At NextSpace, our mission is to catalyze local talent, local ideas, and local capital in Santa Cruz to create products, service, and solutions for the global marketplace. One way we accomplish that mission is by producing our quarterly NextSpace Investors Forum. Tonight, five great local companies will be pitching to a group of two dozen local angel investors. We’re proud to say that all five companies fall under the broad umbrella of clean, green, sustainable, and local. Here’s the low-down:
1) ZoomPool (http://zoompool NULL.com/) will be presenting their platform for a safer, more reliable rideshare/carpool matching service.
2) Studio Cruz (http://studiocruz NULL.com/), an industrial design company, will be presenting a prototype for their disruptive innovation: a continuously variable gear system for bicycles.
3) RideSpring (http://ridespring NULL.com/)will be presenting their web-based service that make alternative commuting easier, more convenient, and more rewarding.
4) Verdafero (http://www NULL.verdafero NULL.com/), an enterprise software company, will be presenting their enterprise-based SaaS product for managing your company’s triple bottom line.
5) Neighborsville (http://neighborsville NULL.com/), a Web 2.0 company, will be presenting their hyper-local social networking platform.
What about the angel investors? Here’s a flavor of who will be there: current and former CEO’s of publicly-traded companies; current and former senior managers at big companies like Intel and eBay; serial entrepreneurs who have founded and led companies to seven-, eight-, and nine-figure exits; attorneys with plenty of experience with start-up deal flow; former hedge fund managers and private equity managers; serial angel investors who have made early placements in companies like Google and Sun Microsystems; and former statewide office-holders (these guys might not write checks, but I bet they know people who will….!).
So, local talent? Check. Local ideas? Check. Local capital? Check. Product, services, and solutions for the global marketplace? Check, check, and….check.
Something very special is happening in Santa Cruz around entrepreneurship and sustainability. Thanks to all five of tonight’s companies for having the brains and the guts to be a part of it. And thanks to the NextSpace community–and all the entrepreneurs, geeks, and innovators in Santa Cruz–for creating a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in this amazing little seaside city.
Meanwhile, if you’re an entrepreneur looking for a chance to pitch, or if you’re an investor looking for a chance to help build the Santa Cruz economy, please drop us a line (nextspace null@null nextspace NULL.us). I’ll say it again: Something very special is happening in Santa Cruz around entrepreneurship and sustainability. Get on board.