Tacos and Tech Podcast

In this episode of Tacos & Tech , Neal Bloom sits down with Eric Aguilar , co-founder and CEO of Omnitron Sensors , to unpack the deep tech powering the next wave of robotics, autonomous systems, and AI infrastructure. From Eric’s early days working on defense sensors and his journey through Google and Tesla, to building one of the most powerful MEMS-based micro-machines on the market, this conver...

I’ve been noticing something lately about what happens after meetings - and what changes when the work doesn’t stall anymore. 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

In this live session from a recent SDAC Knowledge & Network Event hosted at Mintz Law’s office, investor Neal Bloom and corporate attorney Sebastian Lucier pull back the curtain on what due diligence really means for early-stage startup investing. Whether you’re a founder preparing to fundraise or an aspiring angel investor doing your first deal, this session is packed with sharp insights and war...

Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube . Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners . My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego 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, w...

A short audio reflection on something I’ve been noticing about willpower - and what happens when it quietly stops being the thing that matters. This episode isn’t about discipline. It’s about what changes when friction is removed instead of resisted. That’s what’s on my radar. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risi...

A short audio reflection on something I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since my first ride in a Waymo. Not because the technology was impressive - but because of what happened to my attention once I stopped needing to be alert. This episode isn’t about autonomy. It’s about what changes when vigilance disappears. That’s what’s on my radar. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discus...

In this special episode, we bring you a practical, high-context walkthrough of early-stage investing hosted by the San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC) . With insights from the Pillsbury ECVC legal team and SDAC organizers, this session offers angel investors - both new and experienced - a clear breakdown of key financing instruments like SAFEs, convertible notes, and priced equity rounds. We cover t...

In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, host Neal Bloom sits down with Jared Tangney , co-founder and CTO of Biolinq . From their early EvoNexus days to today’s FDA clearance, Jared walks us through the incredible journey of Biolinq - how it pivoted from sweat-sensing tattoos to a revolutionary microneedle platform that can measure glucose, lactate, and even cortisol with no blood and no pain...

In this special live episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, we take you inside the latest Burbank Tech Talk event, recorded at Tailored Space in the heart of the Media Capital of the World. This panel brought together creators, founders, and technologists to explore the fast-shifting landscape of entertainment, gaming, and AI—and what it means for the future of storytelling, monetization, and creati...

SDSU ZIP Fall 2025 Bootcamp: Building Fast, Building Smart In this special edition of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, we dive into the action-packed day that was the SDSU ZIP Launchpad Fall 2025 Startup Bootcamp. Designed to push student founders from idea to impact in just four hours, the students go from brand new ideas on a whiteboard, using AI co-pilots to get quick customer development simulations,...

In this special edition of the Tacos & Tech Podcast , we recorded live from Snapdragon Stadium during the 2025 Top Tech Awards San Diego . We set up shop right on the concourse and captured conversations with the builders, technologists, students, and community leaders shaping the region’s innovation economy. From cybersecurity to community impact, from AI in education to employee scheduling power...

Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners and the Tacos and Tech Podcast . My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds,...

On this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast , Neal Bloom sits down with Julie Sokol, Chief Technology Officer of OC Sports & Entertainment, to explore the intersection of immersive fan experiences, smart infrastructure, and placemaking through technology. Julie shares her journey from nearly 25 years in management consulting with Accenture to real estate with the Irvine Company, and now helping sh...

This week on the Tacos & Tech Podcast, Neal sits down with Mike Sims , Marine Raider turned venture builder, to talk about how his experience across the military, VC, and global battlefields shaped his mission with Imperium , a trusted marketplace for critical goods and the industrial base. They explore how modern warfare is redefining innovation cycles, why our national supply chain needs a rethi...

Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners and the Tacos and Tech Podcast . My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds,...

This week on the Tacos & Tech Podcast, we dive into San Diego’s growing Bluetech ecosystem with Vanessa Scott , Director of Industry Relations, Innovation, and the StartBlue Accelerator at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD . Vanessa shares how StartBlue helps launch and scale ocean-focused startups - from wave-powered sensor platforms to coral reef restoration biotech - and why San Diego...

Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners and the Tacos and Tech Podcast . My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds,...

In this week’s episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast , Neal sits down with Faisal Mushtaq - tech exec, startup scaler, author, and community builder - to explore the lessons learned from operating at every level of the tech stack: from startups in stealth to global public companies. Faisal shares how his engineering roots led him into roles scaling teams of three to three thousand, the value of buil...

Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners and the Tacos and Tech Podcast . My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds,...

In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, we sit down with Matt Ober , Managing Partner at Social Leverage , to unpack the future of fintech, the evolving landscape of wealth tech, and what it means to build and invest with long-term conviction. Matt shares his journey from hedge funds and quant trading to early-stage venture capital, with stops at Bloomberg, WorldQuant, and Third Point before...

Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners and the Tacos and Tech Podcast . My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds,...

In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast, host Neal Bloom sits down with Aleksey Matyushev , co-founder and CEO of Natilus , the San Diego-based aerospace company reinventing air freight and passenger travel with next-gen aircraft. With over $39 billion in orders and a growing footprint in South County, Natilus is bringing cutting-edge manufacturing back to San Diego. Aleksey shares his journey...

Listen & subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube , and other platforms. Welcome everyone to the weekly San Diego Tech News! I’m Neal Bloom from Rising Tide Partners and the Tacos and Tech Podcast . My co-host in this episode is Fred Grier , journalist and author of The Business of San Diego substack. He covers the ins-and-outs of the startup world including breaking news, IPOs, fundraising rounds,...

This week on Tacos & Tech , Neal sits down with Rose Bowlus - lawyer, founder, and angel investor - whose journey from trading floors to startup boardrooms brings a rare blend of Wall Street experience and founder empathy. Rose shares how her legal career evolved from the capital markets and energy sectors to launching her own firm, Rose Bowlus Law, where she now advises early-stage startups and f...

In this episode of the Tacos & Tech Podcast , host Neal Bloom sits down with Eric Birkemeier , founder of ShredLights and now part of Meepo Electric Skateboards. Eric’s story is a wild ride - from 3D-printing in the SDSU ZIP Launchpad and selling Jordans out of thrift stores, to building a niche hardware company and ultimately exiting to a global electric skateboard brand. They unpack how Eric tur...