{"id":10674,"date":"2020-10-31T10:19:20","date_gmt":"2020-10-31T17:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=10674"},"modified":"2020-10-31T10:47:11","modified_gmt":"2020-10-31T17:47:11","slug":"tech-talk-special-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=10674","title":{"rendered":"Tech Talk: Special Issue"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Tech<\/a>

Tech Talk Special Issue for Santa Barbara Independent, published October 1, 2020.<\/p><\/div>\n

From Start-ups to Success Stories,\u00a0an In-Depth Look at Our Vast High-Tech Industry<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no question that technology plays an\u00a0increasingly critical role in all of our lives.<\/p>\n

Think about what it would have been like if\u00a0the global pandemic had hit in 1980 instead of\u00a02020: no cell phones (cordless phones weren\u2019t even\u00a0mainstream yet!), no internet, and no public email,\u00a0let alone video calls, instant messaging, texting, and\u00a0screen-sharing. Home computers, if you even had\u00a0one, were clunky and slow, and, while ubiquitous,\u00a0TVs only had four channels, and the whole family\u00a0would have to agree on what to watch.<\/p>\n

Fast-forward to today. With COVID forcing us to\u00a0move our lives indoors and online, everyone from\u00a0toddlers to grandparents have been whiplashed into\u00a0relying on devices for school and business, health\u00a0and wellness, to learn, communicate, connect,\u00a0and be entertained. For many of us, the classroom,\u00a0home, and workplace are headquartered on a single\u00a0device in a tiny corner of the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrganizations are fundamentally changed now,\u201d\u00a0explains Kyle Lewis<\/a>, a UCSB professor and chair of\u00a0its Technology Management Program<\/a>. \u201cWorking in\u00a0any type of organization \u2014 especially in one that is\u00a0focusing on innovation, has technology products,\u00a0or uses technology to do their work \u2014 the world has\u00a0completely shifted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shift is happening in Santa Barbara too. As\u00a0technology becomes more central to all of our lives,\u00a0the region\u2019s high-tech sector is enduring big changes\u00a0and enjoying sustained growth.\u00a0Once dominated by the aerospace industry, which\u00a0is still a prominent player, a wave of significant,\u00a0broad-ranging tech companies began in this ecosystem,\u00a0including Citrix Online<\/a> (formerly Expert City),\u00a0Software.com, Alias Wavefront, Yardi, Lynda.com,\u00a0AppFolio<\/a>, and Sonos, among others. Maturing startups\u00a0such as Procore and Apeel Sciences continue to\u00a0grow, as do the wealth of exciting new technologies and\u00a0companies.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, our investment community is\u00a0on the rise, and the already-critical UCSB just keeps\u00a0getting better and better, pumping out more and more\u00a0motivated-to-stay-in-town entrepreneurial energy.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, some of the biggest players in tech\u00a0\u2014 Google, Amazon, Zoom, Apple, Microsoft \u2014 now\u00a0have a presence in Santa Barbara. And then there are\u00a0the increasing numbers of tech pros who can work\u00a0from anywhere and have chosen to make Santa Barbara\u00a0their homes.<\/p>\n

The last time the Santa Barbara Independent\u00a0<\/em><\/a>addressed the tech sector in any depth was a special\u00a0section called Tech-Topia in 2015, in which author\u00a0Matt Kettmann described the scene as \u201cquietly booming.\u201d\u00a0Having talked to more than 30 executives and\u00a0researched more than 100 tech companies for this\u00a0issue, I can attest to how much bigger, broader, and\u00a0more interesting our tech sector is today.<\/p>\n

Like a lot of the very best people and things in\u00a0Santa Barbara, many of these tech companies still\u00a0operate on the down-low, not interested in tooting\u00a0their own horns or bragging about their accomplishments.\u00a0They\u2019d rather just do good work than talk\u00a0about it.<\/p>\n

But success begets success. As Jason Spievak,\u00a0the managing partner for Entrada Ventures, put it,\u00a0\u201cSome of the biggest names in technology are waking\u00a0up to Santa Barbara and are establishing themselves\u00a0here through acquisition and investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read on for a hefty helping of the Santa Barbara tech\u00a0scene\u2019s players, history, innovations, and opportunities.\u00a0Once quietly booming, I\u2019d say Santa Barbara\u2019s tech\u00a0sector is now awake, ready, and raring to go.<\/p>\n

Here is the whole package of stories:<\/p>\n

Tech Employers Talk Balk\u00a0<\/a>: Observations From Central Coast Industry Leaders<\/p>\n

The Top Five Things Investors Want (and Need)<\/a> Jason Spievak of Santa Barbara’s Entrada Ventures Offers Checklist for New Companies<\/p>\n

Mentoring, Not Just Money, For Startups<\/a>: Entrada Ventures’ Julie Henley McNamara Discusses her Firm’s Specialized Strategies<\/p>\n

Investor Insight into Tech Trends<\/a>: Santa Barbara Angel Alliance Founder John Petote Analyzes the High-Tech Marketplace<\/p>\n

A Great Place For Entrepreneurs<\/a>: Veteran Executive John Greathouse Explains What Attracts Tech Companies to Town<\/p>\n

Shades of Silicon Valley: Q&A With Michael Pfau<\/a>: “Grit & Hustle” Understanding Santa Barbara’s Tech Sector Growth<\/p>\n

ParentSquare Makes the Grade<\/a>: Santa Barbara’s Anupamu Vaid Developed School Communication Platform Now Used Nationwide<\/p>\n

Sprigeo Says Yes to School Safety<\/a>: Santa Barbara’s Joe Bruzzese Founded Service to Prevent Bullying and Increase School Safety<\/p>\n

Saving the World, One Byte at a Time<\/a>: Last Call for Food, ChowMatch, EV Match and Other Companies Using Tech for Good<\/p>\n

Apeel’s Santa Barbara Appeal<\/a>: Why This Food-Preservation Tech Company Thrives on the South Coast<\/p>\n

Insight From HG Insights’ Elizabeth Cholawsky<\/a>: CEO of the Santa Barbara Tech Intelligence Company Talks Up the Central Coast Lifestyle<\/p>\n

Invoca Applies AI and Analytics to Phone Calls<\/a>: Studying the Behavior of Customers’ Customers<\/p>\n

The Cutting Edge of Robotic Surgery<\/a>: Cottage Health and the Orthopedic Institute Perform Many Surgeries Every Week<\/p>\n

Virtual Health Care: Right Here at Home<\/a>: After Acquiring Goleta’s InTouch Health, Teledoc’s Joe DeVito Discusses the Market<\/p>\n

Communication is Key for WELL Health<\/a>: Guillaume de Zwirek Moved Patient-Provider Platform Company From Silicon Valley to Santa Barbara<\/p>\n

Thermal Imaging: Hotspot for Seeking Heat<\/a>: FLIR and Seek Thermal Make Santa Barbara a Hub for Thermal-Imaging Technology Companies<\/p>\n

How FLIR Steals Moments in Spotlight<\/a>: Goleta-Based Imaging Company Stars in Movies, TV Episodes and Even Awards Shows<\/p>\n

TMP: Practical Education for an Evolving World<\/a>: Preparation Meets Opportunity in UCSB’s Technology Management Program<\/p>\n

UCSB Technology Management Program\u2019s Startups<\/a>: A List of More Than 30 Companies Whose Founders Participated in TMP<\/p>\n

TIA: Where Inventions Meet Industry<\/a>: Research Meets the Road in UCSB’s Office of Technology & Industry Alliances<\/p>\n

UCSB\u2019s Technology and Research Startups<\/a>: A List of More Than 40 Companies That Began on the Santa Barbara Campus<\/p>\n

\"Tech<\/a>

Tech Talk Special Issue for Santa Barbara Independent, published October 1, 2020.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tech Talk Special Issue<\/a> for the Santa Barbara Independent<\/em><\/a>, originally published on October 1, 2020.<\/p>\n

To read the issue as it appeared in print, please click here, Tech Talk 768_10_01_20<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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