Neal Bloom

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

Read about the full experience risingtidepartners.substack.com/p/i-tasted-the…

I tasted the future of seafood last week. Bluefin tuna toro. Looked the same. Tasted the same. Never touched the ocean. No boats. No fishing. No variability. And it’s about to hit restaurants. We’re closer than people think.

Full article here open.substack.com/pub/risingtide…

Last night a group of founders showed up to the Symphony wearing beads. Two years ago it was just an idea. Now it’s becoming a tradition. Why the tech community belongs in the arts

I toured Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas this week. What stood out most wasn’t Cybertruck. It was the obsession with simplification. Fewer parts. Fewer steps. Fewer handoffs. That’s how you compress time. Tesla’s real advantage? Reflection from tour linked below cc @elonmusk

On The Radar - Episode 6 When context stops resetting and starts compounding.

Inside the legendary San Diego Wind Tunnel last night with defense & hardtech founders. World-class assets already exist here. The opportunity? Connect them. 🚀

A San Diego startup just made whole genome sequencing cost $100. It used to cost $1 billion + The Human Genome Project took 13 years (1990-2003), billions of dollars, and an international consortium of 20+ institutions to sequence one genome. My PhD advisor, @s_batzoglou, was one of the first MIT PHDs who worked on it. He helped build the computational foundations that made it possible. His career spans the entire arc — from assembling the first human reference genome to making sequencing routine. The 10,000,000x cost drop isn't just a number. It's the difference between a moonshot national project and a routine lab test. Previous generation proved it was possible. This generation proved it could be cheap. The question now: what happens when everyone's genome is a $100 blood test? The implications for medicine, privacy, insurance, human identity? We're not ready. Link: sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/02/19/scr…

San Diego Angel Academy — Mar 6 How deals get evaluated + how angels think about risk. sdac.sdsu.edu

So you want to be an angel investor?

Big congrats to @seasats on their $20M Series A to scale production of small uncrewed surface vessels. Maritime autonomy is entering its inflection point and @RisingTidePtr is proud to support the Seasats team as they scale from deployments to sustained production.

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁: @NealBloom, 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 Rising Tide Partners, is joining TechCon SoCal 2026. If you care about building real businesses and meeting the people who can unlock partnerships and growth, this is a session you’ll want on your schedule. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺: • More clarity on how leaders think about building real businesses and real opportunities • Access to a conference built for meaningful connections: founders, operators, investors, and partners in one place • The full TechCon experience: keynotes, panels, fireside discussions, exhibits, and the Startup Innovation Showcase 🗓️ 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟮–𝟮𝟯, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 📍 𝗦𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝗴𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 — 𝗦𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝗴𝗼, 𝗖𝗔 ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: techconglobal.com #TechConSoCal2026 #VentureCapital #Startups #SanDiego #Networking #InvestmentConference #TechConGlobal

Huge moment for the @NatilusAero as they announce their $28M Series A & reveal the evolved HORIZON EVO passenger aircraft. This team is reshaping what aviation can be - for freight, defense, and now commercial travel. Honored to be along for the journey. Let’s fly!

Early-stage investing isn’t about perfect metrics. It’s about when conviction forms before the spreadsheet works. Talking about that (honestly) at @TechCon_Global SouthWest in Austin. Feb 13 Day Zero → Series A. Texas Spirit Theatre. 1:45 PM. Let’s get into it.

Curious about angel investing? SDSU is hosting a 2026 San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC) Info Session 🗓️ Tue Feb 3 ⏰ 4pm PT 📍 Zoom SDAC is a strong entry point for accredited investors looking to learn + plug into the SD startup ecosystem. 📩 sdac@sdsu.edu for the link

⏳ 𝟮𝟴 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗢 | 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀. Building ecosystems that scale. 𝗡𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗺, Managing Partner at @risingtideptr, is joining the TechCon SouthWest stage! A staple in the tech community, Neal is an expert in creating the environments where startups thrive. Community is the heartbeat of innovation. 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗖𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 is more than just a conference; it is a year-round catalyst for the Austin tech scene, culminating in this two-day summit where we celebrate the creators and the builders of our regional ecosystem. 📍 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻, 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝗮𝘀 🗓 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟭𝟮–𝟭𝟯, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 🎟 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆: techconglobal.com #EcosystemBuilder #StartupLife #TechConSouthWest2026 #VentureCapital #InnovationConference #TechConGlobal

@bryanlanders Ah you're the best and all feels right being together on X again. Now let's get together in person next!

Argh. A friend (beloved San Diego VC) had his X account hacked, lost it, finally was able to get his handle back. Let's help him catch back up! 👉 Follow @NealBloom

San Diego is ranked no. 7 for total VC funding, according to @cartainc behind Seattle and Austin. Last night, Neal Bloom and I brought 4 early-stage VC panelist to talk about the state of venture for 50+ founders & investors. Thanks to our friends @CooleyLLP for hosting us!