To get right to it… we still have a lot to do. We greatly appreciate
your help and support.
The singular point of this merger was to get big sh#t done, and to make
a BIG meaningful difference for our community.
As a region, we have made incredible progress in just the last few years.
We’re proud of our part.
We’ve counseled hundreds of companies. We’ve brought over 200 VCs to San Diego annually. We’ve helped a great many companies raise their hardest round of funding — Series A. We’ve tangibly helped bring hundreds of millions of dollars to SD. And, we’ve done our best to collaborate in building the community together.
In each of the last two years, SD companies raised in excess of $2 BILLION. We should all rejoice in that data point, and not take it for granted — it’s downright amazing.
It wasn’t long ago that we were begging VCs to come visit. Now we’re getting 3-4 incoming calls a week… it’s fantastic. But — we can always do better. We have left a lot on the table — we need to do better. Simultaneously, the challenges evolve, as do the opportunities to seize. We won’t be complacent. And we must remember what helped get us here — our collaboration and working together as a community. We must continue to help our startup founders. We must never become arrogant.
I’m proud of the Connect/SDVG team. We are here to help build this ecosystem, because we care. Together, we busted it to build a strong foundation to make this merger work. And together, with you, we are going to CRUSH IT in 2020, and a long time beyond. We hope you join us for the ride! Thank you for all you have done to help make SD what it is today!
Thank you! Let’s have some fun while we DO this thing!
— Mike & the Connect team