Aside from remaining an immensely popular tourist destination, Santa Barbara has become a hub for young and developing businesses, said Kenny Slaught. Many promising, new companies have been founded in recent years, several of which, including AppScale, LastLine, TrackR, and Salty Girl Seafood, have come directly out of the University of California Santa Barbara. More than $200 million has been raised for area startups in the last year from private investors, giving the Central Coast nearly twice the investment per capita in innovation as the greater Los Angeles area, a much larger market. While some may give in to the tempting pull of Silicon Valley or Hollywood, many local entrepreneurs appreciate the significance of building a business in a pro-growth environment. As a result, the region is one of the strongest locations in the country to launch and cultivate startups, and has spawned remarkable biotech, medical, technology, and scientific businesses like Inogen, Raytheon, Sonos, and BioIQ.
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