Artisanal brewery re-born with stylish taproom on South First Street
February 13, 2018 by Elisabeth Handler | Blog
There are so many ways that Clandestine Brewing exemplifies San José entrepreneurship, not the least of which is its cheeky approach to naming itself and its products. Branding yourself as “secret” is audacious, but solidly based in fact – the brewery’s first l…
Continue ReadingNox Cookie Bar Opens in Downtown SJ
February 8, 2018 by Elisabeth Handler | Blog
After two years of successfully fueling SJSU’s all-night study sessions and tech coding marathons, Nox Cookies has opened a retail store to meet San Jose’s daily need to satisfy the craving for a warm cookie and cold milk. Convenient to Downtown offices and high-ris…
Continue ReadingGrants program for San Jose arts-based commercial businesses
January 29, 2018 by Elisabeth Handler | Blog
The City of San José Office of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI), is pleased to announce that the guidelines for the 6th round of the Creative Industries Incentive Fund (CIIF) are now available here. CIIF provides projec…
Continue ReadingBROOKINGS NAMES SAN JOSE #1 “DIGITIZED” CITY
January 22, 2018 by Elisabeth Handler | Blog
In a report that analyzes 30 metropolitan areas in terms of the economic impact of what they call digitalization, Brookings has just ranked San Jose ranks as #1 – possibly a bit of a mixed blessing! An informative infographic tells the story. In recent decades, the di…
Continue ReadingSan Jose’s public life to get a boost from Knight Foundation grant
January 18, 2018 by Elisabeth Handler | Blog
San José will benefit from a recently announced grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, providing $249,600 to help the City learn best practices for making public spaces into active hubs that connect the community and improve civic life. The grant was ma…
Continue ReadingKIKA TECH BRINGS EMOJIS + A.I. TO DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE
January 16, 2018 by Elisabeth Handler | Blog
It wasn’t just another tech company ribbon-cutting on Jan. 11 at the new Kika Tech offices at 8 North San Pedro Street. Kika’s staff were just back from an amazing Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where the China-based startup had been awarded four 2018…
Continue ReadingSilicon Valley’s Airport is Boosting the Region’s Economic Growth
January 12, 2018 by Elisabeth Handler | Blog
Guest post by Jonathan Vaden, Marketing Manager/Business Development, Mineta San José International Airport New airline service boosts any community’s economic development. It generates new business opportunities, enhances trade, creates local jobs and stimulates t…
Continue ReadingECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND VISUALIZING THE SPEED OF SOUND
January 9, 2018 by Elisabeth Handler | Blog
OED’s mission is to drive a vital and competitive economy that increases prosperity and quality of life for our residents and businesses. In today’s Silicon Valley, that means more than good transit, available real estate and reasonable housing costs. It also means …
Continue ReadingTALENT AND SCALING – MFG ROUNDTABLE TACKLES KEY ISSUES
December 22, 2017 by Donovan Lazaro | Blog
On Thursday, December 14, the City of San Jose hosted 2017’s final Silicon Valley Manufacturing Roundtable. Executives and business owners from prominent San Jose manufacturing companies attended, representing companies ranging in size from 50 to 1600 employees. T…
Continue ReadingFlexFactor Finals Showcase Student Innovation
December 21, 2017 by Donovan Lazaro | Blog
On December 7th I had the pleasure of being a panel judge for the inaugural FlexFactor Finals. An initiative spun out of the NextFlex advanced manufacturing institute in North San Jose, FlexFactor is a month-long program that exposes high school students to the world of…
Continue ReadingSTOREFRONT ASSISTANCE GRANTS
December 20, 2017 by Elisabeth Handler | Blog
As part of making Downtown San Jose more attractive and walkable, grants are available to small businesses interested in upgrading their sidewalk visuals. There are two kinds of grants – vacant storefront grants that provide reduced permit costs, and existing stor…
Continue ReadingDOWNTOWN FOOD AND DRINK OPTIONS EXPANDED IN 2017
December 19, 2017 by Elisabeth Handler | Blog
Guest Blogpost contributed by Nate LeBlanc, Business Development Manager, San Jose Downtown Association 2017 was a year of strong growth for cafés and restaurants in Downtown San Jose, marked by the opening of some great new places. I’m going to highlight some stando…
Continue ReadingCOHESITY OPENS IN SAN JOSE
December 12, 2017 by Elisabeth Handler | Blog
Downtown San José was showing its best side on Dec. 11. As night fell, the lights from Christmas in the Park blinked on, and more than a hundred tech workers, real estate professionals, elected officials, philanthropists and City employees gathered on the eighth floor …
Continue Reading25 Ways to Attract a Student Talent Pipeline into Manufacturing
November 20, 2017 by Elisabeth Handler | Blog
By Alyssa Lynch, Superintendent of Metropolitan Education District Businesses are feeling the painful effects from the lack of well-trained people in the trades. There is a nationwide skills gap to fill 5.7 million job openings. Since the 1960s, vocational education pro…
Continue ReadingWanted – Boring Walls!
October 30, 2017 by Nathan Donato-Weinstein | Blog
From their offices at WeWork in Downtown San Jose, the growing number of employees at SprayPrinter have a fantastic view of Silicon Valley’s urban center. But for them, the increasing number of buildings here is something besides a nice view. It’s inventory. The com…
Continue ReadingHOW SAN JOSE’S KIKA USES EMOJIS TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD
October 26, 2017 by Nathan Donato-Weinstein | Blog
Inside the downtown San Jose offices of Kika Tech, the first thing you notice are the emoji pillows. They’re all manner of happy faces: Ecstatically laughing. Smirky. Sad-faced. So-angry-it-looks-like-it-will-pop. Kika knows a thing or two about these cultural icons o…
Continue ReadingSan Jose – the best fit for Amazon HQ2
October 19, 2017 by Nathan Donato-Weinstein | Blog
Take a look at Amazon’s wish list for locating “HQ2” – its second headquarters – and it’s clear that San Jose checks the boxes: A welcoming business climate? Got that. Highly educated workforce? In spades. Arts and culture? Allow me to show you our SoFA arts…
Continue ReadingFuture of Retail — “hunters,” “experiencers” and “fitness buffs”
September 25, 2017 by Nathan Donato-Weinstein | Blog
The retail industry’s uncertain prognosis received yet another jolt in September with news that Toys R Us was filing for bankruptcy. But Bay Area retail experts are finding ways to thrive in this brave new world that’s been rocked by online shopping. “It’s a…
Continue ReadingNEXTFLEX SPONSORS “SHARK TANK” CHALLENGE FOR SAN JOSE AREA HIGH SCHOOL ENTREPRENEURS
June 20, 2017 by Donovan Lazaro | Blog
Earlier this month I sat on a panel for FlexFactor at Willow Glen High School. A class of about 30 AP Biology students broken up into small teams gave “Shark Tank” style pitches about devices and products they designed, utilizing flexible circuit technology. Applica…
Continue ReadingBoutique Urban Gym opens in historic Downtown building
June 16, 2017 by Donovan Lazaro | Blog
When you see the rows of treadmills and gym equipment in the window of the historic Sperry Flour building on North 3rd Street, do not mistake what you are seeing for run-of-the-mill heath club. Indeed, there are people on stair climbers and squatting with barbells as in…
Continue ReadingUPDATE – WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH BART’S EXTENSION INTO SILICON VALLEY?
June 15, 2017 by Nathan Donato-Weinstein | Blog
BART Silicon Valley – the extension of Bay Area Rapid Transit into Santa Clara County — continues to move forward. On Wednesday, June 14, VTA invited community partners to get an up-close and personal look at the progress. In short, things are moving along. Fo…
Continue ReadingBentek – Advanced Power is Here to Stay
May 16, 2017 by Tina Kapoor | Blog
Solar energy has always been a “hot” discussion topic. Recent estimates by the U.S. Energy Information Administration show that utility-scale solar generation capacity will grow at a faster pace any other form of energy source. Fortunately, in Silicon Valley, many …
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