Our Mission & Vision

Jay Goth is Executive Director of InSoCal CONNECT, where he leads efforts to build and expand Southern California’s innovation ecosystem, connecting entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and institutions to accelerate company formation and growth. He has also played a key role in the development of the Murrieta Innovation Center, a hub for health technology and life science startups, working closely with universities, private companies, and capital partners to advance the promise of precision medicine.

A seasoned entrepreneur and investor, Jay has been involved in dozens of startups across energy, technology, biotechnology, and finance. He is founder of Redtail Capital and has held leadership roles including CEO of Murrieta Genomics and managing partner of Forentis Fund, a life science venture fund focused on precision medicine. Earlier in his career, he was a founding executive of Commonwealth Energy, helping scale the company into one of the largest unregulated energy providers in the U.S.

Jay is widely recognized for his commitment to supporting entrepreneurs and building regional innovation infrastructure. He was named the SBA’s Small Business Champion of the Year and has served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of California, Riverside, as well as a senior consultant with the TriTech SBDC. He continues to mentor founders, advise organizations, and serve on multiple boards across the innovation ecosystem.

Keith M. Alexis is a seasoned technologist with over three decades of experience in high tech IP Data networking, data center, unified voice and data, and new technology development. As GM of SMC/Edge-Core (Accton Technologies branded divisions), Keith led the company to become a viable competitor in Networking with the first 10GBaseT/XFP network switch leading to advancements in niche vertical switch markets including Data Center (with IBM, SUN, and SGI as partners), Enterprise/Campus networks, Hospitality, and culminating in powering IBM’s Roadrunner, the fastest supercomputer in 2006.

Keith was recognized as a CRN Top Channel Chief in 2008, 2009 and in 2010 ranked in the Top 25 Channel Chiefs in the Technology Industry. Keith later initiated a three-way joint venture between Accton Technologies ($1B) and LG-Ericsson Korea (formerly LG-Nortel-$1B) to create a first of its kind joint venture in the US called LG-Ericsson USA. In 2022, Keith was awarded the US Department of Commerce Export Achievement Certificate and appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the District Export Council.

DR. Paul M. Wendee is the Managing Director of Paul M. Wendee & Associates, LLC, a corporate finance, private equity, management consulting, and financial planning firm, and a national strategy and capital firm, which he founded in 1998.

He is also the Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of Northwest Quadrant Alternative Investments Opportunity Fund, LLC and Northwest Quadrant Alternative Investments Venture Fund, LLC. He has been a financial planner, entrepreneur, investment banker, securities analyst, business economist, and private equity fund manager for over 40 years. He publishes an award-winning investment newsletter, the Intrinsic Value Wealth Report Newsletter.

He is the author and creator of Value Driver Theory, a new way of understanding and strategically thinking about business; and The Value Creation Theory of the Economy (Intrinsinomics). He teaches courses in business, strategy, management, investments, economics, entrepreneurship, accounting, and finance to university students worldwide.

Paul founded the Value Driver Institute, a scholarly thinktank with a mission to conduct research on enterprise value driver theory and the enterprise value creation process; and to take the business incubator concept to places in the world where business incubators are not commonly found, but where they are needed the most. Paul is also an angel investor and is an active investor with various angel groups including TCA Ventures and the Investment Club of America. He is also Co-President of Oceanside Rotary.

Ramon Valdivia, Audit Senior with Swenson Advisors, has had experience with a Big 4 firm providing services to public and private companies. He has a strong background in technical issues such as Revenue Recognition as well as substantial experience with SOX-related work and understanding and applying the COSO framework. His experience includes technology, utilities, and financial services industries. He is fluent in Spanish.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

• 2018–2020 – KPMG LLP, Santa Clara, CA – Audit Associate

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

• Accounting and Auditing

• Financial Reporting and Forecasting

• GAAP and IFRS Accounting

• External Audit

• Internal Controls

Amongst the many joys in Mark’s life is transforming businesses for greater growth and profitability. He is passionate about assisting organizations in creating or enhancing business models that result in a sustainable competitive advantage. Mark is an unconventional strategizer that guides businesses to reimagine everything. Mark doesn’t just think outside the box, for him, there is no box. His competencies encompass Capital Acquisition, Commercialization, Business and Sales Development, Leadership, Strtegic Innovation, Strategic Market Planning, and Team Building. He has served on several boards over the years.

As President of the Mark Mitchell Group, an independent consulting firm, he guides a dynamic team of senior executives to deliver hands-on mentoring that provides tools to transform and stay relevant in our evolving and changing world. This includes all aspects of B2B and B2C strategies from start-up to industry-wide projects that include both national and international clientele.

Mark’s recent success includes managing an organization that raised over $550 million in capital and created/retained over 3700 jobs over ten years. Additionally, he created ‘Funding the BIG Idea’ conferences that brought together Angel Investors and Entrepreneurs that were seeking equity capital for their ventures.

He has been an active member of the Inland Empire Tech Coast Angel since 2019.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmitchell45/

Emmanuel Mathew is a technology entrepreneur and business leader with over a decade of experience building and scaling innovative software companies that serve both the public and private sectors. He is the Founder and CEO of Rattle Tech LLC, a firm focused on digital solutions for local governments, including its flagship Civita App—a multilingual 311 and citizen engagement platform used by cities and counties to improve service delivery and community engagement.

He is also the CEO of Averiware Inc, a cloud-based ERP platform designed for small and mid-sized businesses, helping organizations streamline operations across accounting, inventory, and business management. In addition, Emmanuel leads Linear Systems, Inc., a public safety technology company specializing in Digital Information Management Systems (DIMS) used by law enforcement agencies for secure evidence capture, storage, and sharing.

Emmanuel brings a strong foundation in accounting and finance, having successfully passed the CPA exam, and began his career in accounting before transitioning into technology and entrepreneurship. His diverse background allows him to bridge the gap between financial strategy, operational efficiency, and technology innovation.

Through his involvement with InSoCal Connect, Emmanuel is passionate about leveraging technology, partnerships, and community-driven initiatives to support economic development, workforce opportunities, and meaningful impact across Southern California.