Neal Bloom

Whoa! I'm back from the dead! After being hacked, then apparently account getting deleted, I'm back! What'd I miss?

Link to 10 lessons I shared with students open.substack.com/pub/risingtide…

Returned to @UCSanDiego @RadySchool this week to speak with students about entrepreneurship, venture capital & career building. Big takeaway: Build real skills. Build real relationships. Build things that matter. & as fellow UCSD alum @msuster says: turn dots into lines.

Excited to be on this live podcast on Thursday with @balerionspace. Join in! 📅 Date: 05.14.26 🕒 Time: 1 PM EST 🔗 Register here: luma.com/okqirsme

Firestorm FPV BUILD CONTEST at #SOFWeek Competitors will assemble flyable Firestorm FPV drones (Squalls) using xCell printed parts. The fastest builder wins a prize and eternal glory. 220 S Franklin St. just outside the Tampa Convention Center. Tues 5/19 2pm – 4pm Wed 5/20 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 4pm Thurs 5/21 10am – 12pm Think you can win? Sign up here: na2.hubs.ly/H05n-lp0 Stay tuned for a livestream!

On May 29, investors will decide which companies receive funding. You can join in person too. Read the behind-the-scenes look at how angel investors evaluate startups at link in bio

The SDSU 2026 San Diego Angel Conference has selected its Final 6 startups. Now the real work begins: customer calls, founder meetings, diligence memos, and investment debates. Finalists: @Cytodyme @PolyVascular Sesh Shezza Vayim My Village Innovations

@fortworthchris @jamesbeshara So refreshing to hear James say this. Most investors don't get it but that's the empathy of a founder/operator-turned-investor 💪

I keep coming back to something @jamesbeshara said about angel investing. The bar to become a founder's favorite investor is much lower than people think. James has invested across 150+ companies and reviews around 1,700 deals a year. His take: most investors show up like they're auditing a 10-K. For the founder, it's the 50th non-encouraging conversation of their day. In this clip from this week's episode, James on why a dose of encouragement is the difference between a founder quitting and not quitting.

San Diego is the hardtech hub nobody talks about. $10.1 billion in collective funding, top-tier talent, and hardware powerhouses solving critical problems. Firestorm is building the CONOPS and manufacturing infrastructure to bring the factory to the frontlines because the next conflict will be won in the supply chain. Thank you @RisingTidePtr and @NealBloom for recognizing Firestorm on the 2026 SD Hardtech 50 list alongside companies across defense & autonomy, energy, medtech, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, agtech, and more. #SDHardtech50 Read about it: risingtidepartners.substack.com/p/the-2026-san…

LifeShip named to San Diego's Hardtech 50 🚀 Building permanent archives designed to outlast civilizations. Space monuments for cosmic timescales. Thanks @RisingTidePtr & @NealBloom for hosting! risingtidepartners.substack.com/p/the-2026-san…

Stellar way to start the day at First Friday Founders Hike 🥾by @NealBloom of Rising Tide Partners 🌊 San Diego founders and co-creators of the entrepreneurial ecosystem show up at 6:30am to connect, share experiences, and find ways to support each other. We all rise together! 🚀

Firestorm is proud to announce an $82M Series B raise, led by @WashingHarbour. This funding will support our transition to scaled production and expanded fielding across operational theaters for the @DeptofWar. Press release: accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/ae…

AI has stopped being a feature and started being the foundation. We're excited about a new wave of startups rebuilding software, services, and silicon— and pushing AI into the physical world. ycombinator.com/rfs

Read the full signal here open.substack.com/pub/risingtide…

Fresh off a panel at TEVCON on what VCs are actually funding in defense tech. Wrote up the key takeaways below 👇

Shoutout to @NealBloom of @RisingTidePtr for his First Friday Founders Hike which is stellar and ➡️ led me to discover @HusseinYahfoufi's @eventshiphq platform (and his monthly Hussein's North County SD Startup Mixer) whose weekly 1:1 "mystery match" feature connected me with...

Great time hanging w/ Bobby Ocampo, Founder and Managing Partner at Blueprint Equity on Friday. Recently raised $333M fund III backing B2B software startups. Highly recommend checking out a @SDGullsAHL game. 6-3 win over @Condors Was a great time!

@Jason_A_Scharf @Austen @fredmgrier Yup and a good one for @7ctos to be involved in

@Austen @NealBloom, @fredmgrier can you help @Austen connect with who he needs to in San Diego.

Engineers + engineering leaders in San Diego! I'm hosting a private dinner on Tuesday, April 14. Would love to meet you all.

Tomorrow, we launch. At sunset tonight, Artemis II waits on the pad, ready to carry astronauts potentially farther than any humans have traveled in more than half a century. The next era of exploration begins.