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Is it OK to start networking again in San Diego? Coffee, events and all things in-person

Print It’s been 13 months since I last met a source for coffee in person. That is, until last week when I nervously waited on the LeStat’s patio in Normal Heights for an acquaintance to arrive. Coffee meetups and networking events were once the lifeblood of my career. If I wasn’t in the newsroom, there was a good chance I was across the street chatting with a source amidst the buzz of downtown. But you know the drill. Pandemic. Goodbye, hearty handshakes and awkward hugs with acquaintances, and hello Zoom. Now, in a post-vaccine world, I’m curious if professionals who once relied on networking to do their jobs are dipping their toes back into the social business world.

San Diego startups pull in near-record $2.4 billion in venture capital funds in first quarter

Politics Report: Hotel Tax Hike Just Wants Life — Voice of San Diego

San Diego startup SOCi nets $80 million as venture capital continues to flow for local firms

Coming off a record year in 2020, San Diego startups continue to pull in large investments from venture capitalists so far this year. The latest is SOCi, which said Thursday that it has raised $80 million in a fourth round of venture funding. SOCi makes software that helps national brands with many locations, such as Ace Hardware, Anytime Fitness and Nekter Juice Bar, to localize marketing campaigns to individual stores. For SOCi, the latest funding eclipses the roughly $35 million that it raised in total since it was founded in 2012. The company plans to use the funds to innovate, boost sales and explore acquisitions.

San Diego startups end 2020 on a high note, raising a record $6.1B in venture capital

Print Fueled by a barrage of big deals late in the year, San Diego startups raised a record $6.1 billion in venture capital in 2020, despite headwinds from the COVID-19 pandemic. The gains came largely from biotechnology/life science companies, which saw a flood of investments related to the pandemic. But there was also solid fundraising from software, autonomous driving, logistics and other technology firms. “I thought after we hit $3.4 billion (in 2019,) if we could replicate that, great,” said Mike Krenn, head of Connect/San Diego Venture Group. “Then COVID hits, and we still crushed it, which is crazy.” The National Venture Capital Association and PitchBook, a research firm that tracks venture capital, had local startups raising $6.1 billion last year, compared with $3.35 billion in 2019.