What we’re about
Friday Coffee Meetup (FCM) brings together Pasadena’s innovation and startup community on the first Friday of every month in the comfortable environment of FoundrSpace in Old Town Pasadena.
Here you will learn from leaders in the tech, entrepreneurship and venture capital community; experience presentations from dynamic speakers; and engage with other innovators.
For almost ten years now, Friday Coffee Meetup has been where Pasadena’s innovation community gathered weekly, and then most recently during the pandemic monthly. Today, with a revived partnership with Innovate Pasadena, Friday Coffee Meetup continues the legacy of connecting and invigorating our community with programs of authentic, inspiring and informative presentations and valuable welcoming and personal networking.
Friday Coffee Meetup is open to Pasadena’s entire innovation community, including (but certainly not limited to) entrepreneurs, programmers, chief technology officers (CTOs), venture capitalists (VCs), angel investors, thought leaders, and more.
Each meeting includes a monthly presentation from a leader in the innovation community, followed by Q&A, and then time for meet-the-speaker in person and informal networking. Please note our Speaker Criteria below, especially if you are interested in presenting.
Friday Coffee Meetup is supported by a team of dedicated volunteers, currently including John Chou, Doreen Chen Allen, Evan Tsang, Jan Young, Nathan Hurvitz, Holly Bowyer, Cameron Church, Meredith Jung, John Deyto, Christine de la Fuente, and Christy Conner.
Founded in 2013 by Andy Wilson, and Mike Schaffer, with sponsorship provided by Echo Factory the last few years, Friday Coffee Meetup is now sustained through a partnership with Innovate Pasadena that began in 2022. We invite you to learn more about upcoming meetups by visiting innovatepasadena.org and following Innovate Pasadena on social media.
Recordings of many previous events are available on our YouTube channels:
https://www.youtube.com/user/innovatepasadena
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqEpMLu3srTmz_hbS0ucCBQ
OUR SPEAKER INFORMATION & CRITERIA
Notes:
• FCM cannot be used to primarily promote an individual’s service or business.
• Our speakers are traditionally Innovators, CEOs, Founders, Angel/Venture Investors.
• If you are a service provider, this is not the right forum for you. But if you have CEOs and leaders of industry that you work with and would like to highlight, please recommend them.
What our audience likes to hear about:
• Entrepreneurship…successes and/or failures
• Lessons learned - what went wrong and how you fixed it…we love a good turn around or pivot
• Investors, VCs, etc. - what type of investments are you looking for: industry, fund size, previous background/experience, successful exits, stories of failures, etc.
• Innovators - how you took your idea to fruition.
Thank you!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Raychel Espiritu - Build The Thing You Wish ExistedFoundrSpace Coworking, Pasadena, CA
IN-PERSON, Doors open at 8 AM for informal networking.
8:30 AM Presentation and Q&A moderated by Christy Conner, followed by meet-the-speaker and informal networking until 10 AM.
Location: FoundrSpace, https://www.foundrspace.com
Note: Street parking is generally free until 11 AM; check street signs.
FRIDAY COFFEE MEETUP (FCM) is presented by Echo-Factory and Innovate Pasadena. FoundrSpace is our generous event host.
Raychel Espiritu - Build The Thing You Wish Existed
Join us for a talk as we discuss the challenges and victories encountered while navigating the world of startup companies and venture capital. We'll dive into the process of conception to realization. Learn how to navigate obstacles with resilience and innovation, turning setbacks into opportunities for growth.
Bio
Raychel Espiritu, a native of Los Angeles, has 16 years of diverse experience in Digital Marketing, Business Development, Venture Capital, and Startups. Her extensive background includes collaborations with prominent corporate brands, government bodies, marketing agencies, startup accelerators, and venture capital firms.During her tenure as Venture Outreach Manager at The Alliance for SoCal Innovation, Raychel facilitated connections between early-stage startup founders and institutional investors, resulting in $18M capital deployment into the Southern California innovation ecosystem.
Raychel is also a co-founder of Women in Climate Investing and Finance, a community organization dedicated to fostering connections, community building, and empowerment for women in the climate investing and finance sectors.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Raychel finds solace in nature and practices mindful meditation.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/raychelespiritu/
Please Note: We are sorry we are no longer virtual hosting on Zoom. Please join our lively, fun and friendly in-person event in the comfortable environment of FoundrSpace!
You can also connect with Christy Conner to watch the LinkedIn livestream at https://www.linkedin.com/in/christyconner/
starting at 8:30 AM, and ending after the Q&A ~9:30 AM. - Lauren Dai & David Shechtman- Leading Through WhiplashFoundrSpace Coworking, Pasadena, CA
IN-PERSON, Doors open at 8 AM for informal networking.
8:30 AM Presentation and Q&A moderated by Christy Conner, followed by meet-the-speaker and informal networking until 10 AM.
Location: FoundrSpace, https://www.foundrspace.com
Note: Street parking is generally free until 11 AM; check street signs.
FRIDAY COFFEE MEETUP (FCM) is presented by Echo-Factory and Innovate Pasadena. FoundrSpace is our generous event host.
Lauren Dai & David Shechtman- Leading Through Whiplash
Times are challenging for founders right now. They have to think big, mobilize teams, and drive results—all while facing significant headwinds in the business ecosystem. But times like these are when great leaders are forged. This is the time for founders to shine.
Bio
Lauren Dai of Cocoon and her executive coach David Shechtman, will take you through a recent All Hands meeting in which Lauren acknowledged the challenges of 2023 and rallied the troops for a breakout 2024! This was a pivotal meeting for the company that can serve as a model for other founders who need to do the same.Lauren is Co-founder at Cocoon, the platform that makes managing employee leave easy HR teams and employees alike. Prior to starting Cocoon, Lauren was integral to building the growth organization at Stripe. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude from Harvard University with a degree in Economics.
David Shechtman is a powerful coach who works with CEOs, high-potential leaders, and successful sales professionals on mastering Deep Change. He has an unparalleled ability to cut through the fog of complexity, confusion, and fear so that his clients can move forward with focus and confidence.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurendai/
https://twitter.com/laurenxindai
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidshechtman/Please Note: We are sorry we are no longer virtual hosting on Zoom. Please join our lively, fun and friendly in-person event in the comfortable environment of FoundrSpace!
You can also connect with Christy Conner to watch the LinkedIn livestream at https://www.linkedin.com/in/christyconner/
starting at 8:30 AM, and ending after the Q&A ~9:30 AM. - Ashot Arzumanyan - Connecting the Dots: from Great Science to Great CompaniesFoundrSpace Coworking, Pasadena, CA
IN-PERSON, Doors open at 8 AM for informal networking.
8:30 AM Presentation and Q&A moderated by Christy Conner, followed by meet-the-speaker and informal networking until 10 AM.
Location: FoundrSpace, https://www.foundrspace.com
Note: Street parking is generally free until 11 AM; check street signs.
FRIDAY COFFEE MEETUP (FCM) is presented by Echo-Factory and Innovate Pasadena. FoundrSpace is our generous event host.
Ashot Arzumanyan - Connecting the Dots: from Great Science to Great Companies
SmartGateVC partner Ashot Arzumanyan will talk about transforming lab science into a company, raising capital, making the hard choice of becoming a CEO vs. onboarding an external person and thinking about exit strategies.
Bio
Ashot Arzumanyan is co-founder and partner at SmartGateVC - a Glendale based pre-seed VC firm with proven experience of early investments in science driven companies since 2018. Biosim AI (computational drug discovery), Krisp (the world’s best noise cancellation technology), SuperAnnotate (the fastest annotation platform and services for training AI), along with spin-offs from Harvard and other universities, are among portfolio companies where SmartGateVC is a first investor. Sierra Ventures, Upfront Ventures, AI Fund, YC, and other high-profile VCs are among co- & follow-on investors in portfolio companies. Ashot and the team at SmartGateVC have solid experience spanning from pre-seed/seed investing to advising Fortune 500 companies.https://www.smartgate.vc; https://www.linkedin.com/company/smartgate.vc; https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashotarzumanyan/; https://x.com/smartgatevc
Please Note: We are sorry we are no longer virtual hosting on Zoom. Please join our lively, fun and friendly in-person event in the comfortable environment of FoundrSpace!
You can also connect with Christy Conner to watch the LinkedIn livestream at https://www.linkedin.com/in/christyconner/
starting at 8:30 AM, and ending after the Q&A ~9:30 AM. - Cho-Nan Tsai - How to use AI to grow your businessFoundrSpace Coworking, Pasadena, CA
IN-PERSON, Doors open at 8 AM for informal networking.
8:30 AM Presentation and Q&A moderated by Christy Conner, followed by meet-the-speaker and informal networking until 10 AM.
Location: FoundrSpace, https://www.foundrspace.com
Note: Street parking is generally free until 11 AM; check street signs.
FRIDAY COFFEE MEETUP (FCM) is presented by Echo-Factory and Innovate Pasadena. FoundrSpace is our generous event host.
Cho-Nan Tsai - How To Use AI To Grow Your Business
In the talk "How to Use AI to Grow Your Business," key strategies for leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance business growth are discussed. The presentation covers the basics of AI and its applications in various business sectors. It highlights the importance of data collection and analysis for personalized customer experiences and improved decision-making. The talk also explores the use of AI in automating routine tasks, enhancing efficiency, and reducing operational costs. Real-world examples demonstrate how AI tools can be integrated into marketing, customer service, and product development. The speaker emphasizes the need for continuous learning and adaptation to AI technologies, and concludes with a discussion on ethical considerations and future trends in AI. The talk aims to provide practical insights for businesses looking to adopt AI to gain a competitive edge and drive growth.
Bio
Cho-Nan Tsai is a seasoned technology entrepreneur in AI and Fintech. He is an expert in AI, machine learning and lending. Earlier in his career, he managed tech projects at Fortune 500 companies such as Sony, Ricoh, McKinsey & Company. He has in-depth experience across verticals such as data, digital advertising, and studio tech. More recently, he has bootstrapped and raised millions of dollars for a number of startups, growing these businesses quickly using technology and multiplying their revenues exponentially year over year. Currently, he is the founder at H Tech VIP, an AI consulting firm. He graduated with a B.S. degree in Computer Engineering from Columbia University and a M.S. degree in Computer Science from UCLA.https://www.htech.vip/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/htechvip/
https://www.instagram.com/chonantsai
https://www.tiktok.com/@chonantsai
https://twitter.com/chonantsai
#aiconsultant #artificialintelligence #machinelearning #genaiPlease Note: We are sorry we are no longer virtual hosting on Zoom. Please join our lively, fun and friendly in-person event in the comfortable environment of FoundrSpace!
You can also connect with Christy Conner to watch the LinkedIn livestream at https://www.linkedin.com/in/christyconner/
starting at 8:30 AM, and ending after the Q&A ~9:30 AM.
