Accelerate Your Startup
Jumpstart your tech, medtech or climate tech company by amplifying your capital funding strategy with our Top 5 SBDC ranked accelerator, a pro bono service funded by the SBA.
LaunchPad SBDC Offers
A Strengthened Capital Funding Strategy
Actionable Feedback
Access to an Influential Network
Our Proprietary Predictive Analytics
We work with companies in Southern California & beyond (Canada, Israel & many more places!)
Want to Apply to LaunchPad SBDC but Don’t have a Pitch Deck Yet? Get Our Templates!
Our templates will help you to create your pitch presentation step by step. From the essential information you need to include, to elements that will help you stand out from the crowd, our templates for your pitch presentation and executive summary will set you on a path toward success. Below is just to receive a template, but if you’re interested in applying for LaunchPad SBDC – apply above!
Octane & LaunchPad SBDC has assisted over 1,573 companies since 2010. In 2022, LaunchPad SBDC Alumni raised $5.2B in funding.
I was beyond thrilled, humbled, and honored to be invited to be a LaunchPad presenter at the innovative Aesthetics Tech Forum by Octane in 2022 and have the opportunity to showcase APX Platform, a cloud-based, practice optimization platform, consisting of training, courses, financial calculators, data analytics and community for aesthetic practices to improve efficiency and increase profitability. The feedback I received was incredible, and the opportunity to increase visibility among the top doctors, investors, and other entrepreneurs in Southern California proved invaluable to my company. Within just over a year of presenting at Octane, I was invited to return in 2023 to present our success story and in just two years my company completed a merger with Engage Technologies Group and now provides a comprehensive practice optimization and patient engagement solution. I’m so grateful for the opportunity Octane provided me and would encourage any startup to participate in their innovative program.
CLI Studios Completed $7M Round
Octane’s 2019 Technology Innovation Forum LaunchPad SBDC Presentation Winner, CLI Studios, completed a $7M round to expand and grow their company. Read their success story and hear how the LaunchPad team helped them solidify their pitch and strategy leading into this funding round.
Our Proven Process
1
Apply to LaunchPad SBDC
Apply to LaunchPad SBDC by sending an investor deck and executive summary, to be reviewed by the LaunchPad team.
2
Meet the LaunchPad SBDC Team
Upon acceptance of your application, the LaunchPad team will schedule the first meeting with you.
3
Strategic Mentorship
Meet with the LaunchPad SBDC team and present deck. If it’s the right fit, you will receive strategic mentorship until your company is ready for the LaunchPad SBDC Evaluation Panel.
4
Present Your Company to Experts
LaunchPad SBDC Evaluation Panel: Present your company to a panel of subject matter experts related to your industry and receive quantitative and qualitative feedback.
5
Receive Analytics & Feedback
The LaunchPad SBDC team will provide a debrief of the evaluation panel, including a detailed analytics report that will further prepare your company for raising capital.
6
Join Our Alumni
You are now part of a distinguished alumni network! Get involved with Octane Capital & Growth and raise capital for your company.
Preferred Panelist
Our Strategic Expert Panelists are a dynamic group of industry professionals. Preferred Panelists offer expert feedback from their careers, experience, and—sometimes—gut. The feedback is constructive but also provides a candid view of the likelihood that the venture’s story will lead to capital investment and/or commercialization. Interested to learn more about LaunchPad SBDC Preferred Panelists? Email Joseph Wyno at joseph@octaneoc.org.
Our Industry Focus in Tech, MedTech and Climate Tech
AgTech
AR | VR | AI | IoT
Big Data & Analytics
BioTech
Cardiology
Clean Tech
Diagnostics
Digital Health
Electrification
eSports
FinTech
Hardware | Software
Information Technology
Life Sciences
Medical Device
Medical Technology
Mobile
Neurology
Ophthalmology
Pharmaceuticals
SaaS
Sports & Active Tech
License the award-winning LaunchPad SBDC Process for your organization.
Utilize our proprietary process to launch companies locally! Your organization will be able to access our process for powerful analytics that drive success.
Events Search and Views Navigation
July 2022
Healthsocal.ai Official Launch Event
Come join our fireside chat panel on Mental Health and AI, which will include business, technology, and community leaders discussing how to solve for mental health issues in underserved and underrepresented SoCal communities via Artificial Intelligence. Be the first to hear about our point of view on AI in mental health along with various areas of engagement for collective impact. Join for our first in-person launch of healthsocal.ai on July 13th, which will include a fireside chat panel followed by…
Find out more »Women Leaders of Octane – July Quarterly Meeting
RSVP Here Please join Women Leaders of Octane for our virtual quarterly meeting, Wednesday, July 20 from 12 - 1 pm PST, featuring Spotlight Thought Leader, Mina Sooch, CEO, President, and Founder of Ocuphire Pharma and Vice-Chair of the Board. In addition to our thought leader, our committee chairs will share progress reports: Our Committees and Committee Chairs: Creating Women-led Businesses & LaunchPad Committee – Marinela Gombosev, SPARK Neuro Funding Committee – Delilah Panio, Toronto Stock Exchange Women on Boards…
Find out more »WLO Convene
Each quarter, one or more of our Women Leaders of Octane will plan a date and location for women to gather (not sponsored) for a casual cocktail hour at a local area bar/restaurant patio. Join these WLO Convene events to expand your network as we work to increase the ranks of women entrepreneurs and business leaders, help facilitate access to funding, and influence more women on boards. Thursday, July 28 5:00 pm, Bistango, 19100 Von Karman Avenue, Irvine, CA. Register…
Find out more »August 2022
Summer Social 2022
2022 is a big year for Octane as we celebrate our 20th Anniversary. We are so grateful for everyone who supports our business as members, partners and advocates. We hope you come and enjoy an evening of appetizers, drinks, guided tours of Edwards Lifesciences and mingle with Octane Board of Directors, Leadership Teams and other luminaries who have contributed to our success over the last 20 years. Wednesday, August 10, at Edwards Lifesciences Headquarters in Irvine, CA 5:00PM - 7:00PM…
Find out more »Leadership Ignite Series with Ramin Mousavi, President & CEO of CathWorks
Leadership Ignite Series 2022 This year, Octane will host a series of six intimate Zoom sessions featuring prominent leaders in Orange County. Each session will allow you to hear about the leader and ask them questions in an intimate digital or in-person session (when applicable). Join us for this exciting opportunity. All sessions have limited capacity. Join us at our upcoming event: August 18th: 10-11AM PST - Ramin Mousavi, President & CEO of CathWorks Topic: Leading Innovation & Entrepreneurship: The…
Find out more »September 2022
High Tech Awards 2022
The much-anticipated High Tech Awards celebrate the top innovators, entrepreneurs and technology leaders in Orange County. Join us for the 2022 High Tech Awards to celebrate and recognize those individuals and companies who make Orange County a center of technology and medical technology innovation. RSVP here September 29, 2022 at the AV Irvine, 16500 Scientific Way, Irvine, CA 92618
Find out more »October 2022
Octane / Insperity Webinar: Recession, Inflation, Business realities – what they mean to your employees and your profits
Join Octane and Insperity for a live webinar on Wednesday, October 12th at 8AM PST. Tough times don't last; tough people do. In business, tough means resilient, adaptable, strategic, and focused on a vision. Unfortunately, the news lately has been ominous, and the economy, the stock market, and the supply chain are all telling us there might be a storm approaching. This webinar will discuss things you, as a business owner or leader, can do to shore up your people…
Find out more »Women Leaders of Octane Quarterly Meeting – October 2022
RSVP Here Please join Women Leaders of Octane for our virtual quarterly meeting, Wednesday, October 19th from 12 - 1 pm PST, featuring Spotlight Thought Leader, Caren Mason, President and Chief Executive Officer at STARR Surgical. In addition to our thought leader, our committee chairs will share progress reports. Our Committees and Committee Chairs: Creating Women-led Businesses & LaunchPad Committee – Marinela Gombosev, SPARK Neuro Funding Committee – Delilah Panio, Toronto Stock Exchange Women on Boards Committee – Joyce Averna, JP…
Find out more »WLO Workshop: Women on Corporate Boards
Join us at for a Women Leaders of Octane interactive workshop part of Octane's Medical Innovation Forum taking place October 27-28 at the Irvine Marriott! You must be registered for the forum to attend this free workshop. Register first for Octane's Medical Innovation Forum here. Once registered for the Forum, to attend the Women On Boards Workshop you can sign up here>> Women on Corporate Boards: What it’s Like, How to Prepare & How To Do It Thursday, October 27…
Find out more »November 2022
Webinar: Thinking of Opening a US Branch Office? US Work Visa Options
Setting up a business in the USA can be quite exciting. But there are also many challenges. In-depth market research and planning can minimize the risks. Join Mitch Wexler, Managing Partner, Fragomen as he discusses US Work Visa Options. This will go over the more common visa options that you should consider, their timelines, eligibility requirements, challenges and the application process for each. Register Here>>
Find out more »