanza of Laguna Beach announces $1M in seed round funding

Irvine's QOS Networks announces a significant growth investment from M/C Partners for undisclosed terms

YAPI, with office in Newport Beach, secures growth investment from M33 Growth for undisclosed terms
ACQUISITIONS

Greenfield Groves of Irvine to acquire telehealth software platform from Healthcare Technologies LLC for undisclosed terms
ONLINE EVENTS & DEADLINES
EvoNexus Orange County is accepting applications from deep tech, life science, and fintech startups, Open Deadline

Pismo Ventures National Venture Plan Competition; registration deadline September 27

OCBJ Innovator of the Year Awards, September 24

VC Speaker Series with Ankona Capital featuring Brian Mesic, October 2

UCI Esports Conference: Where Research Meets Practice, October 8-9

Ignite Series: How to Safely Reopen with CA's New COVID-19 Guidance for Employers, October 14

Ignite Series: A Fireside Chat with Founder of Domain 6 and RSM, October 16

2nd Annual Women Talk Tech Conference, October 15 - November 5

Road to Reinvention 2020 Virtual Conference, October 15

Ignite Series: A Fireside Chat with Lucy Dunn and Bill Carpou of Octane, November 12

Aesthetics Technology Summit 2021, January 8
JOBS SPOTLIGHT
Customer Success Manager, Refersion (Costa Mesa)

Client Success Specialist, Arize (Anaheim)

Customer Success Manager - WorkSpace, ASG (Newport Beach)

Senior Product Manager, Auction.com (Irvine)

Product Manager, Zigzy (Myford)

CRM Developer, Modis (Cypress)

Lead Senior Software Developer, Iteris (Santa Ana)

Major Market Sales Representative, Ceridian (Orange)

Business Development Manager, Solugenix (Yorba Linda)

Enterprise Client Success Manager, Listrak (Newport Beach)
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