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Video Series: Grow Your Business in San Diego

The “Grow Your Business in San Diego” video series highlights the entrepreneurial spirit, innovative courage, collaborative environment and City support that make San Diego one of nation’s best places to launch a business.

Learn first-hand from the homegrown companies that are changing the world.

BEAM (formerly Envision Solar)

University City

Founded in San Diego in 2006, Envision Solar, rebranded BEAM in 2021, has grown from a two-person startup to a global leader as local manufacturer of an innovative electric vehicle charger that's making it easier for the world to "drive on sunshine." Envision Solar now employs more than 20 people, including many in San Diego's highly skilled workforce, several veterans and disabled workers. Check out this success story that showcases San Diego's dynamic workforce and its innovation and cleantech economy. (Learn more about the City of San Diego Climate Action Plan here.)

Downtown

Located in the Manpower Building, NEST is the coworking space shared by many startups in nonprofit CyberTECH’s xHIVE incubator program. Check out the largest incubator downtown. NEST-member companies are mostly tech-driven startups in areas of cyber, Internet of Things, Smart City and critical, innovative market needs such as sensors, processing, situational awareness/visualization, big data, predictive analytics, modeling and simulation. (See CyberTECH NEST CoWork in the San Diego Startup Ecosystem Map.)

East Village

Founded in Mission Valley by Jason Kulpa, Underground Elephant went from one-man startup to digital marketing mammoth. It partnered with the City to keep its growing business in San Diego. Check out the video to see its sleek headquarters in what used to be a produce-packing facility and you'll see why this maverick company is part of the innovation movement and renaissance in the East Village. 

Point Loma and North Park
 
Founded in San Diego, Modern Times Beer partnered with the City of San Diego's Economic Development Department to expand its brewery and tasting room. Go behind the scenes with one of the breweries that makes San Diego home to the most craft breweries in America. Learn how the California Competes Tax Credit provided Modern Times with the cost savings to buy giant fermenting tanks and a state-of-the-art canning and bottling line.

FY2018 Economic Development Department Annual Report

 

This video highlights many of the programs, projects and achievements by showcased in the FY2018 Economic Development Department Annual Report. The department's five divisions--Business Expansion, Attraction and Retention (BEAR); Community Development; San Diego Promise Zone; Sustainability; and Fiscal Operations--all work together to strengthen businesses and neighborhoods and improve the quality of life for all San Diegans.