Sunstone Management, Five Founders celebrate the innovative Southern California ecosystem
On Thursday, September 15, Sunstone Management, American Lending Center, Partake Collective, TrustCard, and Sunstone Trust Company hosted “The Five Founders,” an event celebrating the innovative Southern California entrepreneurial ecosystem that provided an opportunity to hear directly from the heads of those companies about what values drive them and why their work is important.
Designed to bring together friends of Sunstone, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers within the local startup and business community, The Five Founders event was highlighted by remarks from the Mayor of Irvine, Farrah Khan, who presented each of the Five Founders with Certificates of Recognition in acknowledgement of their entrepreneurship and dedication to the city.
Hosted outdoors at Sunstone’s headquarters in Irvine, attendees networked and enjoyed beautiful weather, music, and hors d’oeuvres. As noted in the evening’s speeches, having fun is important to keep innovators striving forward, and that was certainly seen over the evening.
The Five Founders themselves — John Shen, CEO of American Lending Center; John Keisler, CEO & Managing Partner of Sunstone Management; Adam Carrillo, CEO of Partake Collective; Edmond Wong, CEO of TrustCard; and Dan Wheeler, CEO of Sunstone Trust Company – all provided remarks, highlighting their work, appreciation for the community, and excitement for what’s to come within all of their companies.
“The reason that this event is named after founders is because what we really hope this new building, this new home in Irvine becomes – is the center, the anchor for founders, for people who have hopes and dreams. They can come here and you can come here as founders, as funders, or just as friends for events not just today but every week,” said John Keisler as part of the event.
Mayor Khan followed with words of her own, thanking the founders for rooting their work in Irvine and helping to make it a city with a thriving business community.
“We need to make sure that we are working to keep those entrepreneurial folks here in Irvine, because together we can do amazing things. With that I just want to say welcome to Irvine. We are so happy that you are here,” said Mayor Khan.
The Mayor then presented The Five Founders with their Certificates of Recognition, and spent time meeting and talking with attendees. The Founders noted the importance of engaged partners like Mayor Khan as they continue to expand their offerings and projects. Her time and involvement is greatly appreciated.
Sunstone Management, American Lending Center, Sunstone Trust Company, Partake Collective, and TrustCard all look forward to more gatherings like The Five Founders soon, where the innovators and entrepreneurs of Southern California can meet, share ideas, and continue to build the community that will make the ecosystem in Irvine ever stronger.
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About Sunstone Management: A Financial Times (FT) Americas’ Fastest Growing Company
Sunstone Management is a diversified private capital firm located in Southern California that invests in diverse early-stage technology entrepreneurs who demonstrate the promise to build great companies. We believe in the aspirational power of southern California to attract and inspire the most sophisticated investors and the most ambitious entrepreneurs in the world. We deliver new and exciting opportunities for economic growth through the creation of innovative public-private-partnerships, and our unique experience across government, education, and private sectors.
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