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Tacos and Tech Podcast

Neal Bloom

The Tacos and Tech Podcast highlights the builders of companies, technologies, ecosystems with a local flair for our lifestyle as well.

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Friday · 41 min
Podcast: Motherhood Is Technology Barren
Tina John is a biomedical engineer who spent her career on hip implants, knee implants and drug delivery systems, then had her first child and discovered that the hardest job she had ever done had almost no technology pointed at it. Veera is her answer: a wearable device that sits in a nursing bra, pumps and feeds an infant at the same time, responds to the baby’s suckle, and reports live on the phone how much the baby is actually drinking. She and Neal get into the friend’s text message that started it, why she spent a day too scared to Google whether the product already existed, the $30,000 pay cut that moved her family to San Diego, and the finding that reframed the whole problem - that successful breastfeeding tracks with how many hands are in the room, not with biology. Plus a Korean short rib taco that rescued a six-months-pregnant founder in Miami Beach. Key topics * Why motherhood is technology barren next to phones, cars and espresso machines * Veera: pumping and feeding simultaneously, with intake measured live * A device that responds to the infant’s suckle and delivers on demand * Going from Merck to a San Diego design firm for a $30,000 pay cut * The text from a friend that turned an observation into a company * Being too scared for a full day to check whether it already existed * The hardest thing she had ever done, with resources, a partner and family nearby * 80% of mothers start out breastfeeding; most of a 40-hour week is guesswork * Why successful breastfeeding tracks with help, not genetics or culture * Hiring people who love their craft instead of dragging people into roles * What a 510(k) submission unlocks, and a launch four to five months out * Sensor data nobody has collected: milk characteristics, suckle strength, per-mother guidance * Taco Taco in Miami Beach, and the short rib taco that saved the night Links & resources * Veera Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Tina John This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
October 7 · 1 hr 5 min
Every Driving School Said No
Nigel Tunnacliffe and Matt Harvey spent years building a way to retrofit adaptive cruise control into old cars - a Raspberry Pi, a camera, and a turbocharged Miata that accelerated on its own down Carmel Valley Road. Then the customer interviews came back: nineteen out of twenty people would never have anything installed in their vehicle. They killed it. They’re now CEO and CTO of Coastline Academy, which teaches hundreds of in-car lessons a day across many states on a mission to eradicate car crashes. They and Neal get into the smoke test that had strangers offering money within the hour, why every driving school they called turned down free customers, and what it took to become licensed instructors themselves. Plus a Canadian taco and a taqueria in the back of an Encinitas grocery store. Key topics * Traffic Tractor: the commute side project that started it * A Raspberry Pi, a camera, and a self-accelerating Miata * Training a model to mute TV commercials * Ripping open the floorboard to find the accelerator wire * Why 19 of 20 drivers won’t install anything in their car * Killing a product that worked because the market said no * The smoke test that drew customers within an hour * Every driving school they called said they were full * Becoming licensed instructors - 100 lessons each * Mesh-network expansion, node by node, across California * Why crossing a state line broke the entire playbook * Whether today’s teens are the last to need a license * A Canadian beaver tail folded like a taco, and El Nopalito in Encinitas Links & resources * Coastline Academy * Newschoolers, Matt’s ski social network Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Nigel Tunnacliffe * Matt Harvey This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
September 22 · 58 min
Thirst Is a Lagging Indicator
Dr. Debbie Chen found the water signal in her own PhD data around 2007, laughed it off, and did nothing with it for a decade. Then came years of amateur Muay Thai and cramping through every session, then a dehydration health scare of her own. She’s now founder and CEO of Hydrostasis, maker of the GECA Watch, which has sold out twice. She and Neal get into why thirst is a lagging indicator, why she believes hydration is the only truly actionable thing a wrist device can measure, the multi-pivot road from collegiate sports to older adults, and the data-equity problem she won’t stop talking about. Plus El Patron in Mira Mesa - a first-time mention on the show. Key topics * From amateur Muay Thai cramps to a hydration sensor * The water signal she spotted in her PhD data and ignored for ten years * Why thirst is a lagging indicator, and why it fades with age * Hydration as the only actionable biometric on the wrist * Hardware, firmware, algorithms, and an app - three startups in one * The button older users literally could not press * Collegiate sports to clinical to DTC: the pivot path * A customer whose creatinine normalized in three months * The pulse oximeter, darker skin, and the case for data equity * Women excluded from clinical trials until 1993 * 2% body water loss and measurable cognitive decline * El Patron in Mira Mesa and the case for the shrimp cocktail Links & resources * Hydrostasis / GECA Watch * Ad Astra Ventures Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Debbie Chen This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
September 15 · 1 hr 14 min
Measure It at the Source
Max Darsonval spent twelve years in the SEAL teams, most of it as a combat medic, and left on what he calls a 50.01% decision. He’s now founder and CEO of Velocity AI, building a sensor and a coaching app that take velocity-based training - the tool every D1 and pro weight room already has - out of the facility and onto anyone’s barbell. He and Neal get into why 22-week strength programs break the moment real life happens, how drone IMUs turned into a wearable, why the SEAL Future Foundation became customer one, and what the wearable industry has to fix before people stop wearing them. Plus Don Pancho’s in Imperial Beach, the post-BUD/S institution. Key topics * From sponsored big-mountain skier to dishwasher to BUD/S at 17 * Why SEALs build their own medics and what that taught him about the body * Leaving the teams at twelve years on a 50.01% decision * Velocity-based training, and why most lifters have never heard of it * Power equals force times velocity: measuring readiness at the source * Why a 22-week program can’t know what you did yesterday * Drone IMUs, a hideous first PCB, and why you need 200 Hz * $500K, 20 developers, seven months to an MVP * The SEAL Future Foundation as customer one * Data fatigue and why coaching is the next frontier for wearables * San Diego’s wearable cluster: Google, Fitbit, Dexcom, Oura * Don Pancho’s in Imperial Beach and the case for Tacos El Gordo Links & resources * Velocity AI * SEAL Future Foundation * Jacques-Arsène d'Arsonval Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Max Darsonval This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
September 9 · 29 min
A Different Person in Every Game
Cody Germain spent seven years at Riot - leading competitive games on League of Legends, with the Valorant and Legends of Runeterra launches in between - then moved to San Diego in 2022 for Psyonix and Epic. Now he’s co-founder and CEO of Bear Infinite Games, building Spark, a personalization layer for competitive play, and Project Grizzly, a game designed so no player can buy an advantage. He and Neal get into why the industry’s walled gardens strip players of identity, why San Diego’s gaming talent stayed invisible for so long, and the Barrio Logan tacos that catered his wedding. Key topics * Why you’re a different person in every game you play * 700 million competitive players, two to three titles a week * Spark: personalization that learns as you play * Project Grizzly and the “action sport” format * Designing a game where nobody can buy an edge * From QA analyst to leading League’s competitive * Why San Diego’s gaming talent stayed invisible * Shutting down Prio App when it stopped solving a problem Links & resources * Bear Infinite Games (playtest signup) Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Cody Germain This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
September 1 · 42 min
Teams Don’t Exist in Business
Larry Coval spent nearly four decades leading organizations at AT&T, Global Crossing, and Cox Business, and came out the other side convinced that most of what gets taught about leadership is wrong. He joins Neal to talk about his new book, Misled, and the argument at its center: “team” is the wrong unit of analysis for business, leadership was never a soft skill, and the fundamentals got skipped while the keynote circuit sold platitudes. He also makes the case for the smoked marlin taco at Oscar’s - drowned in orange sauce. Key topics * Why teams don’t exist in business — and the three things real ones have * Leadership Industrial Complex: why substance lost to style * Gallup’s data: managers are now as disengaged as their people * Hiring for sameness as the founder’s most expensive mistake * Red teaming: how the military pressure-tests decisions * Setting expectations with crystalline clarity — confusion is friction * How hoarding work robs your people of development * 60% of managers get zero training when promoted * The ARCANE model and why career planning has no playbook * The smoked marlin taco at Oscar’s Mexican Seafood Links & resources * ARCANE Leadership Concepts * Misled: Why (Almost) Everything You Learned About Leadership Is Wrong and How to Fix It Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Larry Coval This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
August 12 · 42 min
Food for the People
Neal nerds out on tacos with Mauricio Velázquez de León - Mexico City-born writer-turned-publisher, founder of Duo Press, and author of An Illustrated Guide to Tacos and Burritos, a serious cookbook drawn like a comic book, out August 11. They trace tacos from 7000 BC southern Mexico to fine taquerias in Tokyo and Norway, unpack why the burrito is actually a California invention, and get into Duo Press’s backwards publishing model - concept first, author second. Mauricio makes the case that tacos are “food for the people, from the people, to the people,” defends small tacos against the supersizing trend, and hands over a short list of spots worth crossing a border for. Key topics * A serious cookbook built like a comic book * Why tacos are “food for the people” * The burrito as a California (Mission Street) invention * Duo Press’s reverse model: concept first, author second * Tacos de canasta - the bicycle-basket tacos * Corn in the south, flour in the north: the tortilla map * Taco al pastor’s Mexico City origins * Why bigger tacos are worse tacos * Quesabirria, Korean tacos, and the fusion wave Links & resources * An Illustrated Guide to Tacos and Burritos (Duopress, out Aug 11) * Duo Press * Jeffrey Pilcher - Mexican-food historian (University of Toronto), writes the book’s history sections * Josefina Velázquez de León - Mauricio’s great-aunt, renowned Mexican cookbook author Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Mauricio Velázquez de León This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
August 4 · 49 min
Signals Before Symptoms
Neal sits down with Adam Jacobs, President of Xzōm, a San Diego company developing a near-patient platform for isolating and analyzing exosomes from a small blood sample in under 30 minutes. Exosomes are tiny particles released by living cells that carry proteins and genetic material. Researchers believe these particles could provide useful signals about disease earlier or more dynamically than some existing biomarkers. Xzōm is working to turn that science into a compact testing platform, using a disposable cartridge and a mobile-device interface. The company’s initial focus is early pancreatic-cancer detection. Adam also discusses how the underlying platform could potentially be adapted for other areas - including sepsis, preeclampsia, transplant monitoring, and neurological conditions - by changing the biomarkers targeted by each assay. Those applications would require their own development, clinical validation, and regulatory pathways. Adam shares his unusual route to biotech: Torrey Pines High School, Cornell baseball, professional ball in Australia, a clothing brand, a yoga studio, and a consulting firm. He also explains how technology originating at UC San Diego eventually came back into his life, Xzōm’s partnership-led development model, and the role data analysis may play in interpreting complex biological signals. Plus, Adam and Neal bond over a shared appreciation for Roberto’s on Carmel Valley Road. Key topics * Isolating and analyzing exosomes on one chip in 30 minutes * Why exosomes catch disease earlier than DNA - “stage zero” * A point-of-care lab that runs on a cell phone * The difference between a versatile platform and a validated diagnostic test * From pancreatic cancer to sepsis, preeclampsia, and brain injury * How Xzōm works with clinical and commercial partners * Adam’s path from pro baseball to biotech * Why AI on the back end makes the whole thing work * Giving back: showing up, not just writing checks Links & resources * Xzōm * A Morning Inside Xzōm’s Lab Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Adam Jacobs This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
July 28 · 48 min
The Connective Tissue
Neal sits down with Eric Weiss, a fellow longtime builder in San Diego’s startup ecosystem. Eric is a self-described “parallel entrepreneur,” founder coach, President of the Design Forward Alliance - which produces San Diego Design Week—and Vice Chair of Startup San Diego. Neal and Eric first crossed paths during the early days of San Diego’s startup community, around EvoNexus and the 101 Broadway vertical campus that helped give rise to Startup Week and Startup San Diego. They revisit that era and trace Eric’s unconventional path from teenage black-hat hacker to earning an MBA in entrepreneurship at SDSU, followed by roles at Raytheon, Sony and Qualcomm. He eventually made the leap into the startup world with EvoNexus company Rock My Run. At the heart of the conversation is the connective tissue that makes an entrepreneurial community work. Neal and Eric discuss what San Diego lost after COVID, why “third spaces” and professional community management matter more than a coworking lease, and Eric’s tendency to step into leadership vacuums - including helping San Diego become the first U.S. city, and first binational region, named World Design Capital. Eric also makes the case that San Diego’s smaller, more tightly connected network—and its constraints - can be an advantage. The conversation closes with a preview of San Diego Design Week, running September 15–20, and a sleeper taco recommendation near the marina. Key topics * The “founding cradle”: EvoNexus, The Vine, and 101 Broadway * Reformed hacker to Raytheon, Sony (PS3), and Qualcomm data science * Why he’s a “parallel entrepreneur” who falls into leadership vacuums * San Diego becoming the first American World Design Capital * Opening Design Week beyond digital - fashion, architecture, interiors * Connective tissue: third spaces and professional community management * San Diego vs. the Bay: tighter networks, constraints that filter imposters * Where San Diego wins: deep tech, hardware, and life science * The investor-vs-community-builder tension of being “the picker” Links & resources * San Diego Design Week (Sept 15-20, 2026) * Design Forward Alliance * Startup San Diego Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Eric Weiss This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
July 21 · 28 min
Beyond the Blueprint
Episode Summary Neal sits down with Janine McMurdie, Chief Commercial Officer of Pictor, a proteomics platform company that expanded from New Zealand to Carlsbad. Janine explains why your DNA is only the blueprint - and why proteins, which change in real time as your body responds to a drug or an infection, tell the fuller story. They get into Pictor’s partner-driven, capital-efficient model, how the platform runs a complex panel of biomarkers as a single answer (for everything from cattle herds to HIV comorbidities to humans), and the new Pictor Imager launching at ADLM. Plus why San Diego’s density of talent, tools, and investors made Carlsbad the right home and Janine’s favorite tacos from Encinitas to Thousand Oaks. Key Topics * Why DNA is the blueprint but proteins are the building * Running 20 tests as one multiplexed answer * Pictor’s partner-driven, capital-efficient model * One platform, many species: cattle to humans * The new Pictor Imager, launching at ADLM * Why Carlsbad won: talent, tools, and investors Links & Resources * Pictor * ADLM (Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine) Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Janine McMurdie This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
July 14 · 1 hr 8 min
Why Great Companies Go Bad
Episode Summary Recorded live at the San Diego Angel Conference finale at SDSU, Eric Ries — author of The Lean Startup — sits down with product leader and founder coach Vidya Dinamani to unpack his new book, Incorruptible. His argument: there’s a gravitational force that pulls even mission-driven companies toward decay — “the making of money without the creating of value” — and the more successful you get, the bigger a target you become. Eric walks through how it happens (stack-ranking by ROI, the “what would investors want” ghost in every meeting, Groupon’s two-emails-a-day spiral), why the fix has to come earlier than anyone wants (“it’s too early until it’s too late”), and the concrete governance moves that keep the great ones honest. Along the way: the San Diego origin story of Costco, Cloudflare giving away its best paid feature, Anthropic’s long-term benefit trust, a hard-nosed take on AI, and a health insurer whose customer-service reps act like guardian angels. Key Topics * Corruption as “making money without creating value” * The gravity that pulls companies from mission to mediocrity * Costco’s San Diego origin — and why FedMart died * Why stack-ranking by ROI buries the work that builds trust * “It’s too early until it’s too late” — protecting the mission in time * The PBC filing and binding your board to the mission * AI as a “Dunning-Kruger factory,” and how to actually use it * “Love” as an operating framework: the Devoted Health story Links & Resources * Incorruptible * The Lean Startup * Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE) * San Diego Angel Conference Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Eric Ries * Vidya Dinamani This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
July 8 · 41 min
Diversification Is Overrated
Episode Summary Neal sits down with Dr. Adam Link, founder of Fireweed Capital and a recovering engineer who spent a decade in tech — including six years at Coinbase through its IPO — before becoming a financial planner for founders and tech professionals. Adam makes the case that diversification is overrated, that concentration is how wealth actually gets built, and that the real skill is knowing where conviction ends and wipeout risk begins. They get into why you can’t “test your finances in prod,” how AI quietly forgot a 37% tax bill, and why the era of the low-skilled generalist is ending. Plus the best tacos in Duluth, Minnesota — trailhead included. Key Topics * Why diversification is overrated for founders * Concentration as the real path to wealth * Keeping your portfolio uncorrelated with your business * The line between conviction and wipeout risk * You can’t test your finances in prod * Where AI breaks down in wealth management * Angel investing vs. founder charity * Why specialists beat generalists in the AI era Links & Resources * Fireweed Capital * Rising Tide Partners Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Dr. Adam Link This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
June 24 · 1 hr 29 min
Inside the San Diego Angel Conference
Episode Summary Recorded live at the San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC 8) finale at SDSU, where Neal - the SDAC Fund 8 manager - and 40+ investors spent months turning 135 applications into six finalists, then handed out the checks on stage. You’ll hear all six pitches: * Cytodyme’s compliance automation for biotech, * Vium’s sinus device that makes antibiotics 36x more effective, * Polyvascular’s pediatric heart valve that grows with the child, * Shezza’s viral anti-blister sock (funded by a cross-country lawnmower race), * SESH’s blood test for a cancer biomarker most thought impossible to detect, and * My Village Innovations’ first reimagined speculum in 180 years. Key Topics * How SDAC turns 135 applications into six finalists * 40+ investors building conviction together * Cytodyme: compliance automation for biotech & medtech * Vium: a device that makes antibiotics 36x better * Polyvascular: a heart valve that grows with the child * Shezza: the viral anti-blister sock funded by a lawnmower race * SESH: a blood test for an “impossible” cancer biomarker * My Village Innovations: the first new speculum in 180 years Links & Resources * San Diego Angel Conference * SDSU Lavin Entrepreneurship Center * The Lean Startup * Companies featured: Cytodyme, Vayim, Polyvascular, Shezza Socks, Sesh, My Village Innovations (ROSA Spec) Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * San Diego Angel Conference This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
June 17 · 42 min
Greener Only Scales When It's Less Expensive
Episode Summary Recorded at Natilus HQ in downtown San Diego, Neal sits down with Aleksey Matyushev, CEO and co-founder of Natilus, and Dr. Fabiano Piccinno, Global Head of Sustainability for Air Logistics at Kuehne+Nagel, for a roundtable on the real economics of decarbonizing flight. They get into why ordering a new plane today means a 12-year wait, why sustainable aviation fuel still costs nearly double Jet A, and how Natilus’s blended wing body cuts cost and emissions at the same time - the rare case where the greener choice is also the less expensive one. Along the way: fuel-price shocks emptying transatlantic cabins, aviation’s pull back toward defense, and a FedEx flight that hops the San Diego–Tijuana border in ten minutes. Plus the best plant-based tacos in Mexico City. Key Topics * The 12-year backlog to order a new aircraft * Why global aircraft production must nearly double * Sustainable aviation fuel at ~2x the cost of Jet A * Blended wing body: 30% less drag, ~50% lower cost * When sustainability and economics finally align * Fuel volatility emptying transatlantic flights * Aviation’s pull toward defense and dual-use * Inside the Natilus × Kuehne+Nagel feasibility study Links & Resources * Natilus * Kona (Natilus regional freighter) * Kuehne+Nagel * ZeroAvia (hydrogen-electric partner) Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Aleksey Matyushev * Fabiano Piccinno This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
June 9 · 43 min
Sleep Is the Last Unprotected Hour
Neal sits down with co-founders John Sjolund (CEO) and Jon Brilliant(CFO) of Luna Diabetes, two serial diabetes tech founders building what they call “sleep only automation” - the world’s smallest patch pump designed to automate insulin delivery while you sleep. With over 1700 nights of real-world wear and a pivotal study on the horizon, Jon and John make the case that nighttime is where the biggest gains in diabetes management are hiding - and almost no one is solving for it. Neal shares a personal connection through his father’s decades-long journey with Type 1, and the conversation closes with taco picks spanning a hidden Sorrento Valley gem and an upscale Palo Alto staple. Key Topics * Why 80%+ of glucose-lowering automation benefit happens at night * The founding story: from a Hannah Montana watch to the world’s smallest patch pump * Sleep disruption as the #1 reported issue among people with diabetes * Building trust through consistency in an intimate use case * Capital efficiency in medtech: $40M to market vs. the $200M industry average * The disconnect between what clinicians prioritize and what patients actually need * Consumerizing medical devices - why diabetes tech still feels like a Game Boy * WellDoc, Bigfoot Biomedical, and the lineage of connected insulin delivery Links & Resources * Luna Diabetes: lunadiabetes.com * WellDoc: welldoc.com * Bigfoot Biomedical: bigfootbiomedical.com * The Craft Taco (Sorrento Valley, San Diego) * Reposado (Downtown Palo Alto) Connect on LinkedIn * Neal Bloom * Jon Brilliant * John Sjolund This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
June 3 · 38 min
Rebuilding the Protein Stack
Tony Martens, co-founder of Plantible Foods, joins Neal to walk through the company’s eight-year arc - from a free greenhouse in San Marcos to a commercial-scale rubisco protein facility in West Texas. They get into the science of duckweed and why rubisco is both the most abundant and most bioavailable protein on the planet, the modular “crawl, walk, run” scaling philosophy that kept Plantible from getting buried under capex, and how landing in El Dorado, Texas lifted the surrounding county’s median household income by 62%. Plus: why the Taco Stand in Encinitas remains the most-mentioned spot on the pod. Key Topics * Why our food supply chain hasn’t been updated in 3,000 years * How rubisco from duckweed competes with eggs, dairy, and meat * The “crawl, walk, run” approach to commercial scale-up * Why avian flu volatility is driving bakery and egg-replacement demand * Modular agriculture vs. billion-dollar capex projects * Living on the San Marcos farm in RVs through COVID lockdown * Lifting a West Texas county’s median household income by 62% * Where Plantable products are showing up on shelves today Links & Resources Plantible Foods Connect on LinkedIn Tony Martens Neal Bloom This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
May 26 · 51 min
SAFEs, Notes, and SPVs
Angel Academy Session 5 brings in Brian Dirkmaat, a startup attorney at Rimon, P.C and longtime SDAC sponsor, to walk the room through the legal mechanics of angel investing. Brian covers the full evolution of startup investment instruments - from the original bridge notes of the 1990s to today's post-money SAFEs - and breaks down the real differences between convertible notes, SAFEs, and priced equity rounds. The session goes deep on valuation caps, pro rata rights, the unresolved IRS question around QSBS treatment for SAFEs, and the practical tradeoffs between investing directly into a company versus through an SPV. If you've ever looked at a term sheet and wondered what you were actually signing, this is the session. Key Topics * The evolution from bridge notes to convertible notes to SAFEs * How YC's post-money SAFE works: valuation caps, discounts, and MFN provisions * SAFE vs. convertible note: the unresolved IRS code 1202 (QSBS) question * Priced equity rounds: Series Seed vs. Series A (NVCA docs) * SPVs vs. direct investing: platforms, carry, admin fees, and when each makes sense * The California C Corp trap: unpaid founder wages and W-2 classification * Term sheet fundamentals: liquidation preferences, anti-dilution, board seats Links & Resources * San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC) * Rimon, P.C * YC SAFE Documents * NVCA Model Legal Documents * Series First Documents * Rising Tide Partners Connect on LinkedIn * Brian Dirkmaat * Neal Bloom This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
May 19 · 46 min
From Operator to Fund Manager
Episode Summary Neal sits down with Will Alaynick, managing partner at Phase Two Ventures, for a fireside chat on what it actually looks like to go from building a company to running a venture fund. Will walks through his journey from operating a life science instrumentation startup - backed by a strategic investor who gave him governance, talent, and manufacturing access - to raising a fund focused on the tools and infrastructure layer of biotech. They dig into how fund managers evaluate deals differently than angels, why SBIR funding can be a double-edged sword, and what it takes to say no for a living. Key Topics * How a strategic investor provided governance, talent, and manufacturing - not just capital * Building Phase Two Ventures from operator pattern recognition * Evaluating life science deals through the lens of an ex-founder * SBIR funding as a signal - and when it becomes a distraction * The difference between angel deal evaluation and fund-level portfolio construction * Why most of the venture job is saying no - and how to do it humanely * AI's emerging role in life science - and why wet labs still matter * What angels should know before making the leap to managing a fund Links & Resources * Phase Two Ventures * San Diego Angel Conference * Rising Tide Partners Connect on LinkedIn * Will Alaynick * Neal Bloom This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
May 13 · 1 hr 3 min
The Operator's Edge: From San Diego Angel Academy
Angel Academy Session 3 brings together a panel of San Diego operators who crossed over to the investor side - including Katherine Chapin, Dane Chapin, Ken Potashner, and Bardia Moayedi with backgrounds spanning investment banking, corporate law, and consumer products. The conversation gets honest fast: what it means to bet on a founder who introduces herself as "just a mom," why losing money on a deal teaches you more than any pitch deck, and how San Diego's open, collaborative angel community creates a fundamentally different deal flow than Silicon Valley's closed-door networks. Key Topics * Operating experience as an angel investor's real edge * The "just a mom" story: why passion beats pedigree every time * Dane Chapin's board game company postmortem and what losing taught him * San Diego's open angel ecosystem vs. Silicon Valley's closed networks * Underestimating risk: the Coin investment and what it revealed * Co-investing with spouses and building shared conviction * Why brand obsession signals a founder worth backing * Pitch contests vs. relationship-driven deal flow Links & Resources * San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC): https://sdangel.com * SDSU ZIP Launchpad: https://ziplaunchpad.sdsu.edu * Rising Tide Partners: https://risingtidepartners.co Connect on LinkedIn * Dane Chapin * Katherine Chapin * Ken Potashner * Bardia Moayedi * Neal Bloom This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe
May 11 · 18 min
This Week in San Diego Tech News - May 2026
Listen & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners. This week, I’m flying solo on the mic to unpack a busy week in San Diego tech. Before we dive in, we wanted to thank you 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! Topics Covered Suja IPO & San Diego’s Consumer Brand Pipeline * Suja Life IPO * Coca-Cola’s early investment thesis * San Diego as a premium wellness and consumer products launchpad * Comparison to other recent San Diego consumer brand IPOs * Why San Diego may be one of America’s best “test markets” for health & lifestyle brands Stone Brewing, Sapporo & Maria Stipp’s Exit Track Record * Stone Brewing acquisition news * The evolution of San Diego’s craft brewing ecosystem * Maria Stipp’s leadership journey across: * EcoATM * Lagunitas * Stone Brewing * Suja * Siete Foods board involvement * The importance of experienced operators recycling through ecosystems Firestorm Labs Is on an Absolute Heater * Firestorm Labs raises $82M Series B * New $30M defense contract * Distributed manufacturing and edge logistics * “Factories in shipping containers” * Why modern defense tech is increasingly about adaptability and rapid production * Firestorm hosting the first annual Hardtech 50 Release Party Hardtech 50 + Next Wave 30 * Why it became impossible to stop at just 50 companies * San Diego’s growing density across: * aerospace * robotics * autonomy * semiconductors * energy * ocean tech * manufacturing * - The rise of interdisciplinary founders and “things that move atoms” UCSD’s Deep Tech Infrastructure Push * University of California San Diego and advanced engineering initiatives * Supercomputing, fusion, AI infrastructure, and scientific tooling * The importance of compute, cooling, energy, and simulation infrastructure * The long-term impact of institutions like: * Qualcomm * General Atomics * San Diego Supercomputer Center * Navy-affiliated research Referenced article: UCSD Guardian coverage Scripps + San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance * Scripps Institution of Oceanography * San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance * Conservation, climate science, oceanography, and AI converging * Why proximity between institutions creates innovation density Referenced article: Scripps announcement This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe

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