Startup San Diego proudly served over 7,000 stakeholders across the startup ecosystem in all program initiatives in 2025. Our reach spanned over 22 events across the county of San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, increasing accessibility and connectivity of our regional entrepreneurial community at low or no cost. Impact at this scale was only possible through the support from our sponsors, partners, 165 volunteers, 108 annual members, and a dedicated board of directors. Startup San Diego is committed to continuing to grow our community in 2026 and remains driven by our mission to connect, educate, and inspire a more cohesive and innovative San Diego startup ecosystem.
2025 was a pivotal year for Startup San Diego. We nearly doubled our impact through new innovate events such as the FirstWave Innovator Hackathons and workshops, Last Fridays Co-Working Days, and Lunch and Learns. Plus our signature programming, 1st Mondays, and San Diego Startup Week. This year we also introduced a “tech-week” model by launching Startup Week X, a community-driven program amplifying industry-focused events throughout Startup Week. With over 7,000+ in-person attendees in 2025, we’re grateful we got to serve our startup community in a larger capacity.
After feedback from our community, our team and board worked hard to serve the startup ecosystem in 2024. We focused on the community’s needs, which included more curated events focused on investor and founder relation, customer acquisition, brand building, and mentorship. Most of all, we got internationally recognized tech leader and former Qualcomm Co-founder and Chairman, Irwin Jacobs, to headline our San Diego Startup Week event, a feat never done before in Startup San Diego history. We’re building here in the San Diego – Baja region, check out the latest impact report!
Not only was 2023 a celebratory and monumental year for Startup San Diego, we also welcomed in Lisa Barnhouse as the 3rd Executive Director for the organization. With her and the board’s leadership, and staff, volunteer and community partner support, Startup San Diego was able to increase ecosystem engagement and present events across the Tijuana – San Diego region.
In 2022 it was a year of rebuilding for Startup San Diego. Coming out of the COVID virtual/hybrid era to an entirely in-person program, was a huge change for the organization. Throughout the year SSD experienced double attendance at our events and hosted San Diego Startup Week in 4 days in 4 locations.
Take a look at our comprehensive impact report which looks at the success of Startup San Diego, a letter from our executive director, and the growth of the San Diego tech ecosystem. Learn about our programs, experiences, events and find out how you can get involved in the Startup community.
