# Startup San Diego

> Startup San Diego is a California nonprofit that helps founders, students, investors, and local talent find one another and the resources needed to build companies. It runs San Diego Startup Week, quarterly 1st Mondays gatherings, coworking days, mentoring, and a regional resource directory.

- **Founded:** 2014
- **Headquarters:** San Diego, United States
- **Founders:** Brant Cooper (Co-organizer of the founding 2013 Startup Week), Eric Otterson (Co-organizer of the founding 2013 Startup Week), Phelan Riessen (Co-organizer of the founding 2013 Startup Week), Al Bsharah (Co-organizer of the founding 2013 Startup Week), Melani Gordon (Co-organizer of the founding 2013 Startup Week), Austin Neudecker (Co-organizer of the founding 2013 Startup Week), Tim Ryan (Co-organizer of the founding 2013 Startup Week)
- **Products:** San Diego Startup Week, 1st Mondays, Last Fridays Co-Working Days, Startup Ecosystem Resource List & Map, Founder mentoring
- **Notable:** Reported more than 7,000 in-person attendances across over 22 San Diego-Tijuana events in 2025., Reported support from 165 volunteers and 108 annual members in 2025., Hosted Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs as a Startup Week headliner in 2024.

## Products & services

- **San Diego Startup Week** — Annual regional conference with workshops, panels, mentoring, expos, and pitch events; the 2026 edition is scheduled for November 2-6.
- **1st Mondays** — Quarterly networking and expert-panel gatherings, typically attracting roughly 250-300 attendees.
- **Last Fridays Co-Working Days** — Coworking and educational sessions with Downtown Works; listed public day-pass price $20, included for annual members subject to registration and availability.
- **Startup Ecosystem Resource List & Map** — Directory, geographic map, and startup-journey guide covering high-tech, life science, physical businesses, and business services.
- **Founder mentoring** — Event-based one-to-one mentoring; the May 2026 program offered two 30-minute mentor sessions, with ten mentee places.
- **FirstWave Innovator Hackathons and workshops** — Programming identified in the 2025 impact report as part of expanded educational activity.
- **Startup Week X** — Community-driven model amplifying industry-focused events during Startup Week.

## Achievements

- Reported more than 7,000 in-person attendances across over 22 San Diego-Tijuana events in 2025.
- Reported support from 165 volunteers and 108 annual members in 2025.
- Hosted Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs as a Startup Week headliner in 2024.
- Returned to fully in-person programming in 2022, including Startup Week across four locations.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Announced opening-day Startup Week programming in Carlsbad Village on November 2, including a John Resnick keynote.
- **2026-10** — Published a 1st Mondays Mini Podcast interview with Vibez 5D co-founder and CEO Christina Font.
- **2026-08** — Reported nearly 300 attendees at the August 3 defense and dual-use gathering at UC San Diego.
- **2026-06** — Last Fridays hosted a revenue-architecture deep dive with coworking time and bookable expert sessions.

## Links

- Website: https://startupsd.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-san-diego
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/StartupSanDiego
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupsandiego/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StartupSD/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/startup-san-diego
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24