Come sit by me…

Rumor has it Biocom is getting ready to unveil their five-year strategic plan to the public. Will it be at next week’s Global Life Science Partnering Conference? Inquiring minds wanna know. The Conference, held at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, will bring in the biggest names in Biopharma Partnering. It’s the perfect stage for Biocom to share their vision for the future. Think beyond San Diego. Think Southern California. Biocom is kicking ass and taking names. They have over 750 members for a reason. With their huge incentives, from purchasing power and networking to lobbying (they even have an office in D.C.), they are on the path for major continued growth. A little birdie holding a not so clandestine meeting at the BellaV called the plan “visionary.”

So, word up, it looks like the term “Life Sciences” is getting a makeover. Can’t spill the beans just yet, but can promise that this new spin on the three words describing one of San Diego’s most thriving and vital sectors, will catapult Biocom even further as the state’s premier member organization.

Upcoming events on the Mesa (I’ll be at the fun table…)

Last week we did some name droppin’. Now it’s time for you to do some party hoppin’. I usually only list the top three, but there are too many good ones to choose from these days. Get on out there this week and meet someone new on the Mesa. You won’t be sorry.

• Athenaeum Winter Jazz Concert Series
  February 18, 7:30 p.m., Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
  Pianist Aaron Goldberg brings us his trio tonight at the music room of the Athenaeum Library. Seating at this venue is limited so you better jam on it and get your tix quick.

• Triton Disrupt Celebrating 10 years of the Entrepreneur Challenge at UC San Diego
  February 19, 5:30-8 p.m., Rady School of Management, UC San Diego
  TritonDisrupt? Who dat? These days there are so many new incubators/accelerators/co-working spaces/community and networking groups/universities/districts popping up around town that it’s hard to keep track of who is who. One thing is for sure. We love that UC San Diego keeps bringing the Mesa more opportunities to foster entrepreneurism in our emerging and future work force. A party is going down this Friday celebrating the 10-year milestone of the Entrepreneur Challenge at UC San Diego. And with that, they will be unveiling their latest creation—TritonDisrupt.

• The Look of Silence: Film Screening Followed by Conversation and Q&A with Joshua Oppenheimer
  February 22, 5:30-9:30 p.m., Cali2 Auditorium, UC San Diego
  In 2013, a brilliant storyteller brought us his Oscar-nominated film The Act of Killing. The documentary recounts the mass genocide in Indonesia in the 1960s by the very people who committed the crimes. Next week, Joshua Oppenheimer brings his powerful companion piece, The Look of Science, to San Diego. This second documentary is told from the perspective of the survivors and their families. Calit2 will host a rare screening at 6pm followed by a Q&A with the artist himself. Nothing funny about this topic. It’s sure to be a powerful event.

• San Diego Venture Group: VC Outlook 2016
  February 23, 5:30-9 p.m., Qualcomm Building N
  “What is hot and what is not, and where should you look for funding in 2016?” Short, sweet and straight to the point is how SD Venture Group dishes up their next event. Just down the road at Qualcomm you can get the inside scoop on their VC Outlook for 2016. Any one else heading up to the Venture Summit in Mountain View on March 1?

• Meet the Boss: Exclusive Interviews with Chris Weil, Tina Nova, Matt Newsome, Jesse Knight Jr. and Sandra Timmons
  February 24, 6-8 p.m., The Basement
  Mentors, mentors, mentors. If you want to get ahead in this life, you have got to find yourself one. And trust me, they are out there waiting to share their knowledge and experiences. The Basement is helping students link up with some of our city’s finest leaders and philanthropists next week. What better opportunity to connect with these successful individuals who have a proven track record of giving back? This Meet The Boss series includes Chris Weil, Chairman of the Board of Christopher Weil & Company, Inc., CEO and President of Storage Managers, Inc. (SMI) and Chairman of the Board of CWC Asset Advisors, Inc. (CWCAA). Chris Weil is also my favorite customer for breakfast Friday mornings, doling out great advice while reading his morning paper with wife Pat. Also participating: Tina Nova, President and CEO of Molecular Stethoscope Inc.; Matt Newsome, SVP and General Manager for Cubic Transportation Systems (and former UCSD Alumni President); Jesse Knight Jr., former Exec VP of External Affairs for Sempra Energy, former CEO of SDG&E, former president and CEO of SD Regional Chamber; and Sandra Timmons, producer/writer, member of KPBS-TV staff, member of San Diego Social Venture Partners and another fellow badass Triton.

• Geospatial Big Data
  February 24, 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m., Center on Global Transformation
  All my big data babies, here is your chance to come dork out! UC San Diego’s two branches—the School of Global Policy and Strategy, aka GPS (ironic, I know) and the Big Pixel Initiative—will host Nick Clinton, developer advocate at Google Earth Engine. Satellite imagery is the wave of the future in big data and here is your chance to shoot the shit about Google Earth Engine’s capabilities for “planetary-scale, cloud-based geospatial analysis” with one of the company’s top braniacs.

Tags: Blogs, Life on the Mesa