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August 2022 – OC Leading in Hybrid Work
August 1, 2022In this summer edition, we take a look at Orange County's positioning when it comes to remote and hybrid work environments. OC business leaders recently gathered to discuss new business models for high-performance workforces, Irvine is recognized as a top U.S. city for remote work, and TikTok connoisseur, Ashley Coats, is on a mission to find the best cafes in OC for remote work.
June 2022 – CLAOC/Octane Event
June 6, 2022Bringing together 180 Orange County leaders across the business, education, and non-profit sectors, CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County and Octane OC hosted an extraordinary event for the region to discuss a shared vision of building a better OC that provides opportunities for all communities to thrive.
Best Cities for Working Remotely in the U.S.
April 12, 2022Prior to the pandemic, remote working was more of a perk for corner-office types, grinders who proved themselves, creatives and freelancers. In fact, since the industrial revolution, the only occupations that worked from home with any sort of regularity were farmers and those in creative occupations, like writers, painters and sculptors. Even the post-World War II era saw the invention of multi-level marketing, which allowed women to put their skills to work selling products out of their homes.
FluxWear Brother-Sister Inventor Duo
March 3, 2022The Envision OC team has been given the opportunity to share the stories of local Orange County entrepreneur siblings Kamran and Nadia Ansari. The young inventors Kamran, 16 and Nadia, 18 have started their own revolutionary company, called FluxWear in 2020.
February 2022 – AI is Thriving in Orange County + More February Updates
February 25, 2022Ephesoft Founder Ike Kavas is featured in the first episode of a new video series on Artificial Intelligence businesses in Orange County. As OC pros return to their offices, we have a fresh perspective on all the things we love and have missed about our community. We invite you to share your appreciation of your city and community by creating and submitting a short video on why YOU live here and showcase OC through YOUR eyes.
SoCal Leaders ‘Unplug’ for a Full Day Workshop To Tackle Shared Challenges
February 17, 2022On November 11th, a group of fifty (vaccinated) SoCal ecosystem leaders gathered at the Spectrum Terrace conference center in Irvine for a professionally facilitated workshop to collectively tackle shared challenges and opportunities and most importantly, to re-connect after a long hiatus due to the pandemic.
EV Battery Developer Enevate Expands
February 17, 2022Enevate, the Irvine firm developing fast-charging batteries for electric vehicles, has signed a lease for over 125,000 square feet for a pre-production line and new headquarters at 34 Parker Drive.
OC Black History Parade celebrates community
February 17, 2022Disney’s tech team offers a behind-the-scenes look at the data points and decision engines that power the algorithm running the new mobile app within an app.
A vibrant start to the Year of the Tiger in Orange County
February 17, 2022Disney’s tech team offers a behind-the-scenes look at the data points and decision engines that power the algorithm running the new mobile app within an app.
City of Hope’s New Cancer Outpatient Center Nears Opening
February 17, 2022The cancer-focused institute is aiming to unveil its state-of-the-art outpatient center for cancer research in Irvine this year, and it’s in the early innings of a hiring push that will bring hundreds of medical jobs to the area.
How Disneyland uses big data to power the new high-tech Genie app
October 12, 2021Disney’s tech team offers a behind-the-scenes look at the data points and decision engines that power the algorithm running the new mobile app within an app.
September 2021 – Working for a Better Future in Orange County
September 16, 2021EnvisionOC is a resource designed to showcase the incredible diversity of career, enterprise and lifestyle opportunities Orange County has to offer.
Whether you're a professional in Orange County, considering OC as a professional destination, or working in the human resources field, this valuable publication offers resources on why OC is the place to build your career and life. Our goal is to promote the connectivity of our business ecosystem for the benefit of growth and sustainability for our county's workforce.
Salvation Army’s Unique Approach to Address OC Homelessness
August 26, 2021As we focus on the organizations making a difference in our community, this issue recognizes The Salvation Army’s unique Homeless Throughput System (HTS). Developed here in Orange County, the HTS has become such a proven model that it is being used now in major cities and metro areas for the organizations’ sustainable nationwide efforts to help end homelessness.
New OC Startup Job Listings: Portal, Trace3, ATTOM, Sega of America, Anduril Industries
August 4, 2021"The growing popularity of Orange County to a range of industries has led to an increase in open positions for new talent in the tech sector, specifically engineers and developers.
Portal, a social platform for creatives using Blockchain and AR technologies; Trace3, an IT company providing cloud maintenance, organization, and monitoring services; ATTOM, a premium property data company; Sega of America, Inc., video game publisher; and Anduril Industries, a defense technology company are hiring mobile developers, cloud security engineers, and software engineers."
$40 million donation to California State University, Fullerton from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott
June 15, 2021On Tuesday, June 15, 2021 philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $40 million to California State University, Fullerton (CSUF)—the largest gift the school has ever received. As part of an overall $2.7 billion donation to 286 organizations, Scott’s team carefully selected high-impact, equity-oriented groups for their grants. Their goals included increasing access to education and promoting social justice within communities.
With the largest student body of the CSU’s, as well as being an ethnically diverse campus with students from almost 80 different countries, CSUF brings a multitude of ideas, perspectives, and experiences to Orange County. CSUF plans to use a portion of these resources to support social justice initiatives and programs on campus and within the community.
June 2021 – Working For A Better Future in Orange County
June 11, 2021EnvisionOC is a resource designed to showcase the incredible diversity of career, enterprise and lifestyle opportunities Orange County has to offer.
In this month's newsletter, we spotlight how Orange County's spirit of leadership, partnership and innovation is proving a game-changer in addressing a range of challenges, including preparing our future workforce and complex social problems like homelessness.
Whether you're a professional in Orange County, considering OC as a professional destination, or working in the human resources field, we hope you will find value in this publication. Our goal is to promote the connectivity of our business ecosystem for the benefit of growth and sustainability for our county's workforce.
Orange County Town Among Best Places To Live In US, Reports Say
June 7, 2021According to reports from Niche and WalletHub, Irvine is one of the best places to live and raise a family in the US. Having analyzed factors like the housing market and trends, livability, schools, employment, crime rates, and other resources from the US Census, FBI, Centers for Disease Control, and Bureau of Labor Statistics, Niche found that Irvine is ranked as 11th best place in the US to live. Additionally, a survey conducted by WalletHub recently discovered that Irvine ranked as the nation’s third-best big city to raise a family. They found that out of all 182 cities surveyed, Irvine is the safest city and ranks high for care, socioeconomics, fun, and mid-range for affordability.
Pandemic Accelerates Flight From Los Angeles County to Southern Communities
June 2, 2021The United to End Homelessness (U2EH) initiative, empowered by Orange County United Way, is an innovative and powerful collaboration between Orange County’s top business, philanthropic, governmental, faith-based and non-profit leaders. This partnership was founded in order to lead data-driven solutions to the homelessness crisis in Orange County. The work is based upon a clear foundational understanding of our homeless population along with an accurate assessment of the public costs.
Investing app Acorns to go public through a blank-check merger valued at $2.2 billion
May 27, 2021For around $2.2 billion, Irvine-based Acorns is set to merge with Pioneer Merger Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. Planned to take place the second half of this year, the deal amounts to more than double its last private valuation. According to CEO Noah Kerner, the merger will accelerate the growth of the company and bring the beneficial tools for responsible financial progress Acorns provides into the hands of the public.
Orange County Innovation Leads in Fighting Homelessness
May 27, 2021The United to End Homelessness (U2EH) initiative, empowered by Orange County United Way, is an innovative and powerful collaboration between Orange County’s top business, philanthropic, governmental, faith-based and non-profit leaders. This partnership was founded in order to lead data-driven solutions to the homelessness crisis in Orange County. The work is based upon a clear foundational understanding of our homeless population along with an accurate assessment of the public costs.
Orange County’s Alteryx Introduces $50M Strategic Venture Fund
May 14, 2021Analytics automation company Alteryx, based in Irvine, announced mid-May the creation of Alteryx Ventures, which will invest in inventive technology and services companies. The $50 million fund will invest in companies that share Alteryx’s goal of accelerating the innovation of technology that advances all areas of analytics and data science automation, and their mission of democratizing data.
Irvine’s Kajabi Raises $550 Million in Funding Round
May 4, 2021Irvine-based startup Kajabi, an all-in-one e-commerce platform and a leader in the knowledge economy raised $550 million from growth equity financing leading to the company being valued at over $2 billion. This investment includes TPG, Tidemark, Owl Rock Capital, Meritech Capital and was led by Tiger Global Management, joining existing investor Spectrum Equity. Overall, Kajabi has seen rapid growth, as users collectively generated more than $1.5 billion in GMV annually—more than 150% compared to the last year. Read the full article to learn more on how Kajabi intends to continue expanding its team and its unique products, as well as expanding internationally.
The First Look SoCal Innovation Showcase 2021 [virtual]
May 1, 2021The First Look SoCal Innovation Showcase is an annual event that celebrates the best early-stage teams commercializing tech and life science breakthroughs from the top research institutions in Southern California. Startups will have an unparalleled opportunity to connect with top-tier investors and successful serial entrepreneurs. The day’s program will feature a lineup of quick-pitch presentations, each followed by investor-led Q&A, and panel discussions with key investors and industry leaders.
Recommend Recent Grads to the Orange Fellowship!
May 1, 2021
The Orange Fellowship is a unique fellows program for leaders and opportunity seekers who value personal and professional growth.
Look inside this lab where scientists are recreating the energy of the sun to produce nearly unlimited clean energy
April 30, 2021Nuclear fusion, the nuclear reaction which powers the sun and other stars, could conceivably create massive amounts of carbon-free energy—a feat that certain companies, such as TAE Technologies, are attempting to accomplish. Headquartered in Foothill Ranch, California, TAE Technologies is a fusion company that developed a special reactor to harness the potential clean, usable energy from nuclear fusion. Take a (virtual) tour of their lab to learn more about the unique innovation developing within Orange County!
Skyworks to Buy Silicon Labs unit for $2.75B
April 22, 2021The Irvine-based producer of analog semiconductors Skyworks Solutions will acquire the infrastructure and automotive company, Silicon Laboratories Inc. for $2.75 billion, accelerating Skyworks’ growth and cementing their status as a leader of the industry’s important sectors. The acquisition is expected to be finalized by the end of September 2021, bringing in around 350 employees to Skyworks and expanding the local pool of talent and innovation.
UCI Beall Applied Innovation Connects the World to California and the US
April 15, 2021Since its inception in 2015, UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation has melded together campus-centric innovations and entrepreneurship with the growing Orange County business community. The groundbreaking work of Applied Innovation in its quest for augmenting the economic growth of the region has attracted not just local attention, but interest from international countries and organizations. Read more to discover how Applied Innovation is cultivating a hub of innovation in Orange County through both local and international connections.
City of Hope Receives $50 Million Gift From Lennar Foundation to Build the Future of Cancer Care
March 31, 2021A generous donation from the Lennar Foundation is the single-largest philanthropic contribution and a transformational gift of hope to the world-renowned cancer research and treatment center, based in Orange County, City of Hope. In a community where nearly 20% of patients with cancer must travel outside the region for their care, the Lennar Foundation Cancer Center at City of Hope Orange County (scheduled to open in 2022) will help to redefine traditional boundaries of health care by extending lifesaving care and research directly into a community.
Responsible Leadership, Innovation Investment, Connected Business Ecosystem – This is OC
February 26, 2021Welcome to this month's newsletter. EnvisionOC is a resource designed to showcase the incredible diversity of career, enterprise and lifestyle opportunities Orange County has to offer.
In this month's edition, we spotlight Orange County's focus on innovation investment and how our community of business leaders are helping to develop a SoCal AI Superhub, creating over 50,000 new high-paying technology jobs in OC, and investing in local student-entrepreneurs. We are also excited to announce that Orange Fellowship is now accepting applications for their 2021-2023 class, and more community updates. Read on!
What You Need for Responsible Leadership and Innovation
February 13, 2021Dr. Doug Wilson - Chairman of the CEO Leadership Alliance, Orange County, California - spoke on purposeful and responsible leadership combined with innovation (RLI) and what that means for an organization in 2021. The development of an AI workculture in Orange County is a notable example of purposeful-driven leadership that drives impact within a community. AI Innovators such as Anduril Industries (defense) and City of Hope (health care) play an important part in the OC ecosystem, and with the recent launch of Southern California Master Fund (SCMF), investors now have access to impact investors to curate and connect partners to emerging, new, and disruptive start-ups in this AI space.
Scaling Up: Anduril Expands to New Orange County Headquarters
February 3, 2021Anduril has grown exponentially in its three years of seminal and transformative technology, shaping the US and allied military and national securities with their advanced technology; from a team of 15 in a tiny warehouse to nearly 400 members in five cities with a valuation of nearly $2 billion. With the goal of sustaining their momentum and continuation of rapid growth, Anduril is shifting their headquarters in early 2022 from Irvine to The Press, the iconic property in Costa Mesa, where the diverse and dynamic team will be able to expand their potential.
A CEO Master Fund to Fuel Orange County Tech Growth
January 30, 2021The SC Master Fund invests in promising local venture capital funds that will in turn invest in early-stage high-potential innovation companies based in and around Orange County. Research by the CEO Leadership Alliance of Orange County (CLA-OC) has identified that a root cause of many of OC’s social problems is a lack of good jobs that enable workers to afford to live and work here. Building a top-tier innovation region can help resolve this. When it comes to talent, our region is the largest producer of STEM Ph.D.s and second in STEM undergraduates in the U.S., but the majority leave to take jobs in Silicon Valley or other tech hubs. At the same time, the lack of deep talent pools is a barrier for many OC companies to grow here. To build a successful innovation hub, business leaders need to provide good jobs that keep talent in OC, and significantly increase local innovation capital.
October 2020 – Entrepreneur Map Guide, Orange Fellows, and more November updates
November 4, 2020EnvisionOC was founded by business and community leaders working toward a common goal of creating a thriving Orange County for all. This fall brings several opportunities to promote new connections, with a number of virtual events highlighted below - read on!
WATCH: OC Leaders Break Ground on Park and Memorial Honoring Landmark Civil Rights Case
October 16, 2020Most people, even longtime residents, are unaware that OC was the site of the first legal case in the U.S. to hold that school segregation itself is unconstitutional and violates the 14th amendment. The Mendez vs. Westminster decision led to the 1947 law in California ending nearly 100 years of public school segregation in the state. Visit this link to watch the OC Department of Education video of the groundbreaking for Mendez Tribute Memorial Park, which explains how OC has a rich heritage in the fight for equality and opportunity nationwide.
Funding Available for CA Small Businesses
September 28, 2020The California Rebuilding Fund was created to support small businesses that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will aggregate funding from private, philanthropic, and public sector sources – including an anchor commitment from IBank. The California Rebuilding Fund is intended to serve the smallest of small businesses that make up an essential part of the California economy.
August 2020 – “Envision Your City” Map Reveals OC as a Tapestry of Communities
August 31, 2020We spotlight current news and resources that help connect our communities, with the common goal of creating a thriving Orange County for all. Read on to learn about new tools being launched to showcase the county, its educational institutions, and helpful tips for your career, enterprise, and lifestyle.
Free data training provided by top OC company, Alteryx
August 6, 2020The Alliance for SoCal Innovation works closely with a number of leading corporations in the SoCal region, such as data analytics company Alteryx, who are aligned and committed to elevate the region as a global center for innovation and entrepreneurship. In response to a data analyst shortage and massive disruption in general employment due to the pandemic, Alteryx launched their ADAPT program, which offers free data training to thousands of workers globally as part of a broader initiative to expand data literacy and upskill workers adversely impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
UCI to launch innovative School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
August 4, 2020As part of a prescription to reshape 21st-century healthcare, the University of California, Irvine announced the establishment of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the first public pharmacy school in the Los Angeles-Orange County region, which will bring new solutions to advance health and wellness for the community
Alteryx CEO Presses Ahead During Crisis
June 25, 2020CEO Dean Stoecker’s belief in the power of Alteryx Inc.’s value, and its desire to help those impacted is showcased by their offering of free data training to thousands of unemployed workers, to upskill them on data analytics. Their ADAPT program, which stands for "Advancing Data and Analytics Potential Together", is meant to get these professionals back on their feet as quickly as possible. The company's cross-town move in Irvine, and with OC being an ideal location for an underlying pool of talent, sees the coronavirus pandemic as a wake-up call for business executives to embrace data analytics.
Facebook Acquires The Order: 1886 Developer Ready at Dawn
June 23, 2020Game Developer Ready at Dawn, whose behind titles such as The Order:1886 and Lone Echo, has been acquired by Facebook, and will operate under Facebook's Oculus Studios banner. According to Oculus, Ready at Dawn caught the attention of Facebook with its 2017 VR hit Lone Echo and its redefined VR movement mechanic. In 2003, Ru Weerasuriya co-founded Ready At Dawn Studios in Irvine, California, and helped build the company to become one of the leading developers in the world today. Oculus VR, which also originated from Irvine, has grown over the years with VR developers and talent from over the world, and expanded the VR footprint within Orange County.
June 2020 – Working For a Better Future in Orange County
June 23, 2020Welcome to the first edition of our EnvisionOC Newsletter. As we aim beyond economic recovery in establishing Orange County as a top-tier hub for innovation, promoting a connected business ecosystem and attracting and retaining top talent in our workforce are paramount. To that end, EnvisionOC was launched to help showcase the breadth of career, enterprise and lifestyle opportunities offered.
It’s Official: Skyworks HQ Now in Irvine
May 18, 2020Chipmaker Skyworks Solutions Inc. has changed its headquarters to Irvine from suburban Boston. The company employs some 450 people at UCI Research Park, and has become the third-largest publicly traded company with headquarters in Orange County. The COVID-19 pandemic weighed on the company’s most recent financial results, increasing the company's employability factor, and providing more opportunity to OC growing talent base. OC’s vibrant and growing community of technical professionals supports the continued expansion of Skyworks’ highly talented workforce. Irvine is also home to the Skyworks’s design center for custom and standard analog and mixed signal semiconductors.
