About us
Entrepreneurs, Tech Startup Founders, High Tech Executives, and Venture Capital and Angel Investors - Come join our events for fun, networking with new friends, and valuable learning and business opportunities!
If you live/work in San Diego, especially North County, we're here to help: Mira Mesa, Poway, Escondido, Del Mar, Rancho Bernardo, Carlsbad, Oceanside, La Jolla, Solano Beach, Encinitas, Vista, Miramar, San Marcos, even Temecula, San Clemente, and up to Irvine in Orange County.
Building and running high growth companies is easier and more fun (and profitable) with friends and a supportive network of neighbors.
A service of the OC Startup Council (OCSC), this meetup is dedicated to supporting early stage venture founders and accelerating high tech entrepreneurship in Southern California.
Come join our email list at https://OCstartupcouncil.org now, too! You'll get news of future startup events in Orange County, plus a FREE TICKET when you subscribe!
By attending all attendees agree to release, indemnify, hold harmless, defend, and pay defense costs for all organizers from any and all liability or claims and consent to use and sharing of any photos or videos taken in any media.
Upcoming events
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A Founder's Journey: Panel & Reception
El Camino Real & Carmel Mountain Rd, San Diego, CA 92130, San Diego, Ca, USA Founder's Journey: Panel & Reception
Join our Stanford Angels and Entrepreneurs of SoCal Panel & Reception in San Diego featuring a panel of founders sharing their journey. Make new Cardinal connections with a reception afterwards. In partnership with the Stanford Club of San Diego.
Be a part of our first panel + reception event in San Diego!Panelists:
Andy Taylor | RetroRate | BS Computer Science
After a career at Electronic Arts, Apple, and Redfin (where he led the product team), Andy started his first company, Approved, in the mortgage tech space while Entrepreneur in Residence at the VC firm, Social Capital. After raising a seed round and building the company, Approved parlayed a potential customer, Credit Karma, into a potential acquirer. Now he’s back at company building with RetroRate, helping real estate professionals and new homebuyers take over lower interest rate mortgages instead of financing a new, expensive loan.
Brandon Lieu | Hybron | BS Energy, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Brandon Lieu is the co-founder and CEO of Hybron a dual-use advanced manufacturing startup that is raising a $20M Round. They are led by Stanford/Berkeley graduates and the former CTO of Northrop Grumman. They have designed a revolutionary way to make lightweight, high-performance composite products at 10-100 times the speed of traditional manufacturing, have proven their technology in a fighter jet engine, are approved suppliers of some of the largest Aerospace Primes, and have secured >$120M in binding orders.Roberto Milk | Handmade.com | BA International Relations
Roberto Milk is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Handmade.com, a social impact marketplace transforming artisans' lives globally. Partnered with National Geographic, UNICEF, and Kiva, Novica, under Milk's leadership, has empowered village economies, sending over $100M to artisans while championing sustainable entrepreneurship and global cultural preservation. Roberto was named an Outstanding Social Entrepreneur by the Schwab Foundation, a Young Global Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum in Davos, and a YPO Impact Award Winner for the Pacific Region.Sashee Chandran | Tea Drops
Sashee Chandran is Founder and CEO of Tea Drops, a California based, innovative tea company, creating organic, bagless teas. Tea has always been a staple in her upbringing, especially being born to a Chinese mother and Sri Lankan father (who was actually born on a tea estate). Sashee witnessed first hand how the ritual of tea brought people and communities together. Tea Drops can be found in over 2,000 retail stores nationwide, as well as online. Tea Drops has been featured on Forbes, Good Morning America, and Oprah Magazine as well as loved by female giants like Chrissy Teigen, Tory Burch, and Michelle Obama. Sashee is a Tory Burch Fellow. Winner of the $100,000 2018 Woman-Owned Businesses with Impact Grant from the Tory Burch Foundation, $50,000 2020 PepsiCo-Frito Lay WomanMade Grant, and $20,000 2017 Women Founders Network Grant
Sky Meltzer | Manduka | BS Economics
A mission driven leader and entrepreneur with 20 years of global consumer branding, investment and management experience and proven ability to align consumer aspirations and values with market opportunities, exponentially grow revenues, craft transformative brands, leverage digital marketing and social media to build market share, attract strategic investment partners and deliver 30%+IRRs, inspire passionate teams, innovate product offerings across new categories and distribution channels, elevate quality and customer service standards, and develop proprietary, sustainable supply chains.
Thank you to our generous host and sponsor: Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and PopeoLimited Space: Register HERE
Learn more about us: https://www.stanfordaandeofsocal.com
Stanford Angels and Entrepreneurs of Southern California’s mission is to create a robust network that connects Stanford alumni to innovative opportunities and fosters meaningful connections through in person and virtual events with the vibrant Southern California ecosystem. We are looking for passionate volunteers to join our board who have time to help our team with events, marketing, pitch and more.7 attendees
Startup Grind Pitch Battle Royale: San Diego
cocos La Jolla, Ca, 8650 Genesee Ave, San Diego, CA, USWhat Is Pitch Battle Royale?
The Startup Grind Pitch Battle Royale brings founders from around the world together to pitch their startups, receive expert feedback, and compete for cash prizes, recognition, and advancement to the global stage. The competition runs from February 16-March 4, 2026.
Local Startup Grind chapters host the first round of competition, where startups battle it out in one of three stages—Idea, Development, or Traction—for the chance to advance to the Semi Finals and Finals.
Learn more at PitchBattleRoyale.com
Whether you’re pitching or attending, expect high-energy competition, sharp ideas, and meaningful connections.
Who Should Apply?
Startups compete in the stage that best matches their progress:- Idea Stage – Early concepts, validation, or pre-MVP
- Development Stage – Building, testing, or launching a product
- Traction Stage – Users, revenue, pilots, or early scale (up to Series A)
Each startup delivers:
- A 2-minute pitch
- Up to 3 slides
- Live Q&A and feedback from judges
📌 All startup applications are submitted through:
👉 PitchBattleRoyale.comWhat’s at Stake?
Local Chapter Prizes
Each stage winner at the local level receives:- Cash prizes
- Digital swag
- Local recognition
- Complimentary Ticket to SG Conference April 27-29, 2026
- Complimentary Ticket to Startup Mania in Austin on March 11, 2026
- Advancement to the Semi-Finals
Global Competition Prizes
Startups advancing beyond the local level compete for:- Additional cash prizes
- Certificates, medals, and plaques
- Startup Grind exhibition packages
- Global exposure across the Startup Grind ecosystem
Competition Timeline
San Diego Competition
🗓 February 19, 2026
🕗 6:00-8:00 PM
📍 UCSD, Design & Innovation Building, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0446, La Jolla, CA 92093The Basement at UC San Diego is an innovation and entrepreneurship hub open to students from all disciplines who want to explore ideas and develop them into impactful ventures. The Basement provides mentorship, connections with serial entrepreneurs and industry experts, funding opportunities, hands-on workshops, and collaborative spaces that support every stage of the entrepreneurial journey. Through its two flagship programs, The Basement fosters creativity, community, and a spirit of innovation:
- Blackstone LaunchPad supports students actively building early-stage ventures by providing mentorship, guidance, and resources to accelerate their entrepreneurial journey.
- Innovating for X (i4X) brings together multidisciplinary teams to tackle real-world challenges from corporate, government, and nonprofit partners— gaining workforce-ready experience while developing disruptive solutions.
To learn more:
Website: https://thebasement.ucsd.edu/
Follow Us: Instagram: @ucsdbasement and LinkedIn: The Basement at UC San DiegoSemi-Finals (Virtual)
🗓 Wednesday, February 25, 2026
🕗 8:00 AM PST
Global Finals (Virtual)
🗓 Wednesday, March 4, 2026
🕗 8:00 AM PSTAttend the Event
Attendees can expect:- Fast-paced startup pitches
- Live judging and feedback
- Networking with founders and leaders
- A front-row seat to the next wave of innovation
How to Get Involved
Startups
Apply to compete at PitchBattleRoyale.com
(All competition details, rules, and eligibility live there.)Attendees
Register to attend through this page and come cheer on your local founders.Ready to Enter the Area?
Whether you’re pitching your startup or showing up to support the ecosystem, Startup Grind Pitch Battle Royale is where founders battle, ideas shine, and the next big companies take their first step onto the global stage.Apply at PitchBattleRoyale.com
3 attendees
Past events
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