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Lompoc, CA, United States, 04/15/2007 – California Innovation Corridor partners announced 75 “Innovation All-Stars” today who will be honored at the two-day California Tech 100 conference, April 24-25, at the Irvine Hilton/Orange County Airport. Twenty-five additional companies coined as “Hot Start Ups” will also be showcased during this “first of its kind” event bringing together public and private sector leaders to celebrate the Golden State's ongoing global innovation advantage.
The California Tech 100 is endorsed by the California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth who will honor the top 15 “Innovation All-Stars” with the California Innovation Award for outstanding leadership in innovation during a special late afternoon ceremony on April 25. “We believe innovation and entrepreneurship are the drivers of economic growth in California,” added Mark Mosher, Executive Director for the California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth—a nonprofit corporation whose members are chosen by the Governor to advise him on how to expand jobs and economic growth in the state. “These Innovation All-Stars are models for our state.”
Managed by the California Space Authority (CSA), (californiaspaceauthority.org) and administered through the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), the California Innovation Corridor is one of the state's initiatives to foster innovation and includes more than 60 partner organizations throughout 13 counties. It was Corridor partners that reviewed nearly 300 nominees before reducing the list to the next round of finalists—75 companies—that included notable names like Qualcomm, NVIDIA Corporation, and Symantec. A full roster is available at Golden Capital online (goldencapital.net).
“We want to honor these great companies,” noted Andrea Seastrand, Executive Director of CSA. “Corridor partners have collaborated to create this opportunity to recognize and encourage these companies, because companies on the frontier of new technologies and ideas make us globally competitive.”
“As a true public/private partnership, efforts such as these create and bolster opportunities for business growth while also driving talent development for our workforce needs,” said LWDA Secretary Victoria Bradshaw. High growth technology sectors help propel California's economic engine with jobs and entrepreneurial achievements that continue to make California the center of innovation.”
Each Innovation All-Star must have a headquarters or significant presence in the California Innovation Corridor—a region ranging from Alameda in the north, San Diego in the south, and the Inland Empire in the east. “The Corridor is full of innovative companies that often do not get the recognition needed,” added Seastrand. “Their innovation drives the economy and guarantees our children a better life for tomorrow.” Innovation All-Stars were selected based on several factors, including the uniqueness of their innovation, competitive advantages, and the economic impact on jobs for California today and in the future.
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William.Simon[.]californiaspaceauthority.org 
