Aerospace & Aviation Forum

San Diego's aerospace & aviation industry cluster has enjoyed a long and successful history. San Diego is a center of excellence for aerospace and aviation and the global leader in the growing unmanned vehicle systems industry, with a wide variety of private and publicly held companies.

  • Companies in this industry cluster represent a wide range of innovative technology domains
  • The integration of thesenew technologies into the aerospace and aviation industries is the critical, next value-added step necessary to maintain competitiveness of the region in the global race for innovation and commercialization.
  • Today's industry members (emerging companies as well as established systems integrators and manufacturers) lack a common platform upon which to CONNECT and explore strategies to enhance regional competitiveness in the context of a national aerospace industry base.

 

The San Diego region is unique in its geographical positioning.  Government centers for aerospace and aviation development surround San Diego from the north, west, and east.  With the strong wireless foundation in the area and the emerging unmanned vehicle technology, San Diego is well-poised as a nexus for innovation and development in this cluster. 

CONNECT is presently incubating the Aerospace & Aviation Forum (AAF) for CEOs of emerging companies and senior executives of mature companies in San Diego's aerospace and aviation industries.  The invitation-only forum events are organized in exclusive and private venues, where members gather around experienced thought leaders to jointly explore initial approaches to common challenges and potential opportunities.

Vision:  Helping Innovative Aerospace & Aviation firms gain awareness and traction, and then thrive and grow in the Southern California region. Connect the leadership of the industry to explore common challenges. Borrow and share best practices from other successful regional organizations learned over the past 20+ years such as CONNECT, CommNexus, Biocom, Octane.

Mission & Goals:

  • Provide a process and forum to help start-up and emerging Aerospace & Aviation technology companies find capital
  • Provide Mentoring to entrepreneurial start-up CEOs to help them get to the next level
  • Provide local VIP Networking opportunities for the key executives of the Aerospace & Aviation industries
  • Provide local "Blowout" Networking opportunities for the industry as a whole
  • Promote San Diego as the center of the Aerospace & Aviation industries
  • Help companies meet sources & vendors and contract manufacturers
  • Sharing best practices and lessons learned among a select peer group
  • Recognition & Celebration of the best individuals and companies in the region
  • Connect the start-ups with the local giants
  • Provide industry executives with an opportunity to meet the best in class service providers to the industry
  • Connect the industry to the best research and technologists within Southern California’s universities and research establishments to foster technology transfer
  • Speaking as one industry, locally on policy and trade issues affecting the industries



Program Contact:


Steve Hoey
Program Manager
CONNECT
Email: shoey@connect.org
Phone: (858) 964-1308
Fax: (858) 964-1301

Mailing Address
8950 Villa La Jolla Drive
Suite A124
La Jolla, CA 92037

Office Address
CONNECT
8950 Villa La Jolla Drive
Suite A124
La Jolla, CA 92037