Founder and Executive Director Luke Erickson is the guest on the debut episode of The Hustle, the new podcast from VC Locals Only, released September 25 and titled “Can Ventura become California’s next startup hub?”
It is the question Startup Ventura was founded to answer. Ventura County raises and educates talented, ambitious people, then watches too many of them leave for Los Angeles or the Bay Area to build. A free accelerator, a founder workshop series, and a community of operators exist to change that, and the inaugural Spring 2027 cohort is where it becomes real.
Watch the full conversation above or on YouTube, and follow VC Locals Only for more stories from the people building Ventura County’s startup ecosystem. Our thanks to the show for making Startup Ventura part of episode one.