Gregory Shepard and Amir Emadi discuss San Diego Startup Week, covering investor selection, market choice, and exit strategy. They highlight hot sectors including IoT, robotics, and deep tech, with the week-long event running at the downtown convention center.
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Stop me up. Stop me up. I'll never stop.
Oh, that is a perfect song coming back into this segment because it's all about startups, and I'm talking about a week full of seminars, presentations, and more, all to help aspiring business owners and entrepreneurs grow their business. So if you have an idea, if you have a business and you're thinking about expanding, you need to hear from these two guys and go to their seminar as well. They're going to be talking about Startup San Diego Week. I've got Mr. Greg Shuck. Good morning, Greg Shepard and Amir Ahmadi. Good morning.
Good morning.
This is an exciting thing because, you know, first of all, it's a, it's a huge world out there, but where do you start, especially if you have this idea, if you have this concept and you want to get it off the ground? What's the first step?
Well, I mean, San Diego Startup Week is a good place to go because you can meet other people that have tried to do the same thing. You know, people that have tried to start a business, you listen to their stories, you watch the seminars, you can learn a great deal about the community. San Diego is an underserved market, so there's a lot of success in San San Diego because there isn't the competition that you see up in Silicon Valley.
Okay, so how'd you get started? Let's go back to your basis.
I started in Silicon Valley, so I went up there in the jungle, and for 25 years I've been building companies, selling companies, investing in companies. I mean, that's my background.
Okay, so why do you think competition isn't as tough here in San Diego versus Silicon Valley?
Because the culture up there. I mean, you know, you go to a coffee shop there, there's deals going on everywhere. You can be at the grocery store, there's deals going on in line at the grocery store. The culture here isn't as— it's not as intense, you know. So when you go to a market where it's super intense, you have a lot of investors, you have a lot of people with ideas, and that makes competition.
But is this a market that is conducive and friendly and open to startup businesses?
It's really interesting because it's very family, you know. So everybody knows everybody. There's a community. People support one another. The economic development people get in the game, and there's a lot of activity. with people really trying to stimulate San Diego, and it's one of the best of the smaller markets. You know, if you compare it to Denver, Austin, it's really, really something. It's incredible.
Okay, now Amir, you did this. Did you attend the seminars and then decide to start your company, or were you already starting to think about it and you got it off the ground?
So I already had started my company before I attended my first Startup Week, and then I actually, the following year, I became a volunteer because I liked it so much. Going back to what Greg was talking about in terms of, you know, it's a very collaborative community. I go into the first Startup Week I didn't know what to do as an entrepreneur. So for anybody who's listening and wants to actually start a business, a wantrepreneur, or is an entrepreneur, and they want to get the guidance, they want to get the resources, get connections to people like Greg, like myself, with the experiences and insight to help them out, San Diego Startup Week would be the best place to go to. And that's actually where Greg and I met.
Alright, so you started a drone company.
Yes.
Okay, so from your expertise, are you telling people the pitfalls, things to learn from as far as your mistakes, or where do you think your guidance is really key for folks?
There's probably 3 areas. One is picking the right kind of investors. Another one is picking the right kind of market. And then third is picking the target company that you would potentially want to exit to. Exit meaning acquired by. A lot of people say, oh, I want Amazon to buy my company.
You're talking up here and I'm down here. Okay, all right, I got you. Now, what are some hot markets right now? Technology obviously has to be one, right?
Absolutely. Well, if you look at San Diego, we have the Smart City program that's going on. That's all Internet of Things, which means everything that's interconnected, technologies, that's hardware and software that there's trying to find interoperability, which means how does one device connect to the other. And an example of this is putting nodes on streetlights that can track parking. Right? And so there's all sorts of technology that's like this, that's there to help the city, help the infrastructure, help us with public safety, and with the energy sector here.
What are the sectors you'd stay away from right now? Like what's the, you know, magazines? You don't want to start up a magazine right now in the digital age?
I think that, I think anything in software is going to be really, really good. Robots, anything that has to do with robots. What they call deep tech is a good market to get into. I mean, I have an investment in a company in the transit space that's automating payment and tracking. So you have, you know, an Uber, you can see your app and you can see exactly where your car is and when to get out there. Well, so they're doing that for buses, right? So that if you have to take a bus or a train or a ferry or something like that, you can be in your house and just go outside right, right when you're supposed to instead of waiting around.
What's the one thing you would say absolutely every person who wants to do a startup needs? A concept, money, a never-say-die attitude. I mean, what's that one component that every person with five things? Oh, five things! Oh goodness!
Focus, drive, enthusiasm, discipline, and optimism. I call it a handful of things.
That does sound like a recipe for success.
Yeah, you need a handful of things, and you know there's there's people around you that can help you. You know, but those things I can't teach somebody. Those things they have to have come to the table with.
All right, so tell me where you're setting the table. Go over the. where San Diego Startup Week is, how long, and how people can attend.
It's downtown. It's 5 days.
Yeah, it's a week-long event. It actually ends on Sunday in North County, but it's down at the convention center in San Diego.
So Tuesday through Sunday, times are going to vary. 6-day pass, $119. Website has all the information.
Has all the information you need. In fact, you can actually see your schedule on there if you want to see other events.
Oh my gosh.
If you're an entrepreneur, you should You should show up. It's the best show.
I came up with a round towel about 20 years ago, and I never made it. And then you never have to move it. You know, tanning, you have to, you know, be positioned to the sun. So I came up with a round towel.
I've seen really good ideas fail and really bad ideas succeed.
Which one was that?
The ones— the bad ideas that never made it.
No, my round towel!
He's not telling me. It's okay.
The round towel.
Somebody else already did it. They already did it. I think you're above me. The round towel, you guys looked at me like, what?
Thanks for coming in.
Thank you very much.
Thank you so much.
All right, well, we've got a new poll showing how San Diegans feel about SANDAG's proposed update to the regional transportation plan. We've got the results of that poll coming up, plus Bruce Peckman. Yep, the muscle man of technology. Come on, lift that up over your head, Bruce. Show us those pecs. You know you're dying to. He's got the best gifts for grads and dads. Now toss it up in the air and catch it too. Oh, I love it. Good job.
Good job, Brucey.
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