OCTANe

Our Mission

OCTANe connects people and ideas with capital and resources to fuel technology growth in Orange County. Our members represent Orange County technology executive leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, academicians, and strategic advisors, all working together to:

• Stimulate technology job growth and wealth creation in Orange County
• Help entrepreneurs turn ideas into successful businesses
• Help companies connect with funding and growth resources
• Help senior executives access intelligence, new technologies, and talent
• Help develop the next-generation of technology business leaders
• Create a forum for technology company leaders to have a lasting impact on the future of Orange County

Our History

Formed in September 2002, OCTANe was created by cofounders Tom Moebus, former vice chancellor of the University of California, Irvine, and Dwight Decker, former CEO and chairman of Conexant Systems.

Decker and Moebus saw an opportunity to build Orange County’s regional innovation cluster based on our community’s collective strengths—an internationally recognized hub for global and midsize biomedical and information technology companies, a major University of California research institute, and a population of over 3 million highly educated and entrepreneurial residents. The only element missing was an organization capable of bringing it all together.

Our Impact

• Helping 35 companies receive more than $127 million in investment and equity exits
• Enabling over 500 companies to connect with LaunchPad
• Welcoming 7,000+ people each year to OCTANe programs, including flagship Signature Events such as the Fall OCTANe Medical Device & Investor Forum and Spring VC in the OC
• Connecting highly qualified executive, scientific, marketing, and university talent with Orange County technology companies
• Counting over 2,000 OC business leaders as OCTANe members