Daily Business Report/Dec. 5, 2016
Ashley Van Zeeland, co-founder and CEO of Cypher Genomics and a mystartupXX graduate. (Credit: UCSD)
Athena San Diego and UCSD Rady School
Partner To Support
Female-Focused Tech Accelerator
Athena San Diego, a professional development association serving women in science and technology, and the Rady School of Management at the University of California San Diego, announced today the establishment of a partnership to support mystartupXX, Rady’s female-focused technology and biotech accelerator.
mystartupXX is the only local accelerator exclusively for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). It promotes the next generation of women founders and technology companies through education, funding and mentorship. The four-year-old program has garnered recognition from the White House three years running and has seen the successful exit of Cypher Genomics, which was acquired by
genomics frontrunner Human Longevity Inc.
mystartupXX is open to all UCSD undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students, as well as recent alumni, with a business idea. At least one founder must be a woman. Up to 10 teams are accepted into the program at one time. Each startup works with a mentor and meets regularly with advisers.
“Mentors are the key to success in developing exceptional female founders,” said Karen Fisher, chairman of Athena. “Athena’s member base includes top tech and biotech leaders who are actively closing the gender gap for female founders and leaders in STEM careers. Many of our members donate their time and expertise as mentors to help women realize their true potential within STEM industries. We intend to enlist our mentor network to support mystartupXX and increase diversification in San Diego’s innovation economy.”
“The program really serves what I see as a great unmet need in animation economy,” said Ashley Van Zeeland, co-founder and CEO of Cypher Genomics and a mystartupXX graduate. “It was really a great sounding board for me as a first-time entrepreneur.”
Accelerator teams will be mentored by select individuals from Athena’s member base of connected and influential women to help guide its young entrepreneurs. Athena members come from all sectors of STEM industries, including life sciences, healthcare, defense, engineering and related industries, as well as select service providers who support them.
“Athena has a longstanding reputation for bringing together the most powerful women in STEM so we’d be hard-pressed to find a greater network of mentors,” said Lada Rasochova, executive director of the California Institute for Innovation & Development at UCSD’s Rady School of Management. “Our partnership is a strategic move to pair our teams with the best and brightest industry leaders for education, guidance and funding.”
Individuals and businesses are encouraged to support the mystartupXX program. For more information, call (858) 481-0710 or email elizabeth@athenasd.org.
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Junior Achievement Partners with Tech
Company to Teach Code to Students
In honor of Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 5-9), Junior Achievement of San Diego and The Control Group, a tech company, are partnering to teach computer science and coding skills to 70 students from Hoover Academy of Information Technology.
These students are currently taking high-level courses specifically designed for a future career in computer technology. They will be challenged to build and create a webpage for the Junior Achievement’s website to kick off the Hour of Code program.
The event is today at Hoover High School.
Software engineers from The Control Group, one of the fastest growing technology companies in San Diego, will be in the classroom helping to demystify computer science and teaching students that anyone can learn the basics of coding.
Computer Science Education Week is a national program dedicated to inspiring K-12 students to take interest in and pursue careers in computer science. Careers in computers are slated to grow over the next several decades. In fact, there are too few Americans with the necessary technical skills to meet companies’ demand.
There are an estimated 500,000 unfilled U.S. jobs require some level of computer-science understanding, yet three-quarters of the nation’s public schools do not offer any computer science courses. California is one of 44 states that does not require all high schools to offer computer science courses.
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Construction Starts on New
Segment of the Bayshore Bikeway
Elected leaders and bike riders came together on Sunday morning to break ground on a new 2.25-mile segment of the Bayshore Bikeway, which will eventually loop 24 miles around San Diego Bay.
“We are making great progress on completing the Bayshore Bikeway in the next four years, and this new segment gets us one turn of the wheels closer,” said County Supervisor Greg Cox, chair of the SANDAG Bayshore Bikeway Working Group. “The Bikeway is great for cyclists who want to have fun and exercise, and it will be a corridor for thousands of people who work at industries along the bay, such as Naval Base San Diego, the shipyards, and tourism-oriented businesses.”
To date, 15 miles of the bikeway – more than half of the loop – have been completed, enabling bike riders to take in some of the most scenic bayfront views through Coronado, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, National City, and San Diego.
Located entirely in the city of National City, the new segment will extend from just south of Vesta Street (the border between San Diego and National City) to the intersection of Marina Way and West 32nd Street at the National City Marina. Completion is expected in summer 2017.
The project will build one mile of Class I bikeway – a physically separated path for bike riders. The remainder will be a mix of Class II bike lane with street striping and Class III bike route with signage to designate shared use.
To the north of this future segment is a 0.6-mile extension of the Bayshore Bikeway, which was completed in 2015 along Harbor Drive between 32nd Street and Vesta Street in the City of San Diego.
MTM Builders Inc. based in Chula Vista has been selected as the contractor.
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$13 Million Renovation of U.S. Grant Hotel
Expected to be Completed in Early 2017
By early 2017, the Indian Tribe that owns the U.S. Grant Hotel in Downtown San Diego should be finished with a $13 million renovation, which the management calls a “refresh.”
The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation hired Rodrigo Vargas Design to do the “refresh,” which inclues the grand lobby, meeting and wedding venues, an expanded fitness center and all 270 guestrooms and suites.
“We are excited for guests and locals alike to experience the design enhancements throughout the hotel, and hope that we have succeeded in sharing our storied history through a more modern lens,” said General Manager Doug Korn.
Built by the son of 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant in his father’s honor, the hotel borders the Gaslamp Quarter in the cultural and historic hub of Downtown San Diego. Korn said the renovation is significant not only for the continued preservation of the landmark, which underwent a $56 million renovation completed in 2006, but also in modernizing the hotel’s classic sophistication and regal character.
Design updates feature a “Presidential” color scheme — navy blues and golds mixed with earthy neutrals — expressed with bold patterns, custom furnishings, and thoughtfully curated design details honoring both past and present American and Native American cultures.
Upon arrival, guests are greeted by a restored oil portrait of President Grant, welcoming them into the lobby where the Grant family story and Sycuan Tribal heritage converge in a meaningful and elegant design narrative.
