Aug '26 Newsletter
“Community.” Is it more than a word?
Actually, Community is 3 words and a choice, a critical one. The first word in Community is “Resident:” one who lives in a group setting. This is an easy way to live. It encompasses us all: “we are here.” The second word is “Citizen”. That's a person who resides in a group setting and takes it upon themself to act in the best interest of all residents. In essence, a Citizen is a person at the heart of this word “Community.” The third word is “Choice:” your actions determine your category! San Diego Sport Innovators was founded with the idea that collaboration and leadership in this business space called the San Diego Lifestyle industry could result in a community of businesses with common goals to create jobs, and new businesses to the benefit of all. Think about just a few pioneering brands who have done just that: UGG, Ralph Rubio and the fish taco, or Reef, Vuori or Sun Bum and prAna, TaylorMade, Taylor Guitars, and GOVX. All the execs in these companies, and many others, made their choice: Citizenship. They are actively working to make San Diego America’s best city. Join us at SDSI. This is Citizenship month where we seek like-minded execs and brands to join us in our mission: it’s an active choice called Community! If you are not already investing in the SDSI community as a member, reach out to renne@sdsportinnovators.com, we would love to welcome you in.
bob
Bill Walton Foundation Update!
The Walton Foundation is up and active! Plans are underway for a “Bill Walton Loves San Diego Week", November 6th at the Belly Up, followed on the 7th with a Bike ride to Bill’s favorite spots and ending that day with the National University Bill Walton Classic at Pechanga with two basketball games: SDSU v Colorado men’s teams and SDSU v USD women's teams. Stay tuned as details emerge.
Welcome New SDSI Members:
Rob Connolly is the co-founder and CEO behind Finlete, a platform rewriting the relationship between fans and the rising pro athletes they root for. Through income share agreements, everyday fans can back athletes with real capital to fund their careers, sharing in the upside when that athlete succeeds. Since launching, Rob has helped raise more than $880,000 for athletes from over 720 investors, with more than 24 percent returning to invest again, and two of the athletes he's backed, Luinder Avila and Jhostynxon Garcia, have already reached the Major Leagues. He's now expanding Finlete across baseball and into new verticals including combat sports, giving fans even more ways to invest in the athletes and stories they care about. Connect with Rob here.
Ross Garrett, the CEO of Surfline and instrumental leader in our industry, has joined the SDSI community. Ross spent nine years building his career at Surfline, rising through product and leadership roles to President before stepping away in 2020 to advise founders and invest in growing consumer brands. He returned to Surfline in 2023 taking on the role of CEO, and many in the SDSI community already know him from the engaging conversation at our Eye of the Innovator event. Connect with Ross and learn more about Surfline here.
GOVX gets a SDSI Gold Star for their dedication to serving those who serve our country and communities, including military service members, first responders, law enforcement officers, emergency medical professionals and other government service personnel. Through their flagship ecommerce site, GOVX.com, brands can authentically reach a growing community of over 13 million verified members. Thousands of trusted brands have a storefront on GOVX.com, offering unbeatable deals to those who serve. With the GOVX verification app, brands can easily enable gated discounts within the checkout flow of their own sites, and more than 7,000 merchants use the app to honor public servants. By leveraging GOVX marketing services, brands can effectively amplify their products or services within an engaged and exclusive community to reinforce their support for those who keep our country and communities safe. GOVX also donates a portion of every order to nonprofits who care for the military and first responder community. Through the GOVX Gives Back initiative, the company has donated more than $3M to deserving groups across the country. Learn more about GOVX here.
Ciara Bernskoetter is the founder of Rapport & Rose, where she provides executive coaching to individuals, partners, and teams, blending strengths-based coaching with a contemporary and very distinctive new approach. Before launching her own practice, she built her coaching and development background at Fortune 500 company Freddie Mac and insurance brokerage giant Lockton, and now gravitates toward people and companies disrupting the status quo. Connect with Ciara here.