Curated by The Social Coyote: San Diego's weekly pulse of the startup and builder ecosystem
This list reflects Jonah's personal view of who's worth knowing in the SD builder ecosystem. It's a living document. Not exhaustive, just trusted.
Last updated: March 2026
Every person on this list is here for a reason. The "Why they're on the list" column tells you exactly why they're here. Use it to decide if reaching out directly makes sense. Find them on LinkedIn, follow their work, and go from there.
| Name | Company | Why They're on the List | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neal Bloom | Rising Tide Partners | https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealbbloom/ | One of the top 3 connectors in San Diego. We actually started the show This Week in SD Tech together. Knows nearly everyone and has an uncanny memory for connections. |
| Andy White | Keshif Ventures | https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanstarter/ | Can be found at events around town and has spent much time investing and supporting the ecosystem in other ways. |
| Serhat Pala | Cross Ocean Ventures | linkedin.com/in/serhatpala/ | Build a version of Amazon before Amazon, and didn’t realize it. This is not a negative, it’s a tip of the cap to this entrepreneur turned investor. |
| Silvia Mah | Stella Angels | https://www.linkedin.com/in/silviamah | One of the most vocal champions for female founders in San Diego. Prolific angel an ecosystem champion. |
| Hem Suri | Spark Growth Ventures | https://www.linkedin.com/in/hemsuri/ | A little harder to run into but incredibly kind. We had a crossed paths at EvoNexus as the pandemic was ramping up. |
| Ohad Tzur | Venture Forward Capital | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ohadtzur/ | Just an awesome guy. Sold his company to google, fun energy. |
| Ashok Kamal | NuFund Venture Group | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashokkamal/ | Helped turn around Tech Coast Angels which eventually became NuFund. He’s bet at the helm for years and is part of the reason for the success of NuFund. |
| Pankaj Kedia | 2468 Ventures | https://www.linkedin.com/in/pankajkedia/ | Not super close with Pankaj, but he’s prolific in the AI space. Someone to know that’s here on the ground. |
| Benton Moore | Founder @ Sea Dragon Capital | https://www.linkedin.com/in/bentonmoore/ | Benton has more jobs than there are days in the week. But you’ll still find him around town at events like StartupSD 1st Monday's. Also spends time with SBDS helping non venture founders succeed. |
| Hussain Ahamed | HuTech Ventures | https://www.linkedin.com/in/hussainahamed/ | Hardware, hardware, hardware. Helped launch the Gucci x Oura ring partnership. |
| Bobby Edelman | Angel | https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobedelman/ | Bobby is fun, and all over town. Also helps Benton with non venture backed startups. |
| Dean Rosenberg | NuFund | https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanrosenberg/ | Just a great guy to know about who’s building in SD. |
| Name | Company | Why They're on the List | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Young | CEO @ Clinically AI | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossyoung2/ | Has raised significant capital in the past and is on a quest to bootstrap this startup. Active around town and often donates office to tech event organizers. |
| Andy Ballester | Co-Founder @ EyePop.ai | https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewballester/ | Founded a San Diego iconic company GoFundMe and is working on building his next startup. We need more builders like Andy here in SD. |
| Chad Lohrli | Founder @ Cadre AI | https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadlohrli/ | Has created the top AI firm in San Diego and has done it largely through community organizing. His journey is incredible. But also insanely busy. |
| Andy Taylor | CEO @ RetroRate | https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyataylor/ | Flat out hilarious and very fun to chat with. Was the CTO for Redfin and has a great perspective on priorities as he builds his next company. |
| Pedro Arellano | CEO @ Wallabi | https://www.linkedin.com/in/pedroarellano/ | A active founder who you’ll see around town at events and combines building with community connecting. |
| Greg Moser | CEO @ Shipcalm | https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregmoser/ | If you can hang with Greg, do it, brilliant GTM minds. |
These are the people who know everyone. If you're new to the SD ecosystem, start here.
| Name | Company / Role | Why They're on the List | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Waters | Executive Director @ The Program Labs | https://www.linkedin.com/in/watersalex/ | Knows everyone in SD. Great first call if you're new to the ecosystem. |
| Chelsea Hewitt | Sr Director @ Johnson & Johnson | linkedin.com/in/chelseahewitt/ | Biotech connector, shares biotech events and people to know. |
| Rebecca Beattie | CEO @ LaunchBio Inc | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-beattie-68927a9/ | Super connector in the biotech space. |
| Hussein Yahfoufi | Founder @ Eventship | https://www.linkedin.com/in/husseinyahfoufi/ | Sees the entire back end of the SD tech events scene. If you're running events in SD, he's the guy to know. |
| Kanani Breckenridge | CEO @ Kismet Search | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kananibreckenridge/ | Built one of SD's largest networks and runs a female founders/builders group. A connector's connector. |
| Neal Bloom | GP @ Rising Tide Partners | https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealbbloom/ | Connects dots faster than anyone in SD. If you need an intro, he's your first text. |
| Felena Hanson | Founder @ Hera Hub | https://www.linkedin.com/in/felenahanson/ | Hera Hub: 7 locations, 13,000+ women helped, OG of the female founder ecosystem in SD. |
| Rylie Jennings | Founder @ Outspoken Management Group | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rylie-jennings/ | Up and coming, fantastic event planner, is someone to know if you host or are looking to plan events. |
| David Saxton | StartGrowthPartner | https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsaxton/ | Just plain great energy. Part of a Snap Fish acquisition by HP. Building an events based growth company. |
| Fred Grier | Business San Diego | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredgrier/ | Has been reporting on San Diego tech and life sciences for years. Knows the leaders and builders here. Worth following on LinkedIn if you want to track SD funding news. |
Not people — but worth knowing.
| Name | What It Is | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Startup San Diego | Ecosystem nonprofit | startupsd.org | Best for broad ecosystem awareness and events. Good front door. |
| Connect | Innovation network | connect.org | Supports more established players in SD. Companies leading to A rounds with Cool Companies. One of the oldest in San Diego. |
| Business San Diego | Newsletter covering San Diego's life science, technology, business, real estate & venture capital news. | **https://businessofsandiego.substack.com/** | Fred Grier’s publication tracks: growing companies, funding rounds and real estate trends. |
| Eventship | Event hosting & discovery platform | http://eventship.com/ | Built by Hussein Yahfoufi (see Connectors). Taken SD's event scene by storm. |
| The Brink SBDC | Free and confidential 1:1 advising and training to help innovative founders | **http://www.sandiego.edu/sbdc/** | Free consulting, underrated resource. |