Not only is Santa Barbara a top tourist destination, but now it became center for new and emerging businesses too, says Kenny Slaught. Lots of promising companies were created in recent years, and many, including AppScale, LastLine, TrackR, and Salty Girl Seafood, came directly out of the University of California Santa Barbara. The Central Coast boasts nearly twice the investment per capital in innovation than the greater Los Angeles area, a much larger market because of the more than $200 million raised for area startups from private investors during the last year. While people are generally drawn to Silicon Valley or Hollywood, local entrepreneurs know the impact of putting together a business in an environment that helps it to grow. It’s easy to see that the region is an ideal one for launching and developing new companies, even biotech, medical, technology, and scientific businesses like Inogen, Raytheon, Sonos, and BioIQ.
Kenny Slaught
Entrepreneur & Investec Real Estate Founder