FREMONT, Calif.— Less than a year after launching, the Innovate Bay startup incubator brought together civic leaders, inventors, investors, and students for the inaugural Fremont Tech Week.
The four-day public conference concluded April 30 after spotlighting advanced manufacturing, workforce development and entrepreneurship driving momentum in Fremont. In-person and virtual sessions ranged from artificial intelligence in the workplace to emotional intelligence, startup law, and student-led projects and pitches.
San Francisco Bay University started and houses Innovate Bay, the first startup incubator in Fremont. It includes the city’s first recognized coworking space.
“Fremont Tech Week reflects the rapid growth and early successes of Innovate Bay, which is fueling opportunities in entrepreneurship and practical innovation,” SFBU President Nick Ladany said. “As an introduction to the university, this flagship event strengthens SFBU’s relationships in the tech, Fremont, and entrepreneurial communities while connecting our students and external partners. It’s a model of our disruptor approach in higher education.”
The conference provides a platform for SFBU to give back to Fremont and “foster an exchange of knowledge that we all need right now,” Ladany added. The gathering, which organizers plan to hold annually, is among several Innovate Bay events designed to spur involvement. SFBU held its spring open house and Academia Day on April 28 as part of tech week.
“Fremont may have a lower profile than some peers in and around the East Bay,” said Rohan Brown, the Innovate Bay managing director and founder. “But the innovation ecosystem here is critical to California’s economy and future, and far beyond.”
“Together with SFBU, we’re creating a Silicon Valley innovation pipeline in Fremont and establishing Fremont Tech Week as a premier benchmark for community, student, and industry engagement,” Brown said.
Prospective students and their families experienced tech week as a hands-on example of SFBU culture. During the open house, they toured campus, learned about the admissions process and scholarships, and met with enrollment counselors, faculty and current students.
Visitors ready to take the next step applied on the spot and had transcripts reviewed immediately. Academia Day likewise saw a boost from its timing during tech week, bringing together capstone presentations by graduating seniors and a career fair.
“Future Bayhawks didn’t just hear about what is possible here. They saw it happening in real time,” SFBU Provost Brad Fuster said. “Bringing together tech week, our spring open house, and Academia Day immersed future students in a fully activated university environment. No brochure can replicate that.”
Academia Day also featured a pitch session by SFBU’s Startup Scholars, a group of first-generation college students supported by the university. An unscripted illustration of SFBU was key, said university Vice President of Enrollment Management Reeshemah Thornton.
“We wanted future students to feel it — the energy, the people, the possibilities,” Thornton said. “Our students are the heart of everything we do, and bringing future Bayhawks into that world for a day and letting them see and be part of it — that is the SFBU difference.”
Later in Tech Week, attendees heard from Innovate Bay’s first class of five startup companies: Immergo Labs; SpaceTime Robotics; Mindmunch; Quiche Inc.; and VIPTwin. Other speakers and panelists included Fremont Vice Mayor Yajing Zhang, California Deputy Treasurer Khaim Morton, and state Sen. Aisha Wahab.
