Have you all seen the Skid Kids YouTube video of them surfing off the backwash from the waves slamming into the Surf & Sand? I held my breath the whole vid, it’s wild. Also, Shelby Church’s reviews of backyard coffee shops in LA is worth a watch (backyard permits are limited to $100k/year in revenue with no signage).
I’m meeting 2-3 new people a week from this newsletter, everyone from bankers to infosec pros to SaaS founders building their new house in Claude to VCs, and I just love the tech community here. I’m hoping the newsletter community helps bring people together since there’s definitely a lack of density.
Check out the 17 events over the next two weeks, and Josh's profile, including how he added AI to a self-service car wash while his main business helps parents keep kids safe online.
👋 Hi, I’m Taylor, a tech founder in Dana Point. I started Tech:OC to follow the local tech scene after moving here from NYC. Reply with OC tech news, events, or with the name of an OC founder we should profile!
🗓️ Upcoming OC Tech Events
Thu, Nov 5 · Cybersecurity Awareness Lunch and Learn: FBI Agent Alex Storino on cyber risks, AI, prevention, and cybercrime response
11:30 am - 1:00 pm · Greystone Technology, Santa Ana
Thu, Nov 5 · Helicon Fireside Chat: Co-Founder and CEO Alex Niehaus on building autonomous factories for composites (UCI students only?)
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm · ANTrepreneur Center, Irvine
Fri, Nov 6 · OC2600 Hacker Social: hackers and security folks of every level
7:00 pm - 11:00 pm · 23b Hackerspace, Fullerton
Sat, Nov 7 · Claude Impact Lab: UCI × Habitat OC
9:00 am - 5:00 pm · UCI Paul Merage School of Business, Irvine
Sat, Nov 7 · Fun one: Dogapalooza: Dana Point Harbor hosts a dog-themed day with dog yoga, harbor pack walk, and costume contest
10:00 am - 4:00 pm · Dana Point Harbor
Tue, Nov 10 · Face to Face with Investors: TCA Venture Group panels and investor roundtables for Seed to Pre-Series A founders
4:00 pm - 8:00 pm · Soka University Black Box Theatre, Aliso Viejo
Tue, Nov 10 · Orange County AI Demo Day
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm · Ticket 500, Newport Beach
Tue, Nov 10 · The Model Will Change. Will Your Application Survive? GenAI Meetup on designing AI apps so models stay replaceable
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm · OC Local Taproom, Laguna Niguel
Wed, Nov 11 · AI Leadership: Tartini Advisors on the ethics and math of AI, whether it's a tool or a skill, and if it can ever feel
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm · HanaHaus, Newport Beach
Wed, Nov 11 · Product Leaders on AI: What's Working, What Isn't. OC Product panel on how AI is being used inside product organizations
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm · Centercode, Mission Viejo
Thu, Nov 12 · Friends of Figma: Fall UX Case Study Showcase. Designers share deep dives into real projects, hosted with OCUX
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm · Irvine Ranch Water District, Irvine
Thu, Nov 12 · Orange County Executive Dinner: Leveraging AI Agents. Stack AI dinner for tech leaders on how companies use and govern AI agents
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm · Newport Beach
Fri, Nov 13 · Founder Beach Walk: quick founder intros + a walk to Newport Pier
9:30 am · Ticket 500, Newport Beach
Fri, Nov 13 · How Do You Get Funded? Fundraising Q&A Town Hall
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm · Ticket 500, Newport Beach
Sun, Nov 15 · Founders and Funders Football Hang
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm · Ticket 500, Newport Beach
Wed, Nov 18 · Grand Rounds Pitch Championship: five MedTech startups pitch on the big screen for $40k in prizes
Doors 1:30 pm, pitches 2:00 pm · Regal Edwards Big Newport, Newport Beach
Thu, Nov 19 · OC Global Innovation 2026: C-suite afternoon with keynotes and panels on OC capital, strategy and culture
12:00 pm - 4:00 pm · The Cove at UCI Beall Applied Innovation, Irvine
👋 Tech:OC Profile: Josh Ochs of SmartSocial.com
Josh Ochs · Founder & CEO, SmartSocial.com
LinkedIn
Josh Ochs teaches parents and teens to be safe and successful online
Josh founded SmartSocial.com, a video program school districts use to train parents and teens to be Safe and Successful™ online. He's also membership chair for EO Orange County, and on the side he and a buddy added AI to a self-service car wash.
What does your company do, in one sentence a non-tech person would understand?
I started SmartSocial.com and we make a video program that school districts use to train parents and teens to be Safe and Successful™ online. The workshops and videos cover TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, plus 450 resources in 12 languages.
On the side, my buddy and I modernized a self-service car wash. We added AI plus some custom hardware and software we built that automates it for the customers. Least glamorous thing I do, probably the most fun.
What's something you've built, here or before, that you're proud of?
Before COVID I was invited to 29 different states to speak to more than 250,000 kids in middle school and high school gymnasiums, teaching them how to Shine Online™ so it helped them get a job instead of costing them one. Now I reach more parents from a podcast studio than I ever did in a gym, with a team spread across the country and 450 resources in 12 languages.
What would you never hand over to AI?
Helping a school district navigate a real situation, where a kid got bullied or a specific TikTok danger just hit their community. That conversation isn't a programmable workflow. It takes empathy and time, and it's the part we're genuinely good at.
Who or what in OC has been unusually helpful in building the business?
My friend Will Troutman. He started a grassroots farmers market, the Newport Harbor Certified Farmers Market, that puts local people front and center, and I've loved being part of something that's drawn such a real community around it.
By day I'm deep in technology, but there's something about coming back to actual neighbors every Saturday. Food, stories, people who know your name. That kind of community is harder to build than anything we do online, and watching it work has made me better at the part of my job that isn't technology.
Where do you meet other founders or tech people in OC?
The EO House in Irvine, the Entrepreneurs' Organization's new headquarters. I'm membership chair on the board, so I spend a lot of time talking with founders about how the program made me a better leader, and how important it is to work ON our businesses instead of just IN the business.
What's a great spot in OC for a coffee or happy hour?
Honestly the better answer is when I have coffee, not where. I try to get to Orangetheory in Newport Beach first thing most days, and the coffee after that workout is the one that actually sets the day up. On Saturday it's the farmers market version, same idea at a slower pace.
Know an OC tech leader who should be next? Reply with their name and company!
📡 OC Tech and Fun News
Costa Mesa's Anduril and chip maker Qualcomm launched BlueChip, a venture to build American-made computers for government, defense, and public safety, starting with a laptop designed and assembled in the U.S.
Irvine-based Movandi introduced a 60GHz wireless platform with peak speeds above 5Gbps, built to connect robots, drones, and other autonomous machines to nearby edge AI.
A startup operator who moved to Irvine from Taiwan 9 months ago is looking for tech friends in OC. Say hi to @fishing3morrow.
Super fun: Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia unveiled a multiyear plan to add new roller coasters, attractions, and family experiences, with the full vision coming in early 2027.
🚗 Worth the Drive
Mon, Nov 2 · San Diego Startup Week Day 1 Keynote with John Resnick
4:00 pm · Carlsbad
Mon, Nov 2 to Thu, Nov 5 · Women's Venture Summit 2026: founders and investors meet to expand access to capital for women-led startups, with matchmaking, workshops, and a live pitch competition
Starts 5:00 pm Mon · Cooley & Joya Kitchen, San Diego
Fri, Nov 6 · Founders Fight Club: San Diego Startup Week pitch competition
SDSU, San Diego
Until next week,
Taylor Trusty @ Tech:OC