Investors and Startups Crawl Through Downtown San Jose

Sounds like another awesome event from Dischcrawl co-founder Tracy Lee! This is exactly the type of scene that we need to nurture to keep the creative juices flowing in San Jose.

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from San Jose Metblogs by jfouts

Thursday night was what I think will be the first of  many PitchCrawls in downtown San Jose. Created by the energetic Tracy Lee of Dishcrawl fame, the event brought together investors and startups in a crawl through some of downtown’s innovation centers, with a break at each for startups to pitch their ideas in 3 minute sessions to investors who offer everything from funds to technology for the companies they invest in. We heard ideas for everything from affordable tech support and iphone apps to the next hot sports drink company founded by a scientist and a well known athlete and an outsourced HR company. Ideas were flowing and so was the banter as we moved from place to place.

This is a refreshing change from the usual pitch events, that’s for sure. Instead of gathering in a room to hear elevator pitch after pitch and then the frantic rush to speak to “the” investor, startups and investors had a chance to mingle and talk more casually, eat some great food and tour some of San Jose’s downtown innovation centers at the same time. Everyone I asked was delighted with the format, even in the chilly winter weather as we worked our way from venue to venue.

The first stop was at the San Jose Tech Shop. I’ve been wanting to venture in here for months. They soft-opened in July and the place is amazing. If you’re wanting to do anything requiring very cool and expensive toys, this is your place. They offer classes to expand your knowledge for using everything from CAD programs and 3-D modeling to a sophisticated machine shop, industrial sewing equipment, a powder coating booth and a huge water cutting table that can slice through marble or steel like a hot knife through butter. Very impressive. We noshed on tacos from Juanita’s and had a tour of the facilities, then stopped for round 1 of the pitches.

Stop 2 was at the home of DishCrawl and several other burgeoning startups housed in Next Space, a co-working space on 2nd St. While we sampled the amazing concoctions provided by Raw Daddy (find him at the Sunday Campbell and Palo Alto farmer’s markets) we met more founders and toured the space with manager Gretchen Baisa. If you’re looking for a drop-in space to work or a friendly office environment that’s not in your garage, you should be checking this space out right in the heart of downtown San Jose.

The 3rd stop was–in classic DishCrawl style–a food truck. This time from House of Siam for some yummy roti wrapped around satay pork with peanut sauce. It was a quick stop but gave us more energy for the busy networking scene going on at our last stop, the Irish Innovation Center. The Innovation Center had a full-on networking event going on already in the Silicon Valley Holiday Mixer, complete with a mini trade show and music, and the place was packed. Add a pile of Pichcrawlers and you’ve got a fantastic networking opportunity. The center partners with the Kauffman Foundation, Microsoft Bizspark, IDA Ireland. and Price Waterhouse Coopers to name a few, and offers members office space, mentoring, education and the opportunity to connect with potential funders.

All in all, the event was a huge success and I heard quite a few meetings being scheduled. What a unique and fun way to get in front of some interesting investors with your startup or find the next startup before anyone else! The next PitchCrawl is to be held in San Francisco on January 10. At last check there were just a few tickets left, but I expect they will be back in Silicon Valley soon. Big congrats to the DishCrawl team for another well executed concept!

San Jose 2040 General Plan

Last month the San Jose City Council unanimously approved a general plan for the city that emphasizes jobs and improved transportation. Specifically, we're looking at potentially 470,000 new jobs and 120,000 new homes over the next 30 years. Growth will particularly be concentrated in North San Jose, Coyote Valley, Evergreen, Edenvale, and Downtown. The new development model will feature the creation of urban villages with a very dense mix of housing, office, and retail close to public transit.

For more info, click here.

San Jose Has Tightest Apartment Market in the US

This news isn't so surprising given the number of reports this past year about how hot our rental market is. San Jose has a ridiculously low apartment vacancy rate of 3.1%, along with an average asking rent of $1,506. In this situation the laws of supply and demand dictate that rental rates will be rising (I'm sorry renters). Average asking rents for 2012 are estimated to reach $1,615.

For more info, click here.

December 2011 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• Half a million people are expected Downtown for Christmas in the Park. This year has a few upgrades and new promotions such as:
• A fully working train for kids that goes around the park.
• An $11 pin that provides discounts at 30 different restaurants.
• Downtown for the Holidays Hotel Packages [finally, they should do this for other Downtown events as well]
• Holiday Hat Trick pass, which includes passes for Downtown Ice, the San Jose Museum of Art, and The Tech.
• Two Key Zoning Changes are being pushed:
• 1.) Remove the requirement that all ground floor space Downtown must be retail. This will allow offices to fill in some of the empty storefronts.
• 2.) Full-service hotels with more than 75 rooms would no longer need a conditional use permit to have a drinking establishment and live music in the hotel.
• Arts Council Silicon Valley and 1stAct Silicon Valley launched LiveSV.com to provide consumers a way to share what's new and unique in the Silicon Valley arts, culture, and entertainment scene.
• The San Jose Public library has been awarded the 2011 National Medal for Museum and Library Services (first city library in California to receive the award).
• Starting Jan 1, plastic bags are banned from all San Jose stores (restaurants exempt) and paper bags will cost 10 cents. People are encouraged to bring re-usable bags.
• 4 New Eateries Opened:
• Liquid on 32 S. Third
• Uncle Bernie's Chicken & Fish on 30 E. Santa Clara
• Grace Deli & Cafe on 303 Almaden
• Zeytoun American & Mediterranean Grill on 185 Park

To read the full newsletter, click here!

49ers Line up $850M Stadium Loan

I know it's not San Jose, but it's Sunday and I have to mention the fact that the 49ers have lined up the $850M of financing for the new stadium. This pretty much seals the deal and guarantees the Niners are coming to Silicon Valley.

San Jose will be a tremendous beneficiary as we'll receive yet another professional sports team in the San Jose Metropolitan Area (maybe two). I'm dreaming of a 2015 scenario where Silicon Valley hosts the Sharks, Earthquakes, 49ers, Raiders, A's, and maybe even a pro Basketball team. People would laugh at the thought 10 years ago, but now it may actually happen.

For more information on the 49er loan, click here.

History San Jose Hosts Children’s Day at History Park this Sunday, December 11

Looks like a great family event tomorrow at History Park:

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The holidays at History Park have become a tradition. Children’s Day at History Park will be Sunday, December 11 from noon to 4 PM. 

 

Santa will be on-hand for photo opportunities. Children can ride the trolley with Santa Claus on the 1 PM and 3 PM runs. A highlight every year is that children can experience operating the hand-cart along the tracks.

 

There will be holiday crafts and activities for children, and story times with the Snow Queen between 12:30 PM and 3:30 PM.

 

The St. James AME Youth Choir will enhance the holiday spirit by singing from the bandstand at 2 PM.

 

History Park affiliates will add to the diversity of the holiday: the Hellenic Heritage Institute, the Portuguese Historical Society of California and the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project are just some of the participants. There will be arts and crafts projects at the Umbarger House, the Markham House, the Hill House and the Associated Oil Service Station.  In addition, the Print Shop and Trolley Barn will be open, as will the Leonard and David McKay Gallery.

 

Admission is $8 per family of four, $2 per additional person; HSJ members are free with a membership card. History Park is located at the corner of Senter Road and Phelan Avenue, at the south end of Kelley Park. City of San Jose regular parking is $6; seniors, active military, and handicap parking $2.

San Jose Getting Massive Digital Signs

San Jose freeways are about to get more colorful. Six giant digital signs are going to be placed in major retail centers in San Jose and all will be visible from freeways. The signs will be 60-90 feet high and potentially as large as 500 square feet. To give you an idea how large this is, the sign in the mockup below for San Bernadino is just over 800 square feet. The idea is that the signs will bring in more shoppers to key centers and increase tax revenue for the city. If this pilot program is successful, you can expect many more signs to follow.

Some may consider these driving distractions, but I always associate these types of signs with big cities like New York, London, Tokyo, and dare I say Vegas. They may make us look more "Silicon Valleyish" so I'll welcome the change for now as long as they don't cause many more car accidents.

For more information, click here.

San Jose Repertory: A Christmas Carol

Hope everyone is feeling the holiday spirit! Downtown is full of festive events and shows -- one in particular is A Christmas Carol playing at the San Jose Repertory Theatre until December 24th!

Now, the earliest memory I have of A Christmas Carol is the Walt Disney version; Mickey, Scrooge McDuck, Goofy... you know, the whole gang. Here I am, 31 years old and that’s my frame of reference for this story. Granted, I know in either middle school or high school we read the actual story. That said, it’s a classic story - if you don’t know it then maybe you live under a rock. (And living under rocks just isn’t comfortable, so get your bum out from under there!)

The other day I attended Opening Night and immediately felt the holiday spirit upon entering the Rep. Garland, bells, Christmas wreaths and trees greet you and really begin to set the tone.

Just before the show is to start, the actors arrive on the steps of the Rep and begin to sing classic Christmas carols. While I have heard some before, others I have not - they’re very old fashioned (then again, what Christmas carols are ‘new’? Hmm...) and while generally not my cup of tea, the caroling really helps bring you into the show you’re about to see. You’re going to be sucked into the Victorian era!

Before watching the show I had read a tweet from the Rep saying that the production featured 18 actors playing more than 50 roles. This above all intrigued me. First off - AWESOME memories these actors must have (I have a hard time remembering things I did last week, let alone lines for multiple characters!) but also, that must be some great organization behind the scenes for the costume designers.

Ok since I’m not a professional theatre critic I’m going to break this down by category - again, I am what I’ll define as a casual theatre-goer; I enjoy plays and musicals and theatre in general. So maybe I’m more like you, random reader - hope my review helps you decide if you’ll see the show or not.

ActingLike I said before there, there are 18 actors who collectively played more than 50 roles. To bounce between a few different characters and often times providing the part of narrators is a feat unto itself. Everyone did a great job and I was never once confused as to what character was talking or what was happening.

I must say right now, sorry to the adults in the play, but the children simply stole the show - as often they do! Making her first professional stage performance, little Alison Lubeins had my full attention. She’s just darling as Alice Cratchit and did a great job with all the lines and actions she had to perform.

Another one of the child actors that stood out, and importantly so as his character is vital to the story, Everett Meckler as Tiny Tim. When he sang (while Marvin Greene as Bob Cratchit played acoustic guitar beautifully) the audience was silent. I don’t even think people were breathing. He has a soft voice and sang with the victorian-style accent as well. Wonderfully done and I think I heard a few sniffles in the audience after the song.

Costumes
I’m a details person. I love to dissect costumes and the accessories used. From the lacy gloves, scarves, and even the ratted clothing - everything felt, to this untrained eye, that it was spot on Victorian-era clothing (and A Christmas Carol-themed.)

Music
There was a lot more singing then I had anticipated. And while I am a fan of musicals, it’s the old-fashioned carols and songs that *personally* can get on my nerves after awhile -- but do not let this sway you. I’m a blogger, I am personally giving my opinion here. All songs are really appropriate and help traditionally tell the story.

Set Design
Very interesting and I am not surprised as The Rep often has such a unique approach for its set design. The actors were often the ones, as narration goes on, to physically adjust the scene. Set change came off as a seamless, choreographed dance and never once confused me as a viewer.

Stand-Out Moments
In relation to set design - there were a few surprise moments that stood out to me.

When Marley’s spirit shows itself to Scrooge in his chambers and how the Rep did it was a fun and unique way. Lots of lighting and dry ice to set the eerie, scary moment alive. That said, I think in this ONE case, there seems to be something missing, perhaps a mixture of the actor’s movements or delivery and audio effects something just didn’t feel spooky enough to me.

However when Marley’s ghost first appears to Scrooge on the door knocker, The Rep used a technical approach that worked wonderfully. I was curious as to how they’d do it and pleasantly pleased how they did.

Overall the show is a great way to spend a holiday evening out with family and friends!

A Christmas Carol
San Jose Repertory Theatre
Nov 23 - Dec 24, 2011
Tickets and Information

Photo of Everett Meckler by Kevin Berne