Introducing INNOVATE PASADENA

Education, Business, Tech Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Investors and Accelerators Merge Strengths to Promote Pasadena as a Leading Center of Innovation for Technology & Design

PASADENA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Announcing INNOVATE PASADENA [innovatepasadena.org], a concerted effort to advance greater Pasadena as a leading center of innovation for technology and design through true collaboration. INNOVATE PASADENA (IP) aims to promote local collaboration across business and education in order to attract and retain companies, entrepreneurs, innovators and investment capital.

“Count of 2000-2011 Utility Patent Grants as Distributed by Calendar Year of Grant.”

What began as an informal idea eight months ago with tech and business leaders talking about what the private sector could do to bolster the local economy, is now a formalized working group led by an executive board of directors. The board is made up of local leaders from Art Center College of Design, Caltech, City of Pasadena, The Design Accelerator, Idealab, Materia, Pasadena Angels, Rexter, and other companies and co-chaired by IP founders Andy Wilson and Mike Giardello. The group will promote local opportunities, share resources and foster connections between local institutions, businesses and investors. Those interested should visit innovatepasadena.org to get involved.

“As a serial tech entrepreneur and resident to Pasadena, I couldn’t be more excited to help breathe new economic life into our city that has a rich tech and design legacy,” said Andy Wilson, CEO of Rexter and Co-Chair of IP. “I know Pasadena has the infrastructure to become the leading innovation community; we created INNOVATE PASADENA to get organized and activated.”

“As a Caltech spin-off, Materia has made Pasadena its home and has benefited from its ongoing relationship with Caltech and local support from the city of Pasadena,” said Mike Giardello, CEO of Materia and Co-Chair of IP. “INNOVATE PASADENA will provide the additional structure and support needed to accelerate innovation within and between the world-class institutions in our own backyard. We want the world to know Pasadena is the place for innovation across a number of commercially important sectors, from IT to design and from material science to life science.”

IP, along with lead sponsors City of Pasadena, Guidance Software, Materia and Pasadena Angels, will host an invite-only event on June 27 to bring the community together and celebrate innovation in Pasadena.

THE FACTS ABOUT PASADENA

IP and Estolano LeSar Perez Advisors compiled the following findings that point out strengths of the greater Pasadena area. For an extended list of data points and infographic about Pasadena and its institutions, visit innovatepasadena.org/press.

• Pasadena attracts $1.9 billion in federal R&D funds annually.¹ That’s over $14,000 per capita², more than any other innovation community³ in the U.S.
• Pasadena sits in the heart of a region that files the most patents in the U.S., outside of Silicon Valley.⁴
• Nearly 1 in 6 jobs in Pasadena are in professional or creative fields, beating out Seattle, San Jose, Austin, and Portland;⁵

With access to more arts establishments per capita than anywhere else in the nation⁶ and one of the highest concentrations in the world of Nobel Laureates⁷ (thanks to Caltech’s faculty and alumni), Pasadena offers more than a vibrant ecosystem for businesses, it is also the best place to raise future Nobel laureates. From arts establishments and attractions such as the Huntington Library Botanical Gardens, the Norton Simon Museum, The Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena boasts an environment that nurtures brains and talent that change the world.

About INNOVATE PASADENA

INNOVATE PASADENA is a new organization committed to advancing greater Pasadena as a center of technology and design innovation by promoting collaboration across business and education to attract companies, entrepreneurs, innovators and capital to the broader community. For more information, visit innovatepasadena.org.

¹ Average of $1.947 million for FY2001 – FY2013: from U.S. Office of Management and Budget (2013).

² U.S. Office of Management and Budget (2013). “Prime Award Spending Data.” Washington, D.C. Retrieved from: <https://www.usaspending.gov/search?form_fields={%22psc_cat%22%3A[%22A%22]}>

³ The national “innovation communities” that were considered for comparison purposes include the following cities: Austin, Boulder, Cambridge, Los Angeles, Portland, San Jose, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

⁴ U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (2013). “Count of 2000-2011 Utility Patent Grants as Distributed by Calendar Year of Grant.” Retrieved from: <https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/countyall/usa_county_gd.htm>

⁵ U.S. Census Bureau (2010). “Work Area Profile Analysis.” Retrieved from: <https://onthemap.ces.census.gov/>

⁶ Urban Institute (2010) Arts and Culture Indicators Project Data: 2006-2008. Washington, D.C. Retrieved from: <https://metrotrends.org/data.cfm>

⁷ California Institute of Technology (n.d.) “Nobel Laureates – California Institute of Technology.” Pasadena, CA. Retrieved from: <https://nobel.Caltech.edu/>

For INNOVATE PASADENA
Kristen Morquecho, 626-396-9499 X4103
kmorquecho@spokeo.com