Happy brutally hot Sunday, Taylor here. We’ve got a monster week of fundraising, a wild OnlyFans stat to share with your friends, LA Tech Week starting up in 8 days, and we’re profiling an OC tech founder, Forrest. Come see me at one of the upcoming EO events!
👋 Hi, I’m Taylor, a SaaS 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!
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🗓️ Upcoming OC Tech Events
Tue-Thu, Oct 6-8 · TopTier Summit · YFCon2026 BFCM Edition: ecommerce & AI discovery commerce with TikTok Shop, creators, and brands
9:30 am - 5:30 pm · Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim
Wed, Oct 7 · OC entrepreneur mixer at the new EO House, hosted by Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) Orange County (I will likely be there; be sure to say Taylor Trusty sent you)
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm · EO House, Irvine
Wed, Oct 7 · Tech Link Up - After Hours: social meetup for OC engineers, designers, and tech folks at Hangar 24
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm · Hangar 24, Irvine
Thu, Oct 8 · AI Leadership: Tartini fundamentals with Michael Suttle (founder, Tartini Advisors)
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm · HanaHaus, Newport Beach
Thu, Oct 8 · Arduino & Raspberry Pi Meetup: OC electronics makers project share at Urban Workshop
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm · Urban Workshop, Costa Mesa
Fri, Oct 9 · Live podcast recording: how to build a million-dollar personal brand in the age of AI with Natalie Ellis, Lori Harder & Jen Gottlieb
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm · 9630 Research Dr, Irvine
Sat, Oct 10 · Inclusive and Neurodiverse Coding Festival 2026: Microsoft CAO Neil Barnett, NASA JPL accessibility panel, and student AI projects
9:00 am - 5:00 pm · UCI Division of Continuing Education, Irvine
Sat-Sun, Oct 10-11 · Micro Biz Launchpad Weekend: AI & no-code MVP build with Mark Tacconelli (EvidaraIQ)
8:30 am - 5:00 pm · Entrepreneur Center, Orange
Mon, Oct 12 · The AI Edge: Israeli AI startups dinner with Merage Leadership Program
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm · Irvine
Tue, Oct 13 · #LATechWeek AI Collective pitch night with The AI Collective
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm · Irvine
Tue, Oct 13 · Kickstarter launch: private AI hardware with CompanionCore (#LATechWeek)
7:30 pm - 11:00 pm · EvoNexus, Irvine
Wed, Oct 14 · Deploying AI into hospital EHR systems: live, in-person Q&A
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm · University Lab Partners, Irvine
👋 Tech:OC Profile: Forrest Zhang
What do you actually do now, in one sentence a non-tech person would understand?
We build custom software and sell AI agents that help automate business processes.
What's something you've built, here or before, that you're proud of?
We're proud of our Telvana platform. We created an AI receptionist that helps dental practices automate their front desk.
What would you never hand over to AI?
Sales and relationship building.
Who/what in OC has been unusually helpful in building the business, and how?
Networking. It's always surprising how many opportunities are available, and you don't need to do much more than just show up and engage with people.
Where do you meet other founders or tech people in OC?
I'm not currently part of a tech founder group in OC aside from a few people in EO, but I would love to be.
What's a great spot in OC for a coffee or happy hour?
Coffee: Blue Hummingbird at Spaces The Quad. Great place to post up and work for a few hours. Happy hour: Bacchus Bistro is solid.
Know an OC founder who should be next? Reply with their (or your!) name.
📡 OC Tech and Wild News
Irvine robotics company FieldAI set to raise $700M at $10B valuation (quintupling the company’s valuation in just over a year)
🚗 Worth the Drive
Mon-Sun, Oct 12-18 · LA Tech Week is next week: full calendar of panels, happy hours, and founder events across LA
All week · Los Angeles
Wed, Oct 7 · Founders playbook: H5E with Samy Kamkar (Openpath $297M exit, legendary hacker)
2:00 pm - 3:45 pm · The KINN, Venice
Wed, Oct 7 · Building the future of digital play: AI at Mattel
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm · El Segundo
Sat, Oct 17 · Tech Beach Party: LA Tech Week wrap at Junipero Beach
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm · Junipero Beach, Long Beach
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Until next week,
Taylor Trusty @ Tech:OC