This week’s Tech:OC profile is Lili Montes of Limon. I’ve been on her founder walks and found them full of interesting people, starting with her! Reply if you or someone you know in tech in OC should be featured here.
👋 Hi, I’m Taylor, a SaaS founder in Capo Beach. I started Tech:OC to follow the local tech scene after moving here from NYC. Reply with OC tech news, events, or to shout out your fav coffee spot!
👋 Tech:OC Profile: Lili Montes
What does your company do, in one sentence a non-tech person would understand?
Limon is an audio-first storytelling app where people share real travel stories that inspire others to take the trip themselves, then come back and tell their own. Listening, exploring, experiencing, telling, sharing.
What's something you've built, here or before, that you're proud of?
We've built Limon's travel story coverage across Southern California without spending a dollar on advertising. Someone in OC can open the app and find real daytrip inspiration from Santa Barbara to San Diego. Santa Barbara alone now has 32 stories from people who've actually been there.
What would you never hand over to AI?
The experience itself. Going somewhere new, hearing a stranger's story, discovering something unexpected, and being fully present in a place. AI can help you find the story, but only you can live it.
Who in OC has been unusually helpful, and how?
Don DiCostanzo, founder of Ticket 500, has been an incredible champion. He's helped us sharpen our pitch, welcomed Limon as one of Ticket 500's founding members, and is building the kind of founder community Orange County really needs.
Where do you meet other founders or tech people in OC?
The Founder Beach Walk I co-host with my co-founder and brother, Ramon. Once a month we start at Ticket 500, walk the Newport Beach boardwalk out to Newport Pier, then head back (Lili is also hosting one from Chapman this week; it’s included below). Great relationships forged in the sunshine and ocean breeze.
What's a great spot in OC for a coffee or happy hour?
For happy hour, The Bungalow in Huntington Beach. Sunset cocktails, the ocean, and that unmistakable HB feeling.
🗓️ Upcoming OC Tech Events
Mon, Sept 21 · OC AI Builders: Beyond Frontier Models - Open-Weight SLMs and Working Demos
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm · EvoNexus, Irvine
Tue, Sept 22 · Building Resilient Systems in the Age of Agentic Development with Antithesis and AWS
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm · Marriott Irvine Spectrum, Irvine
Tue, Sept 22 · Building an AI Operating System for Medtech Companies - Lincoln Nguyen (Karuna Labs / ClearCycle CAIO)
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm · Ticket 500, Newport Beach
Tue, Sept 22 · What Are You For? Being Human in the Age of AI
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm · Sol Hub, Irvine
Wed, Sept 23 · Rubrik Full Access: Securing the Agentic Enterprise - Jake Heckmann (Rubrik SE)
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm · Arrow Electronics, Irvine
Wed, Sept 23 · CSA OC Hands-on Workshop with Vectra: Blue Team Threat Hunting
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm · 5271 California Ave, Irvine
Wed, Sept 23 · Co-Founder Wanted: Pitch Night for Ideas Worth Building
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm · The Ticket 500, Newport Beach
Thu, Sept 24 · Founder Walk: Orange Circle Edition - Building in SoCal (Limon + Chapman)
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm · Leatherby Center, Chapman University, Orange
Thu, Sept 24 · OC AI Startup Forum: Cleve Adams Fireside + Startup Spotlights
5:30 pm - 9:00 pm · The Duck Club (IRWD), Irvine
Sun, Sept 27 · AGI Summit LA 2026 Demo Day: 8 AI Startups Pitching SoCal Investors (invite-only)
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm · 7515 Irvine Center Dr, Irvine
📡 OC Tech and Fun News
🚗 Worth the Drive
Tue, Sept 22 · LA Founders Dinner: Insurtech & AI Series A-C Founders (hosted by T Palmer Agency)
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm · Beverly Hills
Wed, Sept 23 · Startup Cafe: H5E Founders with Ben Elowitz (Blue Nile $500M exit, 70+ VC Fundraises)
8:45 am - 10:30 am · The KINN, Venice
Thu, Sept 24 · Ambition 2026: A Curated Startup Summit (application required, 150 founders/investors/operators)
9:00 am - 7:30 pm · Santa Monica
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Until next week,
Taylor Trusty @ Tech:OC