Life on the Mesa: Let’s Rope in the Next Big Fish

You think precision medicine is hot? Try precision marketing.

Come sit by me…

Precision medicine this, precision medicine that. It’s the hot new phrase up on the Mesa. But I’ve got something even hotter. Two words: precision marketing. TONE, a new startup, is looking for a new city to plant their flag. Where better to HQ than SD? TONE uses beacon technology in a way that will blow your mind. Basically, it reminds me of the mall scene from Minority Report. You know, the part where they scan Tom Cruise’s retina and then personalized ads pop up? Wicked cool.

I curated a fun meet-up with some of our city’s most interesting movers. We had Mark Lovett, organizer of TEDxSanDiego, lunching with San Diego Magazine‘s CEO Jim Fitzpatrick, Digital Media Director David Martin, and Associate Publisher Karen Mullen. We got to hear first hand from TONE’s Global SVP John Braggiotti and founder and CEO of TONE, Tom Webster. Their list of clients is out of control. Shimmied down to dinner later with Navid Alipour, co-founder of Analytics Ventures, to talk more about TONE and their potential move to our Miracle Coast. Analytics Ventures is working actively, alongside the EDC, Mike Krenn at SDVG, and the mayor’s office to attract more capital and talent to San Diego.

Okay, San Diego. We say we’ve got the primo spot for start-ups. Let’s see if we can rope in this next big fish.

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

IdeaConnect: What does it take to build the right Startup Team?
Olin Hyde. This man is a genius. We used to spot him often at the BellaV, but have lost him to the Bay. But fear not! The CEO of Lead Crunch will grace the Mesa with his presence this Friday. Hyde speaks at the Von Liebig Center starting at noon. Topic of discussion? “What does it take to build the right start up team?” Hyde’s previous start-ups were gobbled up by Accruent and ai-one. He’s also one of the key creators of the DeepFind machine-learning platform. Hyde is an expert on how to utilize artificial intelligence to make better business decisions. What about life decisions?
April 22, 12-1:30 p.m., Von Liebig Center, UC San Diego
La Jolla Half Marathon
Well, here is one great way to take in the Mesa. Half marathon race begins up in Del Mar at the Fairgrounds and heads along Torrey Pines Beach. You then run up to the summit of Torrey Pines, blow chunks, and continue past the Mesa on your way to the shores. We’ll be at the intersection next to the BellaV with water, oranges, and high-fives to share. Think you are done? Oh, hell no, you still gotta make it downtown to La Jolla Cove. Should be a beautiful weekend and, I’ll tell you what. Show us your medal from running the marathon next week at the café and your coffee is on us! We recognize a bad ass when we see one.
April 24, 7:30 a.m., Del Mar Fairgrounds
Skin-Applied Products: From Concept to Approvals in San Diego
“Transdermal mode of administration.” Sexy science talk? Not even gonna touch that one. But I will say, fellow friends and brainiacs, if you are interested in learning more about why investors are leaning toward dermatology and topical solutions these days instead of the “mode of administration” you be slingin’… BioCom’s got your back. You’ve got till Tuesday to register for this one. But with an event like this, there’s sure to be a great turn out. Don’t be lazy.
April 27, 8-10 a.m., BioCom

Food for thought…

If I am going to be preaching “bikeability” for our Mesa, then I better go out and practice what I preach. That was my thought this morning as I decided to hop on my new bike and peddle up to the café. Holy shit! It’s not easy biking around the Mesa. But where some find discouragement, entrepreneurs find opportunity. Stay tuned for a few tales of “biking the Mesa.”