Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners , building and investing in community. My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. Before we dive in, we wanted to thank and ask our list...
Aug 21, 2025•29 min
In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast , Neal Bloom sits down with Larsen Jensen, former Olympian, Navy SEAL, and now Managing Partner of Harpoon Ventures, an early-stage venture firm backing founders building in the national interest. Larsen shares the journey from serving Team USA to launching a venture fund focused on what he calls the Freedom Stack - critical technologies like AI, autonomy, cybersecurity, and advanced manufacturing that shape not just industry, but national security...
Aug 19, 2025•30 min
Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners and the Tacos and Tech Podcast . My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. Before we dive in, we wanted to thank and ask our listeners ...
Aug 15, 2025•26 min
In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast , Neal Bloom sits down with Madeline Fraser, the dynamic founder and CEO of Gemist, a B2B SaaS and AI company revolutionizing the jewelry industry. Madeline shares how a frustrating search for a custom engagement ring sparked the idea for Gemist, which now powers customization, stone sourcing, and hyper-realistic rendering for jewelry brands and retailers. With deep product insight and two previous startups under her belt - including an appearance ...
Aug 13, 2025•44 min
Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners and the Tacos and Tech Podcast . My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. Before we dive in, we wanted to thank and ask our listeners ...
Aug 08, 2025•24 min
In this special episode of the podcast, host Neal Bloom takes us inside the Burbank Startup Pitch Fest - an exciting evening of innovation, capital, and community hosted in partnership with the City of Burbank and Rising Tide Partners. We kick things off with a welcome from Burbank’s Economic Development team, highlighting why the city is fast becoming a tech and media hub. Neal then moderates a candid conversation with early-stage investors Amy Harmon (Innovent Capital) and Ben Kahan (Pegasus A...
Aug 06, 2025•1 hr
In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast , host Neal Bloom sits down with Alex Adler, co-founder of Puesto, to talk about how a family with no restaurant background built one of the most beloved modern taco brands in the country. From its La Jolla beginnings to an expanding restaurant group that includes Marisi and Romana Norte, Puesto has grown through a mix of culinary authenticity, operational innovation, and cultural conviction. Alex shares the origin story of Puesto, early pivots tha...
Jul 22, 2025•29 min
Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners and the Tacos and Tech Podcast . My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. Before we dive in, we wanted to thank and ask our listeners ...
Jul 18, 2025•33 min
In this special recorded event episode, Neal Bloom sits down with Trust & Will co-founder and CEO Cody Barbo in front of a live audience at SDSU’s Angel Academy. It’s an honest, behind-the-scenes conversation on what it really takes to back founders at the earliest of stages especially when they are bouncing back from tragedy. Cody and Neal reflect on startup missteps, co-founder breakups, raising from friends and angels, and how real trust (and real checks) get built over breakfast, not pit...
Jul 18, 2025•50 min
In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, host Neal Bloom sits down with Arman and Andrew, of Podhaus, a full-service podcast production studio based in Burbank, CA. From launching just before COVID to building one of LA’s most sought-after recording spaces, the duo shares how they went from music engineering and tech backgrounds to building a creative business in the heart of the media capital, Burbank, CA. We dive into what makes a podcast studio succeed, how to think about production v...
Jul 16, 2025•42 min
Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners and the Tacos and Tech Podcast . My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. Before we dive in, we wanted to thank and ask our listeners ...
Jul 07, 2025•29 min
In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, host Neal Bloom chats with Jeremy Yamaguchi , Founder and CEO of Cabana. A longtime builder in the home services space, Jeremy is now focused on modernizing the pool care industry, one of the largest yet most overlooked service sectors in the U.S. Jeremy shares how his product and marketing background led him to build Cabana with a blend of operational efficiency, software tooling, and local team empowerment. He dives into his strategy around vert...
Jul 03, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners and the Tacos and Tech Podcast . My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. Before we dive in, we wanted to thank and ask our listeners ...
Jun 27, 2025•30 min
In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, host Neal Bloom chats with Andrew Albert , Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Channel Equity Partners . Andrew brings decades of investing experience - from public markets to private software equity - to the table. He shares how his journey from the East Coast to San Diego led to launching a new kind of early growth equity firm focused on bootstrapped or lightly funded B2B SaaS companies. Andrew unpacks his investment strategy, discusses founder-a...
Jun 24, 2025•45 min
Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech , the Tacos and Tech Podcast , and Interlock Capital . My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. Before we dive in, we wanted to thank and...
Jun 20, 2025•37 min
What does it take to design a flawless fan experience for 75,000 people on game day, and millions more watching from home? In this episode, Neal Bloom sits down with Vikrant Bodalia, Vice President of Technology Operations at Allegiant Stadium, to unpack the strategy, innovation, and pressure behind the world's biggest live events. From Super Bowl infrastructure to facial-recognition ticketing, Vikrant shares how he reverse engineers every event from the fan perspective first. With a career that...
Jun 17, 2025•41 min
In this episode of Tacos & Tech , Neal welcomes a longtime friend, Andy Taylor , Co-Founder and CEO of RetroRate . to talk about building a company around an idea few people even know exists: assumable loans. They dig deep into Andy’s journey from building software at Electronic Arts and Apple to leading product at Redfin, launching mortgage startup Approved, and now tackling a hidden opportunity in real estate finance: assumable loans. Andy shares his personal founder journey, lessons learn...
Jun 10, 2025•58 min
Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech , the Tacos and Tech Podcast , and Rising Tide Partners . My co-hosts in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. June 6 Tech News We recorded this wee...
Jun 06, 2025•44 min
In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, host Neal Bloom sits down with CEO of Pictor, a diagnostics company transforming healthcare through proteomics-the science of understanding what the body’s proteins are doing right now. They explore how this next-generation technology is shifting the medical world from slow, reactive testing to real-time, accessible diagnostics for both humans and animals. From Jamie’s early days at Quest Diagnostics to Pictor’s move from New Zealand to San Diego,...
Jun 03, 2025•26 min
Episode Summary: In this episode of the, Neal Bloom chats with Jesse Taylor, Senior Manager of Identity and Middleware Services at UNLV. Jesse shares his journey from early exposure to technology with Atari and Apple II to becoming a technical leader in higher education. They discuss the evolution of technology, the role of AI in augmenting human capabilities, and Jesse’s approach to authentic leadership and team development. Jesse also highlights his work in identity management at UNLV, his inv...
May 28, 2025•40 min
Dive into San Diego's evolving product management landscape with Vidya Dinamani as she announces the inaugural Product Management Summit. Learn how the local tech ecosystem has matured and why bringing world-class product leadership to San Diego matters. Key Topics: • San Diego Product Management Summit (June 5-6) • Evolution from Intuit leadership to Product Rebels • Building Product Tank's 2,500+ member community • Customer-centric product development methodologies • San Diego's maturing tech ...
May 14, 2025•28 min
Applications are open for the next accelerator program! In this episode, Neal Bloom chats with Misti Cain , the new Managing Director of Techstars San Diego powered by SDSU. They discuss the upcoming Year 3 of the program, the application process, and what makes an ideal founder and company for the accelerator. Misty shares insights into the benefits of the SDSU partnership, the updated investment terms, and the importance of community and mentorship in the Techstars ecosystem. Key Topics: - Int...
May 05, 2025•35 min
🔊Listen & Subscribe: Available now on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube , and other major platforms . 👋 Welcome! Welcome to This Week in San Diego Tech ! I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech , the Tacos and Tech Podcast, and Interlock Capital . Joining me as always is Fred Grier, journalist and author of The Business of San Diego Substack , covering startups, funding, and M&A across the region. 🗞️Top Headlines This Week: 🎶 Music Tech Meets the Symphony - link Interlock Capital host...
Apr 21, 2025•37 min
How a third-generation builder turned a storage-unit startup into a national infrastructure powerhouse—and what’s next for tech’s invisible backbone. Floyd Auten, COO and co-founder of TechNet Partners, joins Neal for an episode that digs deep into the literal and figurative foundations of tech. From punchdowns in high school to powering stadiums and data centers across the country, Floyd shares how his family legacy in electrical work turned into a career designing the infrastructure that keeps...
Apr 16, 2025•37 min
Meet Jeff Fenster , a serial entrepreneur, problem solver, and relationship builder who’s scaled multiple businesses by identifying problems worth solving - and assembling the right team to tackle them. Inspired early on by A Shark Never Sleeps , Jeff set out to become a sports agent, only to pivot right after law school and dive into entrepreneurship. His first venture began with a bold move - calling his employer’s bluff and walking out to start his own company, only to face a major hiccup whe...
Apr 08, 2025•55 min
Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech , the Tacos and Tech Podcast , and Interlock Capital . My co-hosts in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. April 4, 2025 Padres 7-0, Dodgers 8-0 in...
Apr 04, 2025•32 min
Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Join us for a roundtable with three longtime builders of San Diego’s startup scene: Jonah Peake of The Social Coyote and The Career Coyote Hussein Yahfoufi of Startup Beach Neal Bloom of Fresh Brewed Tech and Interlock Capital Designing Events That Actually Build Community In this episode, we dive into the elements that actually make an event meaningful—from location and check-in experience to dress code and follow-up com...
Mar 28, 2025•1 hr
Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech , the Tacos and Tech Podcast , and Interlock Capital . My co-hosts in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. 3/27 We recorded this week’s pod live on...
Mar 27, 2025•31 min
Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech , the Tacos and Tech Podcast , and Interlock Capital . My co-hosts in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. Follow Fred on LinkedIn and X Follow Nea...
Mar 20, 2025•26 min
Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech , the Tacos and Tech Podcast , and Interlock Capital . My co-hosts in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. In this episode we talk about: Top Fundi...
Mar 07, 2025•27 min
