Tacos And Tech Podcast

Episode Summary: In this episode of the, Neal Bloom chats with Jesse Taylor, Senior Manager of Identity and Middleware Services at UNLV. Jesse shares his journey from early exposure to technology with Atari and Apple II to becoming a technical leader in higher education. They discuss the evolution of technology, the role of AI in augmenting human capabilities, and Jesse’s approach to authentic leadership and team development. Jesse also highlights his work in identity management at UNLV, his involvement in the Las Vegas tech community, and his recognition as a Top Tech Vegas award recipient. Key Topics Discussed: The evolution of technology in education and hospitality sectors AI as a tool for enhancing human capabilities Leadership strategies for building and supporting high-performing teams The importance of workforce development and apprenticeships in tech The Las Vegas tech ecosystem and connections with San Diego Links & Resources: UNLV’s identity and middleware services Society for Infor

Dive into San Diego's evolving product management landscape with Vidya Dinamani as she announces the inaugural Product Management Summit. Learn how the local tech ecosystem has matured and why bringing world-class product leadership to San Diego matters. Key Topics: • San Diego Product Management Summit (June 5-6) • Evolution from Intuit leadership to Product Rebels • Building Product Tank's 2,500+ member community • Customer-centric product development methodologies • San Diego's maturing tech ecosystem   Links & Resources: Product Management Summit Product Rebeles   Connect with Vidya: LinkedIn: Vidya Dinamani Connect with Neal: LinkedIn: Neal Bloom Twitter: @NealBloom

Applications are open for the next accelerator program! In this episode, Neal Bloom chats with Misti Cain, the new Managing Director of Techstars San Diego powered by SDSU. They discuss the upcoming Year 3 of the program, the application process, and what makes an ideal founder and company for the accelerator. Misty shares insights into the benefits of the SDSU partnership, the updated investment terms, and the importance of community and mentorship in the Techstars ecosystem. Key Topics: - Introduction of Misty Cain as the new Managing Director - Overview of Techstars San Diego powered by SDSU Year 3 - Application details: Open from April 8 to June 11, 2024 - Ideal founder and company profile - Benefits of the SDSU partnership - Updated investment terms: $220,000 total with $200,000 uncapped MFN safe - Importance of community and mentorship - Shoutout to Ryan Kuder for his contributions to Techstars in San Diego - Misty's favorite taco spot: Puesto in Del Mar   Links and Resources: - Techstars San Diego powe

How a third-generation builder turned a storage-unit startup into a national infrastructure powerhouse—and what’s next for tech’s invisible backbone. Floyd Auten, COO and co-founder of TechNet Partners, joins Neal for an episode that digs deep into the literal and figurative foundations of tech. From punchdowns in high school to powering stadiums and data centers across the country, Floyd shares how his family legacy in electrical work turned into a career designing the infrastructure that keeps the digital world running. They talk about life safety systems, the rise of AI tools in design, the Padres’ Wi-Fi network, and how Floyd’s team at TechNet is scaling services across all 50 states. Floyd also shares what it meant to win the Top Tech Award in 2024—and why he’s excited to help spotlight other behind-the-scenes innovators this year.

Meet Jeff Fenster, a serial entrepreneur, problem solver, and relationship builder who’s scaled multiple businesses by identifying problems worth solving - and assembling the right team to tackle them. Inspired early on by A Shark Never Sleeps, Jeff set out to become a sports agent, only to pivot right after law school and dive into entrepreneurship. His first venture began with a bold move - calling his employer’s bluff and walking out to start his own company, only to face a major hiccup when payroll checks were accidentally sent to clients. Through trial, error, and big wins, Jeff has honed his entrepreneurial philosophy: “If you can live in your greatness, success is guaranteed.” That philosophy was put to the test when he dreamed up what would become Everbowl. Despite critics pointing out he wasn’t a chef - and that most restaurants fail - Jeff saw the opportunity. Why? Because business owners, not chefs, build successful restaurant brands. From that insight, he coined: “Experience is the most overrated

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech, the Tacos and Tech Podcast, and Interlock Capital. My co-hosts in this episode is Fred Grier, journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. April 4, 2025 Padres 7-0, Dodgers 8-0 in their starts Fred’s Q1 report Class of 2025 Cool Companies Fundings: Thatch AI Global M&A data Red markets because of tariffs Qualcomm acquisition news: Acquires Gen AI company & rumored to be considering acquiring UK semiconductor company Cymbiotika ranks 10 fast-growing companies Leadership changes Blender CEO Steps up Shield AI New CEO   Curated Events List – For full list – check The Social Coyote 1st Mondays SSD April 7 1 Million Cups April 16 Connect Summer Social June 3

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. Join us for a roundtable with three longtime builders of San Diego’s startup scene: Jonah Peake of The Social Coyote and The Career Coyote Hussein Yahfoufi of Startup Beach Neal Bloom of Fresh Brewed Tech and Interlock Capital Designing Events That Actually Build Community In this episode, we dive into the elements that actually make an event meaningful—from location and check-in experience to dress code and follow-up community building. We also talk about the growing energy around co-working gatherings and the potential for turning pop-up events into permanent spaces that foster connection, creativity, and collisions.

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News!  I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech, the Tacos and Tech Podcast, and Interlock Capital. My co-hosts in this episode is Fred Grier, journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter.  3/27 We recorded this week’s pod live on LinkedIn Live here. What did you think? Neal speaking at Escondido City Council in support of the new AgX Hub NCAA update Pura Vida sold for $1m 23&Me bankruptcy Events.com buying spree Natalie Rocha leaving the UT for NYT Fellowship Entos Pharmaceuticals Expands in Canada Natilus 250,000 sq. ft. facility   Curated Events List – For full list – check The Social Coyote Marching Mingle - March 26 StartupSD Co Working Day - March 28 Bootstrappers Event April 1  

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech, the Tacos and Tech Podcast, and Interlock Capital. My co-hosts in this episode is Fred Grier, journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. Follow Fred on LinkedIn and X Follow Neal on LinkedIn and X On with the show!   3/20 UCSD/SDSU Basketball in the brackets! Exits: Gretel acquired by NVIDIA Wiz acquired by Google Poppi acquired by Pepsi ServiceNow - made an acquisition Fundings: Trust & Will Series C Occuspace Raises $6M   Tiderock AI   Curated Events List – For full list – check The Social Coyote Dev & Data Night x CTO Talks - March 20 SD Startup Mixer - March 24 SD Hardware Meetup - March 25 Marching Mingle - March 26

  Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech, the Tacos and Tech Podcast, and Interlock Capital. My co-hosts in this episode is Fred Grier, journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter.   In this episode we talk about: Top Funding and Ecosystem News from Fred’s Business of San Diego newsletter San Diego publicly traded life science companies had a 86% increase performance in 2024 compared to 10-20% in SF & Boston - Fred’s post about this Recent fundraises First IPO in SD of 2025! Acquisitions New venture fund from the Prebys Foundation and leadership changes at Connect   Curated Events List – For full list – check The Social Coyote Debrief - defense tech dinner & pre-sneak of San Diego Defense Day Founder Build Days on March 19 &a

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. In Part Two of this roundtable discussion, we go deeper into why tech ecosystem builders Jonah Peake of The Social Coyote and The Career Coyote and Hussein Yahfoufi of Startup Beach, are building their platforms. We discuss their founder journeys, the problems they each saw worth solving, and how the local startup ecosystem looks different—and better—thanks to their solutions. Highlights: Celebrating The Career Coyote’s exciting milestone: the platform's first successful job placement and its first unsubscribe (a true marker of success!). How the "Coyote Super Pack" is making networking events more impactful and intentional. Why community-focused platforms, like Startup Beach and The Social Coyote, are crucial for founders, job seekers, and investors to thrive. Upcoming Events Mentioned: February’s North County Mixer - Feb 26 Pack of One: Solopreneurs, Remote from HQ, and Han-Solos - March 6 March SD Founders Hike - March 7   He

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. In this special roundtable episode, we dive into the power of in-person events in building and strengthening the San Diego startup ecosystem. I’m joined by two of my ecosystem-building besties: Jonah Peake of The Social Coyote and The Career Coyote and Hussein Yahfoufi of Startup Beach. Together, we discuss why community-driven events are essential, how they fuel startup growth, and what it takes to build a thriving local network. Jonah Peake has been a driving force in centralizing and curating San Diego’s startup events through his Social Coyote newsletter. His passion for making connections easy has led him to compile the “Who You Need to Know in San Diego” list and build a resource hub for founders, job seekers, and ecosystem players. Hussein Yahfoufi saw a gap in the local event landscape and built Startup Beach, a platform that makes it easier for organizers and attendees to discover, share, and engage with events. The platform just

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, Neal Bloom sits down with Scot Chisholm, the founder of Highland and co-founder of Classy, to discuss what it truly takes to scale leadership alongside a growing company. After leading Classy from a small startup to its acquisition by GoFundMe, Scot saw firsthand that scaling a company is only possible if you scale its leaders. That insight led to the creation of Highland—a community-driven leadership experience designed for high-growth founders to navigate the challenges of leadership, build better teams, and sustain long-term success. Scot shares the key inflection points in his own journey, the biggest lessons learned, and how founders can avoid the leadership pitfalls that stall growth.  

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News!  I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech, the Tacos and Tech Podcast, and Interlock Capital. My co-hosts in this episode is Fred Grier, journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter.  AND Jonah Peake Jonah Peake, runs The Social Coyote & the Career Coyote newsletters , promoting events and jobs in the San Diego tech ecosystem. Before we dive in, we wanted to thank and ask our listeners to help us grow the show, leave a review and share with one other person who should be more plugged in with the SD Tech Scene. Thank you for the support and for helping us build the San Diego Startup Community!   1/30/2025 Fred’s trip debrief Dent AI debrief  Any SD Super Bowl ad sighting predictions? Fundings: Biosapien $7m seed Take on 2025 already - ne

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News!  I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech, the Tacos and Tech Podcast, and Interlock Capital. My co-host in this episode is guest host Jonah Peake, who previously co-hosted with me and runs The Social Coyote newsletter, promoting events in the San Diego tech ecosystem. Before we dive in, we wanted to ask our listeners and SD Tech fans to help us grow the show, leave a review and share with one other person who should be more plugged in with the SD Tech Scene. Thank you for the support and for helping us build the San Diego Startup Community.   1/24/2025 TechCon SoCal debrief Future of Healthcare debrief Fundings AskTuring Seed $1M Deep Vector Seed $1.5M Xilo Series A $7.2M Sonocharge Energy $23.5M Netradyne Series D $90M Biggest deal of 2024 - Vuori Biggest VC fund raise of 2024 - Neos and StepStone   Howlin’ Jobs! By Career Coyote Top clicked jobs and companies Curated Events List –

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech, the Tacos and Tech Podcast, and Interlock Capital. My co-host in this episode is guest host Jonah Peake, who previously co-hosted with me and runs The Social Coyote newsletter, promoting events in the San Diego tech ecosystem. Before we dive in, we wanted to ask our listeners and SD Tech fans to help us grow the show, leave a review and share with one other person who should be more plugged in with the SD Tech Scene. Thank you for the support and for helping us build the San Diego Tech Community. 1/16/2025 Sending love to our friends and family in LA The Career Coyote! Carlsbad revives commercial flights Fundings Timberlyne Therapeutics $180M Series A Light Horse Therapeutics $62M Series A Rybodyn $4M PreSeed CES Announcements Qualcomm - a lot of diverse chip use cases and AI ecosystem building Illumina & Nvidia collab! Curated Events List – For

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. Tacos and Tech Podcast – Episode with Alexandra Renee Poelstra of Startup Grind Carlsbad  

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News!  I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech, the Tacos and Tech Podcast, and Interlock Capital. My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier, journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. Before we dive in, we wanted to ask our listeners and SD Tech fans to help us grow the show, leave a review and share with one other person who should be more plugged in with the SD Tech Scene. Thank you for the support and for helping us build the San Diego Startup Community.  HAPPY NEW YEAR! 1/9/2025 Top headlines Predictions  5 VC Investors Share Hot Takes and Predictions Neal’s predictions - IPO market, M&A, Fundings, In person M&A news Coursekey buy out by PSG Poseida deal closed, up $500m in purchase price. $1b to $1.5b Funding Gaming Startup Sim

Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News!  I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech, the Tacos and Tech Podcast, and Interlock Capital. My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier, journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. Before we dive in, we wanted to ask our listeners and SD Tech fans to help us grow the show, leave a review and share with one other person who should be more plugged in with the SD Tech Scene. Thank you for the support and for helping us build the San Diego Startup Community.    HAPPY NEW YEAR! 1/2/2025 Top Headlines V.C. Activity Tops $6 Billion in 2024 Join the conversation on Fred’s LinkedIn post Neal bets Luke Sophinos of Coursekey on number of IPOs in 2025 Fundings Janux Therapeutics - $350m Pleno - $25m growth round Hauler Hero - $10m seed round Star