Follow the Money
San Diego’s Home Bay has raised $5 million and plans to expand to Florida. The digital real estate platform has helped with $250 million in home sales, saving 500 sellers $5 million in real estate commissions since 2014. The round was led by E15VC along with Foundation Capital of Silicon Valley and Serra Ventures. Eloxx Pharmaceuticals brought its C round to $30 million, raising an additional $6 million in an effort led by OPKO Health and Israel-based Pontifax. The additional funding will help the company begin clinical trials for its cystic fibrosis and cystinosis therapies.
Steve Poizner Invests in San Diego
He has sold two companies to Qualcomm. He spent some time in politics, running for governor and as the state insurance commissioner. Now he is teaming up with Bill Maris, formerly of Google Ventures, on his new San Diego–based venture fund, Section 32. Maris finalized the fund a little more than a month ago, bringing needed funding and heft to San Diego’s startup ecosystem. Now Steve Poizner seems to see the same kind of promise in San Diego and Southern California. It looks to be an effort to draw attention and collaboration to the region, with big names enlisted in his efforts and a belief that Silicon Valley is saturated and Southern California will be an area of growth for startups.
SD No. 1 for Entrepreneurs, Says Entrepreneur
San Diego was number one in Entrepreneur’s list of cities whose entrepreneurship communities are booming. They said, “While we like to think of cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles as the hotbeds for startups in California, San Diego has quickly established a great foundation.”
Chef’s Roll Party Goes Big
Local startup Chef’s Roll provides a LinkedIn-esque platform and a new app for chefs to present themselves and their work. The company is getting attention for throwing a landmark party in Miami recently. The party, held at the former Versace Mansion, hosted just over 100 VIP guests and a who’s who list of chefs coming together to create what was called a “once in a lifetime event.”
More Red Herring Winners in San Diego
In our post–Startup Week discussion a few weeks ago, we let you know that eSub had been named one of Red Herring’s Top 100 companies for 2017. Well, two more San Diego companies can also claim that notoriety. Maria Shireen, an online store for fashionable bracelets that hold hair ties, was on the list, as well as StemoniX. The company develops products for scientists to use in drug discovery, such as cell tissue that mimics human tissue, making it much easier and faster for researchers to test and develop drugs.
Be There or Be…
- Tijuana Startup Crawl
Friday, July, 21, 12–7 p.m.
Hosted by Frontera Founders, the crawl takes guests through some of the most innovative spaces in Tijuana
Tags: Bill Maris, Blogs, Red Herring, Startup Buzz, Startups, Steve Poizner
