Neal Bloom @NealBloom

Happy Father’s Day. The older I get, the more I realize that some of the most important work in life is simply showing up, over and over again, for the people who matter most.

The great lie is that society is divided between rich and poor. The great truth, as David Friedberg puts it, is makers vs takers. Makers build, create, and deliver real value: houses, software, art, businesses, and everything that moves civilization forward. Takers watch, criticize, analyze, and politic. They push the lie that the rich hoard unfairly so the poor must seize it… all while positioning themselves to rule the chaos. As @friedberg tells his kids: “At the end of the day, if you made something and someone else valued it, you were a maker. That was an amazing achievement. That is a great day.” Takers thrive on division. Makers drive progress. Time to choose your side.

link to article about the night in my bio

One unexpected outcome of the Hardtech 50: Many of the investors backing San Diego’s hardtech companies had never met. Last night we changed that. At one point we realized nearly half the room had invested in Firestorm. San Diego is getting smaller in all the right ways.

eventship.com/event/first-fr…

A solid First Friday Founders Hike. Join us on July 3 at 8am at the Gliderport. Link in next tweet

Hot take: Universities charge $300,000 for a degree that teaches you skills any LLM can do for free. At some point we need to have an honest conversation about whether higher education is the greatest individuals misallocation of capital in recent history.

A year ago, I sat in the audience. This year, I stood on stage as emcee. 135 startup applications became 6 finalists and ultimately 3 companies backed. I wrote about what most people never see between a startup application and an investment decision. 🔗 in bio

risingtidepartners.substack.com/p/niche-is-not…

Link to 10 lessons I shared with students open.substack.com/pub/risingtide…

Returned to @UCSanDiego @RadySchool this week to speak with students about entrepreneurship, venture capital & career building. Big takeaway: Build real skills. Build real relationships. Build things that matter. & as fellow UCSD alum @msuster says: turn dots into lines.

Excited to be on this live podcast on Thursday with @balerionspace. Join in! 📅 Date: 05.14.26 🕒 Time: 1 PM EST 🔗 Register here: luma.com/okqirsme

Firestorm FPV BUILD CONTEST at #SOFWeek Competitors will assemble flyable Firestorm FPV drones (Squalls) using xCell printed parts. The fastest builder wins a prize and eternal glory. 220 S Franklin St. just outside the Tampa Convention Center. Tues 5/19 2pm – 4pm Wed 5/20 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 4pm Thurs 5/21 10am – 12pm Think you can win? Sign up here: na2.hubs.ly/H05n-lp0 Stay tuned for a livestream!

On May 29, investors will decide which companies receive funding. You can join in person too. Read the behind-the-scenes look at how angel investors evaluate startups at link in bio

The SDSU 2026 San Diego Angel Conference has selected its Final 6 startups. Now the real work begins: customer calls, founder meetings, diligence memos, and investment debates. Finalists: @Cytodyme @PolyVascular Sesh Shezza Vayim My Village Innovations

@fortworthchris @jamesbeshara So refreshing to hear James say this. Most investors don't get it but that's the empathy of a founder/operator-turned-investor 💪

I keep coming back to something @jamesbeshara said about angel investing. The bar to become a founder's favorite investor is much lower than people think. James has invested across 150+ companies and reviews around 1,700 deals a year. His take: most investors show up like they're auditing a 10-K. For the founder, it's the 50th non-encouraging conversation of their day. In this clip from this week's episode, James on why a dose of encouragement is the difference between a founder quitting and not quitting.

San Diego is the hardtech hub nobody talks about. $10.1 billion in collective funding, top-tier talent, and hardware powerhouses solving critical problems. Firestorm is building the CONOPS and manufacturing infrastructure to bring the factory to the frontlines because the next conflict will be won in the supply chain. Thank you @RisingTidePtr and @NealBloom for recognizing Firestorm on the 2026 SD Hardtech 50 list alongside companies across defense & autonomy, energy, medtech, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, agtech, and more. #SDHardtech50 Read about it: risingtidepartners.substack.com/p/the-2026-san…

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LifeShip named to San Diego's Hardtech 50 🚀 Building permanent archives designed to outlast civilizations. Space monuments for cosmic timescales. Thanks @RisingTidePtr & @NealBloom for hosting! risingtidepartners.substack.com/p/the-2026-san…