Mission

Grow OC into a top tier innovation region in America

The key to building vibrant communities lies in cross-sector collaboration that creates new opportunities and solves persistent challenges. We convene the right people, the right business practices and the right resources to help make that happen.

Goals

Our priorities for Orange County are:

A better jobs strategy for the county
Growth in innovation jobs that have a 5 to 1 multiplier
Growth in the talent to fill those jobs
Cultivate a workforce of diverse viewpoints and skillsets
Lessen social problems through this better jobs strategy
Strategy

Our unique flywheel approach

We face important challenges in creating and sustaining jobs that enable people to live a quality life in an expensive region like Orange County while improving their health, longevity and overall well-being. In addition, better jobs can help address social problems.

A strategy was needed with a ripple effect and a focus on innovation. Each innovation job can generate five additional jobs. Moreover, an innovation economy can attract dollars from around the country and the world.

CLA-OC represents diverse business sectors with guidance from talented leadership who are passionate about our community. We seek to be a catalyst and collaborator to move the county forward around a common vision.

Our four-part strategy is designed to create a multiplier effect as a flywheel that spins and builds momentum.  Those workstreams reinforce each other as key leverage points to build compounding impact over time.

Achievements

Impact in Orange County

Education

Vision: A business-led system of 21st century K-14 career pathways that aligns with education and nonprofit innovation, leading to jobs and a quality future for all OC students, especially the underserved.  Remove hunger as a barrier to learning.

2020 Goals
  • Design pilot around a systematic approach to work-based learning that gets younger students interested in promising career paths, taking relevant courses, and piquing their interest in careers where the jobs are in demand
  • Involve at least 3 companies in the Career Pathways pilot
2019-2020 Achievements
  • Raised $200K from community for Pilot program to develop a systematic and scalable approach to work-based learning with the goal to encourage educators to work with industry on the design and implementation of scalable pilot(s) to greatly expand work-based learning (WBL) opportunities that contribute to career trajectory pipelines for students beginning in high school and leading into community college.
  • Recruited some of the largest employers, e.g. UCI, CHOC, & PIMCO as part of the 2nd ePrize WBL Project
  • Launched the Talent Leadership Advisory Board (T-LAB), a roundtable for community leaders, and announced CLA Career Pathways pilot
  • Formed working partnerships with OCDE and OC STEM
  • Launched Trusted Partner Network
  • The Mobile Food service program with Centrailia Elementary School District, launched in March 2020, has been able to adapt and supply meals during COVID-19 closures

Talent

Vision: A vibrant OC business community that attracts and develops talent, meeting the dynamic and evolving needs of individuals and business.

2020 Goals
  • Launch pilot for collaborative levels of commitment
  • Organize a long-term solution for interface between companies and universities, including a University Reference Guide
  • Launch Orange Fellowship pilot program which is designed to connect and develop the next generation of Orange County business and community leaders
2019-2020 Achievements
  • Developed the Levels of Commitment strategy and recruited 25 companies to participate
  • 8/31/20 Talent Leadership Call energized key education and business stakeholders to launch Talent Levels of Commitment
  • Established five working groups to target areas of highest need and impact
  • Orange Fellowship – formally launched first cohort of 24 young professionals in the fall of 2020
  • Piloted six virtual Employer Information sessions with Chapman University during the fall semester; plans for CSUF and UCI
  • Collected data and launched the University Reference Guide to connect employers and universities
  • Held quarterly Employer Coalition meetings (currently 44 companies)
  • Mapped collaboration opportunities with relevant university deans
  • Launched Partner Pathways – a program to address the importance of continued employment for all partners in dual-career families

Branding

Vision: A distinct regional identity that celebrates OC’s inclusive and opportunity-rich communities, engaging relevant stakeholders to attract and retain innovative talent and enterprises.

2020 Goals
  • Update EnvisionOC.org v2.0 website with improved links, build out interactive map feature, and invest paid search and paid social media to drive traffic/engagement
  • Launch social media, opt-in email and quarterly event-based campaigns, with click and attendance metrics
  • Crowd-source campaign to grow content
  • Build strong collaboration between companies for engagement/improvement of site
2019-2020 Achievements
  • Staffed working team and steering committee
  • Selected metrics to measure usage and inform future upgrades
  • Launched V1.0 website called EnvisionOC (June 17 2019)
  • Re-branded EnvisionOC (URL, logo, style, messaging) in June 2020
  • Launched v2.0 (June 2020) of EnvisionOC.org with improved links, innovative-company video shorts, new Lifestyle section, and new Stories section
  • Began bi-monthly e-newsletter
  • Created an interactive map of OC’s distinct 34 cities
  • Launched social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook) and opt-in email with click metrics
  • Linked site to: member company career pages; community resources; city information; and vignettes

Innovation Investment

Vision: A top-tier innovation economy with connected deep talent pools, mentors/ advisors and world-class support services, fueled by abundant local capital

2020 Goals
  • OC Master Fund AUM of $60M
  • Launch OC Master Fund Board
  • Build relationships with next VC cohorts
  • Map OC’s distinctive clusters
  • Strengthen innovation ecosystem connections as a convener
2019-2020 Achievements
  • Created an SC Master Fund with goal of $500M in 3-5 raises
  • SC Master Fund Board, Investment Committee, and second GP staffed and operating
  • Closed on $34M ($28M at MF and $6M direct) in 2020
  • 2 VC’s in portfolio, additional 15 in evaluations
  • Collecting cluster, VC, and startup data
  • Began using EnvisionOC to share data from the SoCal innovation community
  • Completed McKinsey study comparing OC start-up ecosystem to others with a definitive list of possible next steps to bridge gaps