Kurt Busch KURT BUSCH CO-FOUNDER / CEO SYNTIANT CORP. WHY: Co-founded, runs Irvine-based AI computing company Syntiant Corp.; a winner of Business Journal’s 2020 Innovator of the Year Award. IN THE NEWS: The company was founded in 2017. Since then, more than 100M of its chip sets and machine learning Read More
TIM BRITT FOUNDER / EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN SYNOPTEK WHY: Grew up in Wyoming, where he knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur. Earned industrial engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA degree from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University. In 2001, began building Synoptek. Made 10 Read More
Alex Bhathal Lisa Bhathal Merage ALEX BHATHAL LISA BHATHAL MERAGE CO-FOUNDER CO-FOUNDER / MANAGING PARTNER RAJ CAPITAL RAJ CAPITAL WHY: Siblings founded Newport Beach-based RAJ Sports, a subsidiary of RAJ Capital. Parents Raj and Marta are entrepreneurs who built swimwear empire. Awarded a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) expansion franchise Read More
Bobby Azamian BOBAK “BOBBY” AZAMIAN CEO/CHAIRMAN / CO-FOUNDER TARSUS PHARMACEUTICALS WHY: Spearheaded the development and commercialization of Xdemvy, the first FDA-approved treatment for Demodex blepharitis, an inflammation of the eyelids caused by mites. Raised $101M in IPO in 2020; company so successful that it was able to raise another $125M in Read More
Kamran Ansari (left) invented a wearable device to alleviate his sister Nadia’s (right) pain KAMRAN ANSARI FOUNDER FLUXWEAR INC. WHY: 20-year-old co-founder of wearable tech startup FluxWear Inc. with his sister Nadia Ansari. Invented a neuromodulation device, designed as a hat, to alleviate his sister’s chronic pain using pulsed electromagnetic field Read More
Darin Anderson DARIN ANDERSON CHAIRMAN & CEO SALAS O’BRIEN WHY: Guided the growth of Salas O’Brien, an Irvine-based engineering services firm that is one of OC’s fastest growing. Roll-up strategy has helped firm in four years triple annual sales to $562M. Salas O’Brien currently has $20B in annual construction value Read More
Dan Almquist DAN ALMQUIST CEO/PRESIDENT ALMQUIST WHY: Founded development company that is changing Orange County retail spaces. Opened Rodeo 39 Public Market in Stanton in 2020, where locals and visitors can choose from more than one dozen food-and-drink tenants. Last year, completed River Street Marketplace in San Juan Capistrano, a Read More
You’re invited to Comcast Business Virtual Event: Building Digital Trust in an AI-Powered World taking place Thursday, June 5th at 10a PT. Register here As artificial intelligence transforms the enterprise landscape, the foundation of digital trust is being put to the test. With AI-driven automation, machine-to-machine communication, and deepfake threats Read More
Join us in celebrating the strength, resilience, and legacy of local family-owned businesses at the 26th Annual Family-Owned Business Awards. This special section honors 47 outstanding nominees across Orange County whose passion, innovation, and commitment to excellence continue to shape our community. The event takes place on June 12, 2025, Read More
J. Todd Brumley and Sean Kha proudly announce the formation of Rockstar CFO & Accounting Services. Rockstar CFO provides strategic, fractional CFO support to growing middle market businesses. Rockstar CFO also provides Bookkeeping, Tax Consulting and Human Resource support. With decades of financial leadership experience, they deliver Rockstar results. Previous Read More
