Startups, business leaders, investors, bankers and mentors will share their stories Feb. 29 at the first “Celebrating Orange County Entrepreneurs” event on the Cal State Fullerton campus.
A collaboration between UCI Beall Applied Innovation, Cal State Fullerton Entrepreneurship and Concordia University’s School of Business and Economics, the event will be held in the Titan Student Union from 1 to 5 p.m.
“The event celebrates the diverse Orange County region and its past, present and future innovations, and also serves as a networking event,” said John Bradley Jackson, director of CSUF’s Center for Entrepreneurship and co-chair of the event.
“The goal of the event is to help others learn about what makes Orange County a globally recognized leader in innovation and entrepreneurship,” Jackson said. “We’ve invited veterans to share their wisdom on this new venture.”
Speakers will include Lynsey Snyder, president of In-N-Out Burger; Ed Hart, director of the CSUF Family Business Center; Mark Mangera, founder of Koji Korean BBQ and Snow Monkey and CSUF student; and Kim Kovach, a cannabis entrepreneur.
Brian Ruff, a CSUF computer science major who co-founded 10-8 Systems, a cloud-based dispatch system designed to handle emergencies, also speaks. After winning CSUF’s Startup Competition last year, he worked with the CSUF Startup Incubator to bring his innovation to market.
“It’s amazing to be able to bring this ‘boots on the ground’ to people and save lives in these dire situations,” Ruff said.
CSUF alum Victor Macias and Christopher Quit, a UCI economics student, are the founders of keto-friendly cookie enterprise Nui Foods. The two will talk about 2018 on TV’s Shark Tank, where they will receive a $300,000 offer from baseball legend Alex Rodriguez.
Paul Wasserman, co-founder of Ebates.com and CSUF alumnus, will be one of the keynote speakers, giving a talk titled “The Billion Dollar Exit.” and Don DiCostanzo, founder and CEO of Pedego Electric Bicycles and CSUF alumnus, will deliver a keynote address on “Successful Cycling.”
The event is free, but seating is limited. Learn more and register at ocentrepreneurship.com.
CSUF News Service contributed to this story
