Startups Take Root at V2TC

October 21, 2009

Ventura Breeze

Roberto Beteta of Transition IT Now and Dave Pektas of Search Mechanix consult together as they work on a project at the Ventura Ventures Technology Center (V²TC).

Startups Take Root at V²TC

By Tim Pompey

       It’s tucked away in the back of City Hall. The morning I visit, it’s quiet. A few people here and there working. Yet, like seeds in the ground, business is growing here. New business, like young saplings, with innovative ideas, hoping to be big trees in Ventura’s commercial forest.

       The Ventura Ventures Technology Center (V²TC), launched through the City’s Job Investment Fund, is now almost a year old. Officially opened in January 2009, the V²TC hopes to be a business incubator for new startup companies with innovative technologies. “We’d like to attract companies that use technology to solve problems,” says Alex Schneider, V²TC’s Executive Director. “Specifically, we like to encourage the development of proprietary technology, something that involves a unique idea.”

      Despite these tough economic times, entrepreneurship is alive and well, and the V²TC gives these entrepreneurs a good place to start. At reasonable rates, the Center offers amenities like office workstations, conference rooms, a think tank, high speed Internet, and audio visual equipment.

      In addition, there are mentor services available for everything from business planning to financing. Partners of the incubator effort range from economic development organizations like the Ventura Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County to Ventura Capital firms like DFJ Frontier. David Gross, managing partner of Great Pacific Capital, has a workstation and maintains regular office hours as an in-house partner.

      Dave Pektas, Search Strategist for his new customized search marketing firm Search Mechanix (www.searchmechanix.com) is thrilled with the setup. “My friends that have started their businesses can’t believe the excellent set up. With three T.V.s, a wii room, ping pong room, and a great kitchen, they are pretty jealous.”

      Rahul Sonnad, Founder and CEO of the mobile application firm Geodelic (www.Geodelic.com) sees other advantages. “The challenge in the L.A. area is that there are tons of qualified people to recruit from, but they are very spread out. Having this incubator allows us to recruit very cost effectively and use this location at a reasonable cost per employee basis.” Consequently, Geodelic, based in Santa Monica, has located their technical services to V²TC.

      Schneider is optimistic about the Center’s future. One of the action items that came out of the May 2^nd Economic Summit was to expand the incubator effort. Schneider believes there is great growth potential. “I’d like to see this Center expanding to the 4^th floor, anchoring a high-tech cluster in our Downtown and graduating our current tenants out of this space and into the local market. We’d also like to develop some incubator lab space for startup biotech companies and some industrial space for green startups.”

      As Schneider gives me a tour of the Center, today is a quiet day. Down the road, however, Schneider and the City hope this place will be overflowing with bright people who spark new economic development for the City. “We’d like to have some success stories here at the grassroots level, to let people know Ventura’s not just a sleepy beach town.”

      Indeed, no sleep is encouraged here. Open 24/7, there’s always something going on. All it takes is one good idea. Or maybe a few good ideas that rapidly multiply. That’s why they call it incubation.

      For more information about starting a business at the Center, visit their website at www.VenturaIncubator.com.