Jan. '26 Newsletter
San Diego: Hot Bed for Entrepreneurism!
If you are a local, maybe an oldish one, you might remember when the San Diego lifestyle industry was a tiny cottage industry. When the I-5 was completed and UCSD was up and running, more and more people began to think about what an amazing place San Diego was, and how great it would be to live and work here. I will say that the first among us to start to sell our lifestyle began in 1983 with a guy named Ralph who had the idea to sell fish tacos around California. Soon Rubio’s was selling the wonders of San Diego’s local cuisine across the US. Many others followed. In no order, Reef sandals, UGG, DC Shoes, praNa, Spy, Driftline, No Fear, 100% eyewear, Vuori, Blenders, Sanuk, ParkIt, Sun Bum, TaylorMade, the entire Golf hardgoods industry, and 8 professional sports teams…a cascade of brands that truly represent our lifestyle. Many have scaled up to global brand status and helped make San Diego the destination it is today.
San Diego is a hot bed of Innovation. Our location is ideal: Ocean to the west, desert to the east, Mexico and its promise as the “new China” to our south…and blessedly Camp Pendleton, 26 miles of green space barrier making the hassle to drive south just enough to keep the OC “up there!”
There’s more: 4 Universities and 15 Community colleges are creating a super educated work force. San Diego has the highest percent of advanced degrees in the country. UCSD graduates more engineers that Stanford and Berkeley combined!
And then there is SDSI, us! We are small enough to get things done, but big enough to make a difference in creating and sustaining new companies and jobs. Our Bill Walton Innovation Lab has now matriculated over 100 new companies and more than 1000 new jobs. We have helped them raise over $100 Million in startup capital. An unbelievable 78% of our graduate companies succeed.
Does size matter? Today the San Diego Lifestyle industry tops $6.3 Billion in economic impact, about the same size as our internationally famous Zoo!
So…February is the SDSI Innovation month. We plan to honor Founders, encourage newbies, celebrate the successes of those who made their brands all about the San Diego Lifestyle.
What better way to start celebrating brand creation than this:
SDSI, its Membership, and all the amazing Mentors in our Walton Innovation Lab are happy to announce the graduation of this week of Dry Company, Tern, VIVE CF, and Sundoc Studios! If you are among those of us who have started companies, you know what a moment this is. If you are aspiring to give birth to a company, you can stand aside and applaud these four companies for getting their company across the finish line at SDSI and ready for the start line of a long lived business! Kudos to Dana Rowley for her amazing leadership!
Want to help a young company succeed? Help them apply to the next cohort. Click here for more info.
Join us for our Innovators Happy Hour: Feb 5th
Shed the mid-winter blues with your mates Thursday, Feb. 5th, at 5pm at the SDSI Office. No power point, no agenda, no hassle...just a celebration of our innovation community. While these happy hours are all about fun, the outcome for our community is real businesses development, partnerships, shared knowledge & resources. These happy hours are also all about growing our community. If you know a brand leader or entrepreneur who would be a good fit to join SDSI, bring them! Help us make our community stronger. RSVP here!
SDSI Business Buzz: Feb 11th
If you needed an excuse to drink coffee with friends – we got you! "Innovation in our Community" is the theme. Connect with industry leaders and innovators for a casual cup of coffee, breakfast, and conversation. Share ideas, build relationships and explore the latest topics shaping our community.
SDSI is Partnering with Reef for our Eye of the Innovator Series: Feb 26th
Our Eye of the Innovator series brings the SDSI Community together to inspire greatness, think out of the box, and uplift others with our industry leaders as keynote speakers. This year we are excited to announce a partnership with Reef, who will be hosting our Eye of the Innovator events at their amazing headquarters. Ross Garrett, CEO of Surfline will be our Keynote speaker Feb 26th at 5pm. Under Ross's guidance Surfline has emerged from its historic roots as a "surf report" to an amazing media platform operating at scale. Surfline will play a major role in the future of surfing. Join us to hear Ross share his vision for our sport! RSVP’s will open February 15.
Join us. As in everything in life, You must be present to win!
A Free Booth at CARV Expo?!?
SDSI is partnering with CARV Expo to award two member companies complimentary 10x10 booths at the West Coast’s only action sports and outdoor lifestyle trade show, May 14–15, 2026 at the San Diego Convention Center. This grant puts your brand directly in front of independent retailers and specialty buyers who trust CARV’s curated exhibitor floor. If you’re an SDSI member and have never exhibited at CARV, apply now for the SDSI Breakout Brand Grant. Deadline: February 11, 2026.