TLDR: Issue #046 Summary

• Lift Off for Orange County

  • Orange County is a major hub for innovation

  • Universities like CSUF and UCI are engines of talent

• Upcoming Events

  • 3/25 - VC Chat at CSUF #EmergingVC

  • 4/4 - Wharton Media & Entertainment Happy Hour

  • 4/29 - Space Tour at NASA JPL

• Trending

  • Anduril Industries shows late-stage ventures can stay gritty

  • Venture-backed startups like Anduril reflect Orange County’s vibrancy

• Poll: What event format would you like to attend?

OC: SoCal’s Secret Hub of Innovation

From Disneyland to South Coast Plaza, Orange County is home to some of the most famous tourist attractions in the world.

However, OC is more than just beaches, shopping malls, and theme parks.

OC boasts a vibrant innovation ecosystem with 19 unicorns!

Standouts include Anduril Industries ($28B Valuation), Edwards Lifesciences ($41B Valuation), Ingram Micro ($6B Valuation), Razer ($3.2B Valuation), and Acorns ($1.9B Valuation).

OC is also a hotbed of emerging talent with three flagship universities: UCI, Cal State Fullerton (CSUF), and Chapman University.

One of Emerging LA’s 2025 initiatives is to tap into SoCal’s deep well of talent to build the next generations of leaders driving the innovation economy of Southern California.

Our first stop: my alma mater, CSUF (Class of 2007)

CSUF boasts a number of high-quality finance programs, such as the award-winning Titan Capital Management and the upstart Titan Ventures.

I am proud to serve on the advisory board of Titan Ventures, CSUF’s premier VC club, and excited to speak with the students.

If you’re a student at CSUF, an alumnus, or local to OC and curious about VC, sign up!

NOTE: If approved, you must show! (or be excluded from future events). We need 100% attendance on this one, please.

Community Partner Events in SoCal 

Post of the Week

Anduril Industries is driving the local economy while making waves through social media.

They’re “Don’t Work At Anduril” Campaign cleverly shows off their workplace culture, while overshadowing the bigger news that Anduril won a $22B contract to take over the U.S. Army Headset program from Microsoft. 

Check Out These Jobs in our Community

Here are job listings we saw open at amazing organizations that would be perfect for those looking for to break into the industry or wanting to explore a new career opportunity.

• Machine Learning Engineer - Capitol AI in Washington DC

• Director of Customer Success - Capitol AI in Washington DC

• Sr./Staff Software Engineer - Luthor in San Francisco

• Associate - TenOneTen Ventures in SF Bay Area

• BioTech & Health Care Associate - Bessemer Venture Partners in Boston

• VP - Citi Impact Fund in New York City

• Engineer - Affiniti Finance in New York City

🚨 Apply to be a “Community Lead” to host events:

Are you passionate about an industry sector and are a subject matter expert?

Want to lead the innovation community in LA?

Become a Community Lead for Emerging LA!!

Apply if you are excited to:

• Build connections with local VCs & founders

• Amplify your personal brand among 14K+ members

• Access the most exclusive tech events

• Lead the movement that is transforming LA tech

Submit your application!

Do you want to reach 14K tech leaders in LA?

• Content: Sponsor an issue to reach 14K across our newsletters.

• Event: Sponsor an event to engage directly with attendees. We have hosted over 50 events and 5,000+ guests through dinners, panel mixers, and private tours

👉 Reply to learn more

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