Irvine continues to be a jobs magnet and hotbed of big dreams, with more than 17,000 companies that include one-third of all Fortune 500 firms and more than 1,500 startups, according to the IT firm Tracxn.
Irvine’s world-beating ambition was on display last month during Tech Week, an event that has mushroomed since the inaugural convention in 2023.
With triple the number of sponsors – including such major local Irvine businesses as Sunstone Management, FivePoint and Irvine Company – the week featured more than double the number of last year’s events, with highlights including an investor pitch session, a three-day intensive project-buildout opportunity, a startup resource fair, a wrap party and a 5K family-friendly fun run (with a virtual option).
Up-and-coming innovators
Fun as all that networking and running may have been, this was a purpose-driven week, says Irvine Tech Hub Executive Director Melinda Pang, one of the leading organizers. “It’s about building bridges,” says Pang, who encouraged company founders to showcase their success to inspire investors and newbie entrepreneurs.
Conference speakers included inventors of a skateboard adapter that makes skateboarding feel like you’re surfing on land, an anti-inflammatory, powdered turmeric drink and an AI-powered accounts-receivable system.
“I got connected to a great network of mentors in Irvine who helped me broker important deals and gave me guidance so I didn’t sound like a kid over email,” Patrick Dumas, CEO of Waterborne Skateboards, told his panel’s audience.
Dumas, who launched his firm as a UCI sophomore, fell in love with skateboarding at the university, despite receiving three citations for wheeling around on campus. “Everything I needed was no more than one or two degrees of connection away,” he said. “The law firm I filed my patents with was down the street. The first digital marketing company I worked with was a block away. When I had trouble with manufacturing, I’d ask around and, sure enough, someone’s neighbor casts aluminum in South Gate, so they made our first 2,000 units. So you’re in a good location.”
That thriving ecosystem helps explain why Irvine today has the region’s highest jobs-to-workers ratio plus the fastest job growth in professional services, including computing and engineering, according to a new UCI report. Local entrepreneurs are counting on these trends to continue – and further establish Irvine as a major-league player in diverse industries.
