The Future of Pool Care
Tacos and Tech Podcast
In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, host Neal Bloom chats with , Founder and CEO of Cabana. A longtime builder in the home services space, Jeremy is now focused on modernizing the pool care industry, one of the largest yet most overlooked service sectors in the U.S. Jeremy shares how his product and marketing background led him to build Cabana with a blend of operational efficiency, software tooling, and local team empowerment. He dives into his strategy around vertical SaaS, customer experience, and the importance of trust and taste when scaling service-based businesses. Key...
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This Week in San Diego Tech - June 27, 2025
Tacos and Tech Podcast
Listen & subscribe on , , , and Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m from and the . My co-host in this episode is , journalist and author of substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. Before we dive in, we wanted to thank and ask our listeners to help us grow the show, leave a review and share with one other person who should be more plugged in with the SD Tech Scene. Thank you for the support and for helping us build the San Diego Startup Community! June 27 Dr...
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Building Intentional Capital for B2B SaaS
Tacos and Tech Podcast
In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, host Neal Bloom chats with , Co-Founder and Managing Partner at . Andrew brings decades of investing experience - from public markets to private software equity - to the table. He shares how his journey from the East Coast to San Diego led to launching a new kind of early growth equity firm focused on bootstrapped or lightly funded B2B SaaS companies. Andrew unpacks his investment strategy, discusses founder-alignment, thesis-driven sourcing, and how Channel Equity delivers capital with intention. Plus, he reflects on the power of long-term...
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This Week in San Diego Tech
Tacos and Tech Podcast
Listen & subscribe on , , , and Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m from , the , and . My co-host in this episode is , journalist and author of substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. Before we dive in, we wanted to thank and ask our listeners to help us grow the show, leave a review and share with one other person who should be more plugged in with the SD Tech Scene. Thank you for the support and for helping us build the San Diego...
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Building the Future of Sports + Entertainment, One Stadium at a Time
Tacos and Tech Podcast
What does it take to design a flawless fan experience for 75,000 people on game day, and millions more watching from home? In this episode, Neal Bloom sits down with Vikrant Bodalia, Vice President of Technology Operations at Allegiant Stadium, to unpack the strategy, innovation, and pressure behind the world's biggest live events. From Super Bowl infrastructure to facial-recognition ticketing, Vikrant shares how he reverse engineers every event from the fan perspective first. With a career that spans NBA, NHL, NFL, and the rapid rise of Las Vegas as a sports tech capital, Vikrant offers a...
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Rewiring Real Estate from the Inside Out
Tacos and Tech Podcast
In this episode of Tacos & Tech, Neal welcomes a longtime friend, , Co-Founder and CEO of . to talk about building a company around an idea few people even know exists: assumable loans. They dig deep into Andy’s journey from building software at Electronic Arts and Apple to leading product at Redfin, launching mortgage startup Approved, and now tackling a hidden opportunity in real estate finance: assumable loans. Andy shares his personal founder journey, lessons learned across big tech and startups, and why he's committed to building in San Diego. Key Topics: A walk...
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This Week in San Diego Tech - June 6, 2025
Tacos and Tech Podcast
Listen & subscribe on , , , and Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m from , the , and . My co-hosts in this episode is , journalist and author of substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds, and M&A through his newsletter. June 6 Tech News We recorded this week’s pod live on LinkedIn here. What did you think? Flock Freight raised $60M Series E RevenueCat raised $50M Series B (co-founder based in SD) BioLink: $100M Series C Hyatt Therapeutics: $65M Series A ClearPoint Neuro: $110M...
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Inside the rise of real-time diagnostics and the promise of proteomics
Tacos and Tech Podcast
In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, host Neal Bloom sits down with CEO of Pictor, a diagnostics company transforming healthcare through proteomics-the science of understanding what the body’s proteins are doing right now. They explore how this next-generation technology is shifting the medical world from slow, reactive testing to real-time, accessible diagnostics for both humans and animals. From Jamie’s early days at Quest Diagnostics to Pictor’s move from New Zealand to San Diego, this episode is a front-row seat to how health innovation really happens. Whether you’re...
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Exploring Identity, AI, and Leadership
Tacos and Tech Podcast
Episode Summary: In this episode of the, Neal Bloom chats with Jesse Taylor, Senior Manager of Identity and Middleware Services at UNLV. Jesse shares his journey from early exposure to technology with Atari and Apple II to becoming a technical leader in higher education. They discuss the evolution of technology, the role of AI in augmenting human capabilities, and Jesse’s approach to authentic leadership and team development. Jesse also highlights his work in identity management at UNLV, his involvement in the Las Vegas tech community, and his recognition as a Top Tech Vegas award recipient....
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Building San Diego's Product Management Community
Tacos and Tech Podcast
Dive into San Diego's evolving product management landscape with as she announces the inaugural Product Management Summit. Learn how the local tech ecosystem has matured and why bringing world-class product leadership to San Diego matters. Key Topics: • San Diego Product Management Summit (June 5-6) • Evolution from Intuit leadership to Product Rebels • Building Product Tank's 2,500+ member community • Customer-centric product development methodologies • San Diego's maturing tech ecosystem Links & Resources: Connect with Vidya: LinkedIn: Connect with Neal:...
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Available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and other major platforms.
👋 Welcome!
Welcome to This Week in San Diego Tech!
I’m Neal Bloom from Fresh Brewed Tech, the Tacos and Tech Podcast, and Interlock Capital.
Joining me as always is Fred Grier, journalist and author of The Business of San Diego Substack, covering startups, funding, and M&A across the region.
🗞️Top Headlines This Week:
🎶 Music Tech Meets the Symphony - link
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Interlock Capital hosted 30+ tech leaders for a behind-the-scenes tour of the newly renovated Jacobs Music Center ($150M remodel!)
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The tech community showed up at the San Diego Symphony’s Discovery Night, featuring jazz, Mardi Gras flair, and remarks by ResMed CEO Mick Farrell
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The call to action: it’s time for the next generation of founders to support arts, science, and innovation in SD
🚀 Startup 101 & Founders Funnel Kickoff - link
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Neal and Tim Ryan launched Startup 101, a community event for early-stage builders to explore the “car, plane, or rocket ship” path of growth
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10 attendees, curated cohort, high demand for more, filling a new cohort each quarter - and Founders Build Day now expanding to 3 monthly locations in May!
💰 Funding Rounds
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Symphonic Capital raises $13.5M for its debut fund, led by Sydney Thomas (ex-Precursor), focused on fintech and digital health
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Bliss AI, an aesthetic-focused AR software platform, secures Series A funding (co-founder based in North County)
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Biolinq raises $90M for non-invasive glucose sensing — originally spun out of UCSD labs and now scaling hard
🧬 NIH Funding Shakeup & Market Headwinds - link
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UCSD sees $150M+ in NIH funding paused or cut, impacting researchers and early-stage startups
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Federal agency funding delays (FDA, DOD, SBIR) creating ripples in life sciences and defense tech
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Tariffs, market uncertainty, and reduced VC capital raise concerns for hardware and deep tech founders
🧱 Real Estate & Ecosystem Expansion
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Pfizer moves to new Torrey View campus
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Novartis to build a $1.1B San Diego R&D hub
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Prebys Foundation acquires Wells Fargo Plaza for $40M (previously $148M), signaling interest in downtown tech corridor
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GemPharmatech, Qpex, and BioLabs expanding presence in the region
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EvoNexus UTC set to open new space for medtech/life science founders in May
👟 SDSU Goes Jordan
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San Diego State men’s basketball team debuts custom Air Jordan 4 PEs — only 50 pairs made!
🗓️ Community Events & Ecosystem News
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One Million Cups is back!
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Every Wednesday at 8am @ Ansir Innovation in Convoy
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Two startup presentations + community feedback
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Interlock Capital LP + Portfolio Founder Day
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LPs and founders will be connecting in curated roundtables to move the needle on growth
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The Social Coyote has your curated event list:
💬 Final Shoutouts
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Thanks to Michael Robertson and other listeners for your feedback — we’re testing a shorter intro song this week!
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Follow Fred on Substack » and Neal on Fresh Brewed Tech »