ALISO VIEJO, Calif., May 17, 2018 – OCTANe, Orange County’s life sciences and technology accelerator, announced today a new collaboration with Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA) and San Diego Venture Group (SDVG). The newly formed Innovation Network of Southern California (INSoCal) aims to make Southern California’s accelerators more impactful and reduce fragmentation by leveraging the strengths of key constituents to produce stronger results.
By bringing key innovators together throughout the Southern California ecosystem, the region will become a unified hub of innovation and provide greater value to existing companies and those considering expanding their operations into the area.
Through quarterly meetings, the goal of the network is to nurture a large, collaborative ecosystem and share resources including industry events throughout Southern California. Universities, investors, incubators and industry leaders will participate to achieve this goal.

As Southern California leaders unify, the network of investors will increase. With new investors, additional companies and startups will be drawn to the Southern California ecosystem. Additionally, investors will have the opportunity to gain awareness to all the growing companies in the region, which will open up further deal flow and create better investment opportunities.
OCTANe, LAVA and SDVG will formally introduce INSoCal at OCTANe’s signature event, Technology Innovation Forum (TIF), taking place at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa from May 31- June 1, 2018. On the second day of the conference, INSoCal will host a panel to discuss how it will operate and unite the Southern California innovation ecosystem. To learn more about TIF and see the full agenda, visit www.TIF2018.com.

“Southern California is one of the most dynamic technology hubs in the world. Combining resources enables our region to attract more capital, build more companies and create more jobs” said Bill Carpou, CEO of OCTANe. “I am excited to partner with two of the top organizations in Los Angeles and San Diego to build a seamless ecosystem leading innovation.”

“It’s a no-brainer,” said Mike Krenn, CEO of San Diego Venture Group. “Our regions all possess different strengths, with amazing companies in a wide variety of areas – from e-commerce, media, software, mobile, health tech, life sciences and more. Our collective universities and our ability to attract talent are second to none. Each individual region grows stronger when we work together.”

“Bridging the gap of innovation and capital is a challenge for companies in all three counties,” said Len Lanzi, executive director of the Los Angeles Venture Association. “By working together, we can gather more resources and foster a stronger sustainable ecosystem. We are looking forward to coordinating on-the- ground efforts and assisting startups across our region.”

About OCTANe
OCTANe is building the SoCal of Tomorrow by connecting people, resources and capital to fuel technology growth in Southern California. Its members represent technology executive leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, academicians, and strategic advisors, all working together to fuel innovation in the region. The organization has helped more than 800 companies via the LaunchPadTM SBDC accelerator. LaunchPadTM companies have received more than $2.1 billion in investment and equity exits. These investments have supported the creation of more than 8,200 new jobs. OCTANe annually welcomes more than 7,000 people to its signature events and programs. More than 2,000 business leaders throughout the region are OCTANe members. For more information, visit www.octaneoc.org.

About SDVG
San Diego Venture Group is a non-profit business association with a mission to support and promote the startup company ecosystem in the San Diego region. The group meets regularly with investors and venture capitalists throughout the US. We take zero fees of any kind, and help quality companies connect with quality investors. Our member community includes VCs, angel investors, entrepreneurs, startup grinders, experienced executives, and market influencers. For more information, visit www.sdvg.org.

About LAVA
Since 1985 the Los Angeles Venture Association has been providing forums where entrepreneurs and executives of start-up, emerging growth and late stage venture funded companies actively meet and learn from fellow executives, investors, bankers, financial advisors and other providers of professional services. Our extensive slate of monthly Strategic Interest Group meetings and panel discussions feature exceptional presentations by prominent members of our investment, entrepreneurial, business and academic communities. Our annual Meet the VC conference, First Look LA and the LAVA Awards Dinner are our region’s premiere forums on investment capital. We also co-produce events with many of our affiliated organizations. For more information, visit www.lava.org.