The SoCal Deep Tech Symposium 2026
September 24 @ 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Connect with Deep Tech innovators and investors at the 3rd Annual SoCal Deep Tech Symposium in El Segundo. Sponsored by KPPB, Sunstone Management, J.P. Morgan, Caltech, and Gunderson Dettmer.
What to know: The SoCal Deep Tech Symposium gathers over 130 top corporate leaders, government representatives, startup founders, and early-stage investors in fields such as Aerospace & Defense, Advanced Manufacturing & Robotics, Autonomous Mobility, Renewable Energy, AI and more.
Get a glimpse of the future and what’s getting funded today: See startup founders quick pitch then respond to in-depth Q&A from a panel of investors and subject matter experts. We begin with the First Look SoCal Deep Tech Innovation Showcase which features very early stage startups commercializing IP created at top research universities throughout Southern California. This is your opportunity to get a glimpse of tomorrow’s tech before it hits the market. The second showcase will feature early stage Deep Tech startups seeking Seed and Series A funding who are referred from the region’s top accelerator programs and ecosystem support organizations. An investor panel will provide further insights into fundraising in today’s deep tech sector. Stay for the networking reception to celebrate and meet the region’s top innovators.
Host Partner
Presenting Startups
Speakers and Panelists
Andre Doumitt
Director, Emerging Programs Aerospace Corporation
Previously, Doumitt was president and founder of Digital AdopXion LLC, a consulting company focused on transitioning early-stage air and space-based data collection technologies into new commercial and military programs. He also served as president and CEO of Geosemble Technologies, an In-Q-Tel funded start-up spun out of the Computer Science department at the University of Southern California (USC). Geosemble developed and sold technology to automatically integrate open-source text into satellite imagery and maps and was acquired in 2012.
Before that, Doumitt served at BAE Systems in a variety of executive management roles focused on fly-by-wire flight control systems, integrated GPS/navigation sensor systems, and digital map systems with U.S. and international aircraft operators. Prior to that position, Doumitt spent two years with the Italian/U.S. joint venture Bell Helicopter/Agusta Aerospace, and four years with The Boeing Company/McDonnell Douglas, developing industrial relationships with international suppliers for Boeing’s military and civilian helicopter programs.
Doumitt was also a founding member of technology start-up company Ecotech International, focused on international joint ventures and licensing agreements for defense industry customers. He also held a market research role at Frank Small & Associates, an Australian research firm based in Hong Kong; a Japanese prefectural government position in Tokyo; a consular support staff role, and a position with the U.S. Department of Commerce at the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Strategic Trade Control, both at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France.
In his free time, Doumitt has served as a mentor for the Culver City High School Robotics Club and an assistant scout master of the Boy Scouts of America Troop #50.
Education
Doumitt holds dual bachelor’s degrees from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an MBA from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird). He has also completed numerous executive education and certificate programs, including Advanced Space Operations, USAF 319th Combat Training Squadron; Space Systems Integration, Orbital Mechanics and Astrodynamics, Aerospace University; CalTech Executive Education for Management of Technology and Innovation; Duke University Fuqua School of Business Executive Education and Leadership; University of New Hampshire Whittemore School of Business and Economics Leadership Institute; and the Center for Creative Leadership, Executive Coaching and Mentoring, among others.
Affiliations
Doumitt’s numerous affiliations have included corporate board advisory member, Viterbi School of Engineering, USC; steering committee member, USC Spatial Sciences Institute; guest lecturer and mentor, University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management; guest presenter, USC Integrated Media Sciences Center; board of advisors, Stratalux Inc. and Amazon cloud provider AWS Managed Services; and board member, California Geographic Information Association.
John Peck
Founding Partner KPPB, LP
With a technical grounding in chemistry and materials science, he has deep expertise in technologies at the intersection of materials, manufacturing, and emerging technologies, including additive manufacturing, amorphous alloys, nanotechnology, metaoptics, optical coatings, and space systems.
John is also widely acknowledged as the United States’ foremost expert in protecting inventions in amorphous alloys and nanotechnology. He was instrumental in building the LiquidMetal Technologies IP portfolio that was later licensed to Apple, and today works closely with Glassimetal Technologies (a Caltech spin-out) to help commercialize the next generation of amorphous alloy innovations.
John’s Ph.D. in Chemistry gives him a firsthand appreciation for the challenges and opportunities within academic research. That perspective enables him to work fluently with inventors, university tech-transfer offices, and startup teams alike. Over the course of his career, John has guided numerous technologies from the laboratory to the market by crafting IP strategies that reflect both technical merit and business goals.
He advises clients across a broad spectrum of technical domains, including novel materials, optics, nanotechnology, biotechnology, medical devices, and oil-field tools. His full-service IP practice spans patent prosecution and strategy, trademark and copyright matters, licensing and enforcement, trade secret protection, and portfolio due diligence.
John is especially passionate about supporting academic innovators and early-stage ventures. His experience in both the research and legal worlds allows him to translate complex ideas into actionable intellectual property programs.
PRACTICE AREAS
Patent Strategy & Protection
Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets
Licensing, Enforcement & Transactions
IP Due Diligence & Portfolio Strategy
University / Academic Technology Transfer
Startup & Venture IP Counseling
EDUCATION
B.S. in Chemistry & Physics, American University
Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Southern California
J.D., magna cum laude, New York University (Order of the Coif; Florence Allen Scholar; Pomeroy Scholar)
Visiting Scholar, UCLA (1999–2000)
BAR ADMISSIONS
California State Bar
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
U.S. District Courts (Central, Northern, Eastern & Southern Districts of California)
Chris Pimentel
Mayor City of El Segundo
In 2018, he was elected to the El Segundo City Council and has served as mayor since 2024, focusing much of his effort on preserving and sustaining the elements of El Segundo that make it a unique and thriving engine of the region.
Chris contributes to several City committees and boards centered on the interaction with other cities, the county, and the state.
He is also active with numerous community and veteran groups, including the Military Officers Association, and he joins his family in their volunteer efforts.
Dr. Crystal Dilworth
Educator, Lecturer Caltech and The Crystaline Group
As founder of The Crystalline Group, she serves as a strategic advisor to innovation teams, technical leaders, and academic institutions seeking to unlock human potential and build purpose-aligned systems. The Crystalline Group operates globally with a focus in the USA and APAC leveraging an international partner network to catalyze cross-sector impact on an international scale.
Dr. Dilworth is a compelling public speaker, the Host of the historic Watson Lecture series at Caltech, and a frequent contributor on media networks such as Voice of America and Al Jazeera. Saturday mornings on CBS, her alter-ego “Dr. Brain” reaches millions, exploring topics in neuroscience and psychology on the Emmy-nominated television show Mission Unstoppable.
Dr. Dilworth holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Neuroscience from the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Caltech for her work linking molecular level changes to risk factors for the world’s leading preventable cause of death: smoking.
Alex Garcia Lautzenheiser
Principal UP.Partners
After Boeing, Alex attended Harvard Business School, where he focused his second-year studies on deep tech venture, the New Space economy, and climate tech. Alex also holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, where he minored in Spanish and studied the language in Spain and Argentina.
Alex is based in Los Angeles and loves coming up with unnecessary invention ideas. When he’s not tinkering with a 3D printer or falling down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, you might find him at the Comedy Store or Laugh Factory watching stand-up with his wife, Brooke.
Alexa McCulloch
Managing Partner Stardeck Ventures
Howard Ko
Partner Morpheus Ventures
Howard is primarily focused on sourcing new investments and working with Morpheus portfolio companies.
UNIQUE AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE
Robotics, Healthcare, InsureTech, FinTech and PropTech.
CURRENT ROLES
Board Member of Rize, RIOS, Rugged Robotics, IngeniousIO and Tagnos.
Board Observer of Bridg and RapidDeploy
Matt Kozlov
Founder and Managing Partner Multiball Capital
Nima Ashraf
Founder and Managing Director Physical Fund
THE 2026 AGENDA
1:00 PM: Attendee Check-in
1:30 PM: Welcome featuring Mayor Chris Pimentel, City of El Segundo
1:40 PM: Keynote. Dr. Crystal Dilworth, Ph.D. aka “Dr. Brain”, Instructor at Caltech Center for Technology and Management Education
2:10 PM: First Look SoCal Deep Tech Innovation Showcase
Get an early glimpse into exciting new deep tech science-based startups emerging from SoCal’s top research universities. Each of the selected startups will quick pitch for 3 minutes immediately followed by 6 minutes of Q&A with a panel of investors and subject matter experts.
Presenting Startups
Cacophony Innovation (USC)
Water Illumination (UC Riverside)
Aphelion Aeronautics (Cal Poly SLO)
Precise Polymer (Skysong Innovations/ASU)
Helicoid Industries (UCI)
Expert Q&A Panelists
Matt Kozlov (Multiball Capital)
Howard Ko (Morpheus Ventures)
Alexa McCulloch (Stardeck Ventures)
Nima Ashraf (Physical Fund)
John Peck (KPPB, LP)
3:15 PM: Break
3:45 PM: SoCal Deep Tech Startup Showcase
Early-stage startups raising Seed or Series A funding referred from the region’s accelerators and ecosystem support organizations will have the opportunity to pitch for 3 minutes followed by 6 minutes of Q&A led by investors, strategics and other subject matter experts. The interaction between the founders and expert panelists will reveal unique insights about fundraising and the startup journey that are rarely seen outside of confidential due diligence reviews.
Presenting Startups
CarBonne (LACI, Braid Theory)
Dugu Systems (SoCal Venture Pipeline)
ORBES (SoCal Venture Pipeline)
4th State Energies (UC Riverside)
Atmosphere Ventures (Hive Autonomous Innovation Center)
Unmanned Aerospace (Connect San Diego)
Roboze (Starburst)
Expert Q&A Panelists
Howard Ko (Morpheus Ventures)
Alexa McCulloch (Stardeck Ventures)
Alex Lautzenheiser (UP.Partners)
Andre Doumitt (Aerospace Corp.)
John Peck (KPPB, LP)
5:00 PM: Investor Panel: “Fundraising in Today’s Deep Tech Sector“
Panelists: TBA
5:45 PM: Networking Reception
Continue the conversation and connect while enjoying refreshments and snacks
Look Forward To…
Connect with investors, peers, and mentors
Unparalleled opportunities to connect with investors, mentors and other support resources crucial for early stage startups. Past years attracted over 120 attendees including investors such as Lux Capital, Kairos, Wavemaker 360, Upfront, NEA, Elevation Ventures, FullCycle, Aligned Climate Capital, Mitsubishi Ventures and many more.
Startup quick-pitch presentations
See selected Deep Tech (Robotics, Aerospace, Advanced Manufacturing, Energy, Materials) startups doing 3-minute quick pitch presentations followed by 6 minutes of moderated Q&A led by a panel of investors, corporate leaders, and subject matter experts.
Top SoCal universities and regional accelerators represented
This is SoCal’s premiere gathering of the best startups emerging from the region’s top research institutions (UCLA, Caltech, USC, UC Irvine, UCSD, UCSB, UC Riverside SDSU, Cal Poly, LMU) and accelerators so it attracts the region’s community in a rare concentrated program that celebrates the entrepreneur’s journey from lab to market.
Networking Reception
Stay for drinks and small bites as we celebrate and connect with attendees and speakers.