Carmel Valley – Business Networking Hub

If you were to read the news, it would seem that the best places to start a business are places like Silicon Valley, Austin and Boston.  Those places all deserve their reputation, but I believe that Carmel Valley is also a great place to start or grow a business.  There are many great places to work in San Diego with downtown, all the wireless companies at Sorrento Mesa and the life sciences cluster in Torrey Pines.  While Carmel Valley is an easy commute to many of those locations, it is also a hub of a ton of activities, events and opportunities of many gatherings of entrepreneurs, service providers and investors.

What caused all of this activity to come to Carmel Valley?  Much of the credit is due to the influx of law offices that have created public spaces that cater to the needs of the business community.  I’ve been to dozens of events in Carmel Valley at a number of law offices and the following is just an overview of some of the groups that meet in their conference rooms or auditoriums.  Most of these events are open to the public although many of them charge a fee so you should check out their websites and sign up for their email notifications.

• CEO Forum – Fish & Richardson is the long time host of the Harvard Business School CEO Forum.  Over the years, dozens of CEO from San Diego and Southern California have presented their corporate strategies at these monthly breakfast meetings.  Not all the CEO’s are Harvard grads and you don’t need to be a Harvard alumnus to attend.
• Connect With Connect – Connect is an innovation accelerator offering a variety of services for free to entrepreneurs and presenting multiple events each month open to the public.  Their premiere networking event, Connect with Connect  is repeated quarterly with over 500 attendees for each event.  Past events have occurred in outdoor spaces at Mintz Levin, Knobbe and Wilson Sonsisi in Carmel Valley.
• CommNexus – is a non-profit technology industry association that works to accelerate the formation, growth, and success of the technology industry in the region. Many of the CommNexus events are hosted by Morrison Foerstor on High Bluff.
• Athena – Athena San Diego is a dynamic organization that unites women executives from the life sciences, technology, engineering and healthcare industries, as well as the services companies supporting these industries.  Athena offers its members leadership training, mentoring, support, and education to address the business issues and challenges confronting women in the executive office.  Athena is based out of the offices of Mintz Levin and holds many events in Carmel Valley.
• Tech Coast Angels – Many successful area entrepreneurs have become part of Tech Coast Angels to invest in other upcoming companies.  Many of their events are held in or near to Carmel Valley.
• San Diego Inventors Forum – Got an invention or an idea and want to learn how to develop it?  The San Diego Inventors Forum meets monthly at Sheppard Mullin on El Camino Real.
• Procopio LaunchPad – The latest law firm to open a Carmel Valley Office is Procopio which is creating a new incubator program, Procopio LaunchPad.  Details are not finalized yet but entrepreneurs will likely get free office space, mentoring and introductions.
• Sales Leadership Forum – This group is a resource for sales management professionals in the San Diego area. The Sales Leadership Forum is a community of sales and business development leaders, providing world-class educational opportunities while connecting these professionals to the region’s top-notch resource providers.  This group meets regularly at Mintz Levin.

We may not want smokestacks and high rises or heavy manufacturing in Carmel Valley, but despite our suburban appearances, Carmel Valley is very often the place where connections are made, business deals are completed and new ventures are launched.  Check out some of the opportunities right in our front yard to start or grow your business.
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Mike Sick is an independent marketing consultant that has worked businesses and clients around the world from his home office in Carmel Valley since 2003.  Having worked with over 50 businesses in a cross section of industries, Mike will write about tips and tricks learned along the way to help you grow or start your business.  Prior to starting his business, Mike was a migrant marketing worker that traveled around the country as a corporate marketing executive.  He has worked for many well known brands including Jack In The Box, Pearle Vision and Arby’s where he was a Marketing VP.  Having worked with a number of inventors, Mike was inspired to invent his own product, a body surfing paddle called the Surf-Grip.  So now even a trip to the beach has a business angle!  A long time volunteer with Connect Springboard, Mike will also introduce San Diego start-ups and Carmel Valley entrepreneurs in his column.  The Sickness is the belief you can get better every day.  Go for it!