Santa Maria Valley Tech

$297 billion. One quarter. And most of it went to AI.

Crunchbase just dropped Q1 2026 venture data — and it's not just a record. It's a signal.

Global startup investment hit nearly $300B in a single quarter. That's 150% more than Q1 2025. It's more than all of 2022. 81% of it went to AI companies.

What does a wave this big mean for communities that aren't in San Francisco or New York? Outside of the vacuum. Beyond the center of gravity?

Because here's what I know: the money is concentrating at the top. But the opportunity — the ideas, the talent, the hunger — that's everywhere.

Including right here on the Central Coast.

I broke down what this moment means for founders and builders in the Santa Maria Valley and greater region — and why I think now is the most important time to be building from the ground up.

👇 Full post on the Santa Maria Valley Tech Substack

https://open.substack.com/pub/santamariavalleytech/p/297-billion-was-invested-in-startups?r=3kyl9&utm_medium=ios

$297 Billion Was Invested in Startups Last Quarter. Here’s What That Means for Us. The biggest VC quarter in history just happened. And it has everything to do with what we’re building in the Santa Maria Valley.

Are companies and communities ready for innovation?

According to a new BCG Report on Innovation Systems, companies have never placed a higher priority on innovation—yet they have never been as unready to deliver on their innovation aspirations. It’s a recipe for disappointment. BCG’s 2024 Most Innovative Companies report examines the readiness gap and offers perspectives on how companies can get back on track.

BCG first discussed the readiness gap in its 2021 Most Innovative Companies report. At the time, 20% of companies scored as “ready” based on BCG’s proprietary Innovation-to-Impact benchmark—despite 75% ranking innovation a top-three priority. Today, new 2024 research finds 83% of companies seeing innovation as a top-three priority, but only 3% ready to translate their priorities to results.

https://open.substack.com/pub/santamariavalleytech/p/are-communities-ready-for-innovation?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Happening tomorrow...7AM

Co-Hosting a Softec discussion tomorrow AM on the impact of AI...

AI is the hot tech topic for 2024, and we want to talk about it. Softec is hosting this SIG for professionals to explore Prompt Engineering in OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Special interest groups (SIGs) enable professionals to stay up-to-date with the latest developments, exchange ideas, and troubleshoot challenges collectively. In our rapidly evolving tech landscape, the value of SIGs cannot be overstated; they serve as hubs of support and inspiration for those passionate about AI in the job.

https://www.meetup.com/softec-sig/events/298910764/