Reed Smith® Honors Startup Community Champions at TCVN's Rocky™ Founders Choice Awards
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IRVINE, Calif. - Californer -- Tech Coast Venture Network (TCVN), Southern California's longest-standing founder-first support organization, successfully hosted the Rocky™ Founders Choice Awards & Holiday Celebration for Charity on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at OneDigital in Irvine. Presented by Reed Smith LLP, the event brought together founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders for an evening of recognition, connection, and giving back.

Now in its second year, the Rocky Awards have become TCVN's signature end-of-year tradition—honoring the people behind the progress and celebrating those who consistently show up for founders. More than an awards ceremony, Rocky served as a high-end holiday celebration rooted in impact, mentorship, and community.

Honoring the Leaders Who Made an Impact in 2025

The 2025 Rocky Founders Choice Awards recognized individuals who played a meaningful role in strengthening Southern California's startup ecosystem over the past year. Winners were selected by founders within the TCVN community, reinforcing the organization's founder-first mission.

2025 Rocky™ Award Winners:

• Pat Hwang — TCA Venture Group OC, President
• Ashish Saboo — Startup Steroid, Founder & CEO and former President of TiE Angels
• Lisa Mae Bunson — Wonder Women Tech, Founder & CEO
• Goran Matijasevic — UCI Chief Executive Roundtable, Executive Director
• Todd Herschberg — OCEAN, Founder

In addition, Scott Fox, StartupCouncil.org was recognized on-site as he officially claimed his 2024 Rocky™ Award, marking a full-circle moment that underscored the continuity and longevity of leadership within the community.

"It was a real honor to receive the TCVN Rocky Award as a Community Champion," said Scott Fox, Founder of Startup Council. "I've been supporting entrepreneurs for 20+ years and never have done it for awards, but I have to admit it was nice to get one!"

The Rocky Awards are uniquely founder-voted, celebrating those who consistently put founders first.

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The 2025 Nominees:

• Stephanie Granato — Capitala Group, Managing Director
• Peter Brennan — Orange County Business Journal, Executive Editor
• Dave Coffaro — Greater Irvine Chamber, President & CEO
• Stella Zhang — UCI Beall Applied Innovation, Chief Operating Officer
• Lisa Mae Brunson — Wonder Women Tech, Founder & CEO
• Teresa Tate — Reed Smith LLP, Co-Chair, Emerging Companies & Venture Capital Group
• Pat Hwang — TCA Venture Group OC, President
• Xandra Laskowski — OSEA Angel Investors, Founder
• Shaun Sanders — Octane LaunchPad SBDC, interim Managing Director
• Errol Arkilic — UCI Beall Applied Innovation, Chief Innovation Officer
• Scott Taylor — CSUF Center for Entrepreneurship, Director
• Arabian Prince — iNov8 Capital, Founder & General Partner
• Bob Genthert — EvoNexus, Managing Director
• Todd Herschberg — OCEAN, Founder
• Ashish Saboo — Startup Steroid, Founder & CEO and former President of TiE Angels
• Venkatesh Sankaran — TiE Angels, President Elect
• Eric Cox — Netcapital, Senior Vice President
• Goran Matijasevic — UCI Chief Executive Roundtable, Executive Director

A Celebration With Purpose: Giving Back Through the Toy Drive

In partnership with The Eli Home, TCVN hosted its annual holiday toy drive, resulting in a highly successful collection of toys supporting children and families in crisis.

"The generosity we saw at Rocky was incredibly moving," said Tami Bradford, Executive Director of The Eli Home. "TCVN and its community didn't just celebrate success—they showed up for children who truly need hope during the holidays."

Visibility, Storytelling, and Real Connection

Beyond the awards, Rocky created meaningful opportunities for visibility and collaboration across Orange County's innovation ecosystem. LabX Ventures hosted live, on-site podcast recordings throughout the evening, capturing founder stories, ecosystem insights, and real-time conversations.

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"We loved being part of Rocky," said Chip Parker, Founder of LabX Ventures. "The energy, authenticity, and caliber of people in the room made for incredible conversations. This is exactly the kind of environment where meaningful stories—and meaningful partnerships—are born."

The evening sparked numerous new connections across organizations, universities, investor groups, and founder communities, reinforcing Rocky as a true ecosystem connector—not just a celebration.

Celebrating the Wins of 2025 — Building Momentum for 2026

With festive cocktails, curated bites by Evan's BBQ, music by DJ KDK, and blue-carpet photo moments, Rocky struck a balance between celebration and substance—offering space to reflect on the wins of 2025 while building momentum for an even more impactful 2026.

"Rocky is our annual reminder that startup ecosystems don't run on capital alone—they run on people," said Tony Crisp, President of TCVN and CEO of CRISPx. "This night honors those who showed up for founders all year long and strengthens the relationships that will drive our community forward in 2026."

About TCVN

Founded in 1984, Tech Coast Venture Network (TCVN) is a nonprofit organization on a mission to helping early-stage entrepreneurs become fundable. Hosting signature events: PitchPolish™ workshops, InvestorReady™ workshops, Survivor™ pitch event, Investor Dating Game™, Wingz™ become an angel investor program, and Rocky™ founders choice awards. TCVN's core values: founders first, relationships over transactions, and community over competition, guide everything it does. Join our mission and become a lifetime member at www.tcvn.org/join.

TCVN is Proudly Sponsored by Reed Smith LLP
Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward. With an inclusive culture and innovative mindset, we deliver smarter, more creative legal services that drive better outcomes for our clients. Our deep industry knowledge, long-standing relationships and collaborative structure make us the go-to partner for complex disputes, transactions and regulatory matters. Our team of 3,000 people (including more than 1,600 lawyers) operate across more than 30 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia to drive progress for our clients, for ourselves and for our communities. Our Emerging Companies and Venture Capital practice is a trusted partner for innovators at every stage of the venture life cycle, and we partner with founders, start-ups, and investors to help build the next generation of market leaders. Learn more at www.reedsmith.com