Welcome back to the Sunstone Way, and Happy Mother’s Day!
This Sunday is the day we set aside to celebrate our mothers, grandmothers and all the important women in our lives – something we should do every day, but it’s nice to have a particular time of celebration.
I’m lucky to still have my mom around, and I naturally think Laura is the best possible mother to our two sons. We’ll be celebrating Sunday, and click here for a bit more about Mom.
Irvine Tech Day
Are you ready for a three-day weekend? Well, that doesn’t happen until the end of May. Sorry.
But I do have three days of excitement for you, and it starts today with a kickoff reception!
It’s called Irvine Tech Day, and it focuses on the innovations that have helped make Irvine a hotbed for breakthroughs. Here’s a glimpse of the approach – the keynote speaker on Friday, May 8, will be Dr. Percy Lee, the medical director of Radiation Oncology at our friend City of Hope’s Orange County and Coastal Region.
Dr. Lee is a Harvard graduate and combines active research into cancer treatments with his oncology practice. I’m sure he will be speaking to a packed house at the Irvine City Hall council chambers.
Community of Wellness
As you know, community is one of our three core values here at Sunstone. We work to help create communities and to make communities better. We’re fortunate to call Irvine home, with our headquarters here since 2021, because this is such a vibrant community of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Much of that innovation revolves around medicine and wellness. From small startups searching for better ways to diagnose disease before they become life-threatening to new applications helping people lead healthier lives, the Irvine health innovation community continues to grow.
It is fitting that Irvine Tech Day will end Saturday with the third annual Irvine Dream Run, with 5K and 3K runs in Irvine’s Great Park. It is a chance to gather with our community to celebrate wellness together. But more about that in a bit.
Move Innovation Forward
Irvine is a city on the move, with a major initiative planned this year. Work has begun to open the Irvine Innovation Center to help founders and entrepreneurs take the next step to making dreams become reality.
Irvine Tech Day will support that in a number of ways, starting with a fireside chat Friday morning with Professor Imran Currim, executive director of the UC Irvine Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. After Dr. Lee’s keynote address, there will be two panels at City Hall – one specifically on promoting innovation in Irvine, and the other talking about the benefits of entrepreneurship and promoting sustainable business growth.
A Startup Community
Since our creation more than a decade ago, investing in entrepreneurship has been key to the Sunstone Way. So I’m particularly excited about Pitch Irvine, part of Irvine Tech Day.
Pitch contests, where founders of new businesses present their concepts to potential supporters and investors, have become a staple of the startup world. So Pitch Irvine will be an integral portion of Friday’s activities.
It starts at 1 p.m. at our own Sunstone Stage with the semi-finals in four categories – Applied AI, Healthcare Innovation, Energy & Mobility, and DTC & Commerce. The finalists will move to City Hall at 4:30 p.m. for the finals and the chance to win $1,000 in each category. Another $1,000 will go to the People’s Choice.
For startups with a product ready to sell, there will be a pop-up market at the City Hall piazza and lobby from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Markets are great community-building events.
All of these activities are free, but space is limited, so advance registration is strongly recommended. Go to luma.com/irvinetechday to reserve your space.
Let’s Run Together
As an athlete (okay, former athlete), I know how playing and exercising together builds a strong community. Southern California is a great place for that because our great weather is so conducive to getting outside and doing stuff.
That’s why our third annual Irvine Dream Run this Saturday is knocking it out of the park with registrations – in particular, registrations from running clubs in the Greater Irvine area. I just checked the Dream Run website and there are 30 – 30! – running clubs registered to be part of the morning.
The Sunstone Unicorn, our mascot, has been spotted all over town – the UC Irvine campus, shopping centers, events – getting everyone excited. We have proof of his (or her) existence on Instagram, so check it out.
Again, you can show up Saturday morning and register to participate, but it’s much easier to register in advance at this website. Activities start at 7 a.m. next to the Great Orange Balloon at the Great Park, and the 5K starts at 7:30, so plan on getting up early.
But definitely plan to be there. Be part of our community. That’s the Sunstone Way!
And remember, always be a Sunstone.
John Keisler
CEO & Managing Partner
Sunstone
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Sunstone Investment Group, headquartered in Southern California, is the holding company for the Sunstone family of entities, including: Sunstone Investment Management Services, responsible for administrative services; Sunstone Advisors, an SEC-registered investment adviser, which oversees Sunstone Venture Partners LLC, a private capital fund manager; Sunstone Cities, a government economic development consulting firm; and Sunstone Community Fund, a charitable organization that supports entrepreneurship. Sunstone is dedicated to enriching lives through investment, entrepreneurship, and community. Email us at contact@sunstoneinvestment.com.
©Sunstone, 2026
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