Shop Small in Downtown San Jose

The San Jose Downtown Association is running a holiday promotion to encourage people to visit local restaurants and businesses in Downtown San Jose. If you spend $150 at Downtown San Jose businesses between November 20th and December 24th, you'll receive a $50 gift card to a Downtown business. There is also a mysterious Grand Prize drawing. 

Included in the spend are boutiques, cafes, bars, restaurants, and galleries. Each person can submit up to two entries and there are a total of 100 people that can qualify for this reward. There are some exclusions and rules, which you can find over here.

SJMADE FEST June 1-2

SJMADE's most popular event of all time is returning this weekend on June 1st and 2nd at History Park San Jose. SJMADE FEST features over 250 makers, artists, designers, chefs, backers, crafters, and small businesses. For food, there are over 50 food trucks and vendors... a staggering amount for any event.

There are some other surprises there like a Kitten Lounge, K-Pop Plaza with live dance performances, and door prizes. The event is completely free which also makes it a great opportunity to check out History San Jose. It runs from 11am to 6pm on both days and is both kid and dog friendly (leashed). For more info, the full vendor list, and parking suggestions, head over here.

San Jose AI startup raises $72M

Zededa Inc. just announced a $72 million in Series C funding. The company is a cloud-based edge management startup that works with manufacturing, retail, health care, and logistics company. Essentially they bring data closer to where it is needed for faster response times using less bandwidth.

The funds will be used to increase the amount of artificial intelligence and machine learning used in its products.

So far they have raised more than $127 million in funding and are worth about $400 million.

Source: SVBJ

Made in San Jose

Check out SJ Today for a list of 13 things created in San Jose. Hard drives, floppy disks, Eggo waffles, Chuck E. Cheese and several others you probably already knew about. However, I be there is a least one on the list you didn't! See them all over here.

Sidewalk Shops every Sunday through October 29th at San Pedro Square from 1pm to 5pm

A retail experience highlighting local entrepreneurs is taking place every Sunday in front of Moment SJ (60 N. San Pedro Street). Twelve different makers and artists will set up pop-up shops each week along the four local small business storefronts that already exist there--Woofboard, Tiny Keyboard Shop, Boho Moon Art, and Plant Slut.

You can park free for 90 minutes with no validation needed in the San Pedro Garage on-site. Enter the garage at 45 N. Market Street.

It's all outdoors, admission is free, and it's dog friendly. 

It's also a great opportunity to check out your favorite eateries or some of the newer restaurants on San Pedro such as Serious Dumpling, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ, Dr. Funk, and Slice of Homage Pizza.

San Jose is the 3rd best city for startup companies

COMMERCIALCafe has crunched data from the 50 most populous urban centers to find the places that are best suited for entrepreneurs and startup companies. Dallas and San Diego took the two top spots, followed by San Jose, LA, and Houston, and Chicago.

San Jose was ranked first for tech education, tech education growth, and for the success of Kickstarter projects (36% of projects are funded). For tech employment growth, we were 2nd. We are also the seventh-most attractive city for millennials, which is counter to most stereotypes about the South Bay.

To see the full study, please head over here.

ParkStash

University parking can be a huge hassle, so a local SJSU student came up with ParkStash to tackle the problem. The app is like Airbnb for parking. SJSU has 15,050 commuter students and just 5,458 spaces available. Wish ParkStash, students can see how full the garages are and reserve a residential driveway to park in if needed. The driveways are a 5 minute walk from campus. This saves time and also provides a nice way for local residents or businesses to earn some extra income when not using their driveways.

1,784 students at SJSU are already using the app and they are expanding to DeAnza and SJ City College this year. While targeted for students, I don't see why anyone can't use it for easy parking Downtown. You can learn more about the app over here.

Get More Done... Working with Virtual Assistants by SwagSam

SwagSam, Founder, of the podcast network WhatUp Silicon Valley just published his first book!

In the hustle that is Silicon Valley, we are all looking for an edge. We look at the latest trends and will try anything (within reason of course) to give ourselves a competitive edge. Always looking to increase productivity, increase bottom line … and in Silicon Valley to increase company culture!

If you can relate to this feeling that there just aren’t enough hours in a day then and want to reduce stress in your life; then SwagSam’s book “Success With Swag(ger)” is for you. In this book, SwagSam outlines just how he and his team at WhatUp Silicon Valley have used virtual assistants (VA’s)  to grow each of their respective businesses. It’s an actionable step-by-step guide to identifying what tasks that are wasting your time and guides you to hiring your first VA!

You can grab check out the book on Amazon by searching “SwagSam” or just clicking the link here.

WhatUp Silicon Valley is the podcast network on what’s trending in the South Bay for and by young professionals that live the Silicon Valley hustle.

San Jose is the 4th-best city for startups

Business.org crunched several factors such as the percentage of the population with advanced degrees, unemployment rates, startup growth rates, and rents to come up with the best cities in the US for startups. Despite having insanely high rents, San Jose still came in 4th place. SF took the top spot, followed by Austin and Minneapolis.

The percentage of young adults may have also been a factor that worked in other cities' favor. This was a criteria since this demographic tends to be early adopters. For the full list click the source link below.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose Funding Roundup

Several San Jose companies have announced new funding rounds in the past couple months. This typically means more jobs, which also benefits our local economy, as well as exciting new product launches. Below are the beneficiaries of our venture capital ecosystem.

Outset Medical - Medical devices startup that created a portable kidney dialysis machine. They just raised $76.5 million in a Series C round. Outset is headquartered at 1830 Bering Drive near the airport.

Visier - Business intelligence startup that makes workforce analytics software for HR departments. Visier raised a $45 million Series D round and is located at 650-550 S. Winchester Boulevard.

CNEX Labs - They build solid-state storage controllers and software for the next generation of data centers. They just raised a new round of $13.2 million and the funding round was led by Microsoft Ventures. CNEX is located at 2880 Stevens Creek Boulevard.

Chowbotics - They make a robot named Sally that can make over 1,000 different types of salads. Chowbotics is a brand new company that raised a $5 million Series A round and have pilot robots at Mama Mia in Campbell and Galvanize's coworking space in San Francisco.

Bonus: Western Digital did not receive a new funding round--they don't need it with $13 billion of annual revenue--but they did officially move their headquarters from Southern California to San Jose (Great Oaks area off of North First Streed).


Sources: SVBJ, SVBJ, SVBJ, SVBJ, and SVBJ

WeWork is now open in Downtown San Jose

The Silicon Valley Business Journal has some great photos of San Jose's largest coworking space. WeWork has opened a 75,000 SQFT facility at 75 E. Santa Clara Street that provides flexible working space for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Over 60 companies are already in the process of moving in. The total capacity is 1,500 people (100-200 small companies).

Prices range from $350/mo for a "hot desk", $400-$450 for a dedicated desk, $660/mo for a one-person office and increase from that point on. WeWork provides all the necessary amenities and infrastructure such as internet access, printers, conference rooms, cleaning services, water, and coffee.

It's a great model for small companies that also provides a sense of community. Oh yeah, coworking also injects hundreds of entrepreneurs into the Downtown San Jose community, adding to the vibrancy of the area. NextSpace was the first coworking space in Downtown San Jose and it helped to transform that corner at 97 S. 2nd Street.

Check out the source link below for photos of the WeWork facilities and more information.

Source: SVBJ

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the #3 best metro for entrepreneurship growth

In the latest annual Kauffman study for startup funding growth, San Jose rose from fifth to third place on the list behind Washington D.C. and Austin. Note that this ranking is for growth and not total funding. In terms of total funding, the Bay Area nabbed $34 billion in investment during 2015, which is 27% of all the money invested in startups for the entire world. San Francisco dropped rank in the study from sixth place to eighth place.

The report also ranked the San Jose metro as being #1 for "emerging growth IPO density," whatever that means. San Francisco clocked in at #2 for that list.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose's Skybox Security raises $96M in private equity

Skybox is a cybersecurity business that has been around for 14 years. They help customers manage and analyze threat data and prioritize risks. Some of the largest global banks, telecoms, and energy providers user their solutions.

Skybox has raised a whopping $96 million in their latest financing round, which is more than double all of the funding the company has ever received in the past. The company is profitable but likely will not go public for another couple of years.

Currently Skybox has 120 employees and they are looking to add up to 50 new hires in 2016. Their headquarters is at 2099 Gateway Place, near the airport.

Source: SVBJ

TiE Silicon Valley Hackathon Addresses Real-Time Global Challenges of Urbanization

The TiE SV Hackathon, powered by Atomiton, is global in nature and will focus on tackling three real-world issues within the “Smart City” overall theme

TiE Silicon Valley, a not for profit organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship in the Bay Area and globally, today announced its upcoming Hackathon related to Smart Cities.  The goal of the Hackathon is to provide solutions that solve real world issues caused by urbanization around the globe.  The event will begin in January 2016 and will last for two weeks.  Winners will be invited to attend TiECon 2016, TiE's largest annual conference, and will also have an opportunity to win prizes and publicity.

In this first series of Hackathons, TiE will present a Smart City theme that addresses global urban issues.  Although many urban issues are shared globally, they may have local interpretations based on a particular region.  This is an initiative where governments, academia, developers and corporations are collaborating to make an impact on society across the globe.  To reflect the diversity of urban challenges and solutions around the world, this Hackathon will highlight the following smart city problem spaces:

Smart Parking – Developers take on the role of private parking operators with the goal of optimizing revenue by efficient and competitive management of parking spaces and pricing

Waste Disposal Management – Developers assume the role of private waste management companies that want to efficiently identify, gather and transport solid waste to landfills, while preventing random dumping

Water Access Management – Developers are NGOs working to improve water access by utilizing a fixed amount of funds to guarantee water access to as many households as possible

"Urban population is expected to grow from 50% in 2008 to 75% by 2050. Growth in population, constrained financial and natural resources, carbon footprint, and traffic congestion put a strain on a city's ability to provide sustainable services," stated Venktesh Shukla, president, TiE Silicon Valley.  He noted "TiE's SmartCity Hackathon is a great initiative that will foster innovation in quality of urban services, reduce cost and promote efficient use of resources, leaving a better environment for future generations."

Registration is open to anyone across the globe, whether a TiE member or not, and will provide participants the opportunity to collaborate with other teams at local and international levels.

For more information about the TiE SV Hackathon, please visit http://sv.tie.org/hackathon/.

About TiESilicon Valley
TiE Silicon Valley is a not for profit organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship in the Bay Area, as well as globally.  TiE strives to inspire entrepreneurs through mentoring, networking, education, incubating and funding programs and activities.  With nearly 50 events held each year, TiE brings together the entrepreneurial community to learn from local leaders, as well as each other.  For more information, please visit our website at sv.tie.org.

About Atomiton
Atomiton is a Silicon Valley-based Internet of Things (IoT) technology company focused on delivering the next generation middleware to power interconnected and smart systems. For more information, visit www.atomiton.com.

WeWork Wants to Build Co-Working Office Space Downtown

WeWork is the leading co-working office company in the United States. Co-working is a hot product for entrepreneurs right now who don't need a lot of space but are looking to be part of a start-up culture and atmosphere. It usually involves a minimal amount of dedicated space and a whole lot of shared resources that include everything from conference rooms to beer and popcorn. Currently, NextSpace on 92 S. Second is the only co-working location in Downtown San Jose.

WeWork is a $10 billion company (with 30,000 members) that is looking to build its first Silicon Valley location in Downtown San Jose. While the company has five offices in San Francisco, there are none in the South Bay.

The rumor is that they are looking to lease between 70,000 and 90,000 SQFT of office space from the Towers@2nd complex on Second Street. These are twin high-rises with Ike's Sandwiches and ISO:Beers on the ground floor. It is also the complex housing the San Jose Mercury News.

If this comes to fruition, it will mean a lot more startups coming to Downtown San Jose. This would no doubt continue to drive the cultural Renaissance Downtown San Jose is experiencing and help fill vacancies with office and retail. Downtown is proving to be an ideal place where people can work, live, and play. As entrepreneurs graduate from co-working to their own dedicated spaces, there are options of all shapes and sizes in Downtown San Jose along with enough housing coming online to put their workers withing walking distance. The future is coming, and it's looking good.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose Patent Office Officially Opening on October 15!

The first and only Patent Office on the West Coast will open the doors to its permanent location on October 15th. Considering that San Jose companies and residents submit more patents than any other city on the earth, the location in the the heart of Downtown San Jose is particularly befitting.

The office will be a huge quality-of-life improvement to local innovators and entrepreneurs who will no longer have to travel east in order to complete patent filings. It will also of course be a boon to the local Downtown San Jose community, since people from all over the Western States will be visiting this office. I'm sure that surrounding office space near the Patent Office will soon house complimentary services such as patent consultants and lawyers.

Its a big win for San Jose, and it all comes to fruition October 15th!

Source: SVBJ

First Saturdays by SJMADE at Whole Foods!

SJMADE is launching a pop-up market filled with local artisans and designers at Downtown San Jose's new Whole Foods on The Alameda. The event runs from 11am-7pm every first Saturday of the month (hey that's today!) at the breezeway between the Whole Foods main entrance and the Tap Room.

I love how Whole Foods is allowing these types of events on their premises that add value and engage the local community. Hopefully this one will run year-round.

First Saturdays at Whole Foods, The Alameda
777 The Alameda, San Jose
First Saturdays
11:00am - 7:00pm

Saturday Stats: 2014 End-of-the-Year Meta Post!

Its that time of the year again where we can look back and see all of the accolades San Jose has collected in 2014. This year's list is the longest I have compiled so far. Thank you to everyone that has sent in links for these articles!

This year we have gotten everything from the smartest city, the best big city for jobs, the best city for small business, the city with the highest pay, and even the happiest city to work in. For the first time we even landed on a "coolest city" list.

Check out the impressive meta-list below and for links to the articles head over to this Google doc.

#1	Best City to Flip a House	24/7 Wall Street	2014	SF #2
#1	Smartest City in America	TODAY Show	2014
#9	City with Momentum in the World	Jones Lang LaSalle	2014	SF #1, NY #6
#2	Top Performing Rental Market in the Country	SVBJ	2014	SF #3
#9	Best City for Female Entrepreneurs	Nerdwallet	2014	SF #2
#1	Apartment Boom Town	SpareFoot	2014	SF #8
#5	Best City for Overall Well-Being	USAToday	2014	SF #9
#3	Lowest obesity rate for metros larger than 1 million people	Gallop	2014	SF #3
#11	Top City for Millennials to Live, Work, and Play	Huff Post Collecge	2014	SF #5, NY #1
#1	Best Big City for Jobs	Forbes	2014	SF #2, NY #7
#2	Safest City of Driving	NBC	2014	NY #1, SF did not rank
#1	Best City for Small Business	Biz2Credit	2014	SF #5, NY #7
#6	Healthiest City in the US	ACSM	2014	SF #5, NY #24
#3	Most Upward Mobile City in the US	The Atlantic	2014	SF #5, NY #10
#1	Happiest City to Work In	CareerBliss	2014	SF #3
#1	Best City to Work In	Glassdoor	2014	SF #2, NY did not rank
#1	Best City for STEM Graduates	NerdWallet	2014	SF #5
#16	America's Coolest City 2014	Forbes	2014	SF #5, NY #11
#1	Most Expensive Metro in the US	SocketSite	2014	SF #2
#19	Top City for Culture	PropertyShark	2014	SF #16, NY #13
#7	Top Place in the US to Cool Off Before Summer Ends	SpareFoot	2014
#2	Best Job Market in the US for Recent Grads	The Atlantic	2014	SF #1, NY #28
#7	Most Educated City in the US	WalletHub	2014	SF #14, NY #51
#5	Best City to Trick-or-treat In	Zillow	2014	SF #1
#1	Easiest City for Finding a Job	Forbes	2014	SF and NY did not rank
#1	City with the Top Median Pay	Forbes	2014	SF #2, NY #8

More Co-Working Space Opening Downtown!

I have a feeling that Downtown San Jose is going to become a mecca for start-ups. Given the infrastructure, low prices, and patent office in Downtown, I wouldn't be too surprised if one day we start giving Palo Alto and Mountain View a run for their money.

Regus has recently announced that they are opening a 10,000 SQFT co-working office space at 99 Almaden designed to accommodate entrepreneurs and startups in Silicon Valley. This will be Downtown's fifth co-working space. The other four are NextSpace, Pacific Business Center, the San Jose Business Center, and the Executive Suites.

On a slightly unrelated note, there are now over 90 creative firms in Downtown San Jose! Here is the list.

Die Hards Co. Kickstarter!

San Jose natives Adam and Ben Mayberry launched the Die Hards Co. four years ago with the mission of creating unique gear for die hard Bay Area sports fans. Now they are ready to take their company to the next level with higher-quality apparel made locally in the Bay Area that will perfectly match the official colors of all seven Bay Area teams. The team launched a Kickstarter to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into a reality. Combined with a Creative Industries Incentive Fund grant that they received from the City of San Jose, this campaign will have a huge impact on helping a local San Jose business achieve success.

The best part is that they already hit their goal, meaning any pledges $5 or more will receive a guaranteed reward. To find out more, watch the video below and then head over to the Kickstarter page to contribute!

Bay Area Sports Apparel From  The DIE HARDS COMPANY Announces Launch Of A KICKSTARTER To Manucature Made In The Bay Area Apparel

SAN JOSE, Calif.,—Since 2010, local clothing company, The Die Hards Company. has been providing Bay Area sports fans apparel, including t-shirts, sweaters and hats, to wear proudly when cheering on their favorite team.  Their tagline “Sport Your Colors” is the foundation for their brand as they strictly cater to the loyal fans of the seven professional sports teams in the San Francisco Bay Area.

With innovative designs—including their best-selling “Hella,” “Fin City” and “I Survived the Stick” t-shirts—The Die Hards Co. has continued to grow, mostly from their strong social media presence. With their 4th Anniversary closing in, they intend to take their company to the next level.

The Die Hards Co. is pleased to announce the launch of a Kickstarter campaign to crowd source the funds needed to manufacture their tshirts using factories in the Bay Area.  Previously they have purchased shirts from companys that sew they blank shirt options over seash.

Through the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs and the Center for Cultural Innovation, they were selected to receive the Creative Industries Incentive Fund grant. Using Kickstarter to match the funds provided in the grant, we can produce high quality, Made in the Bay Area shirts matching official colors of all seven Bay Area teams.  Without these funds they would not be able to meet the minimums needed for manufacturing