Scott Painter’s concept of innovation is pretty simple.
“I innovate without constraints because as soon as you do that you start putting guard rails on your dreams,” he told an audience Wednesday night. “We are constantly focused on a horizon line … what is the future of car buying 10 years out?”
Painter, CEO of TrueCar Inc., was the keynote speaker at the opening of Envision 2014, a business summit designed to inform, inspire and connect the technology and design innovation community in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley.
Sponsored by Innovate Pasadena, Envision 2014 held its kickoff Wednesday night at Pasadena Convention Center.
TrueCar’s website (www.truecar.com) lets consumers know what others have paid for a make and model of car in their area. That upfront pricing information helps buyers negotiate and ultimately secure better deals when purchasing cars, trucks or SUVs.
“I’m a car guy,” Painter said. “I believe that car buying should be fun and I believe that transparency can work in a complex ecosystem.”
Painter said his company endured a boycott at the hands of auto dealers that was a “near death experience.” But challenges and roadblocks are part of the entrepreneurial experience, he said, and TrueCar has since managed to thrive.
“I want to argue with people,” Painter said. “I love it when someone tells me I’m missing something.”
Pasadena and its surrounding area has emerged as a hub of technology and innovation.
From unmanned drones and space exploration to cloud-based project management and electric roller-skates — innovation abounds.
Green Dot, a Pasadena-based company that provides reloadable, prepaid credit and debit cards, is a good example. Green Dot just inked a deal with Wal-Mart to stock its GoBank checking account system. GoBank provides a host of modern banking features and a linked MasterCard debit card. GoBank doesn’t charge overdraft fees, minimum balance fees or monthly fees with qualifying direct deposits.
ACTON Global Inc., another Pasadena company, is revamping the concept of commuting with its hands-free electric RocketSkates. The lightweight skates strap on over a wearer’s regular shoes and can function without the use of a remote control. RocketSkates can also connect with an app on a user’s smartphone to provide route tracking, skate diagnosis, battery status and games.
Pasadena’s cache as a center of technology and innovation will take another leap in January when Cross Campus, a new center for business innovation and collaboration, opens its doors. The collaborative, on-demand work space and business event venue on north Raymond Avenue in Pasadena will be a place where creative professionals can collaborate, network and socialize.
Cross Campus founder and CEO Ronen Olshansky said his enterprise is only a small piece of what’s going on in Pasadena.
“We’re going to look back a year from now and not recognize the current landscape,” he said. “We’ll help light that up, but we’re not going to be alone. We’ll be joined by others who will feed the ecosystem. Pasadena is at a tipping point.”
Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, who also spoke at Wednesday’s event, said the city has reduced the business license fee for qualifying professional and technical science startup companies to just $1 for the first year.
“Innovate Pasadena is growing rapidly and these actions are shaping the city’s economy,” he said. “We are extraordinarily rich.”
Envision 2014 will continue today with a variety of events and speakers, including Sharon Vosmek, CEO of Astia; Patricia Moore, president of MooreDesign Associates; Mark Meadows, co-founder and creator at Geppetto Avatars; and Andra Keay, managing director of Silicon Valley Robotics. Thursday’s event will also feature a discussion on securing capital.
Innovate Pasadena’s vision is to create a vibrant ecosystem of technology and design innovation in the greater Pasadena area that supports sustainable economic growth.
“We’re trying to broaden people’s horizons to see into the future, and it’s a collective journey,” said Michael A. Giardello, the organization’s co-chair. “And we want to showcase the region and let people know we can attract the best and brightest.”
