People who think they have the idea for America's next great company have gathered downtown for San Diego Startup Week.
Errol Asuncion's vision for a startup stems from years working in restaurants.
"Even though it's now 2016, to get a job is terrible," he said, adding that it's especially true in nightlife. "You have to walk up and down the street, traditionally go on Craigslist, fight for five spots and there's about 100 people ahead of you."
Asuncion created a startup called Industry. It connects servers and bartenders with venues, which he said don't look for workers on LinkedIn.
Asuncion is one of hundreds of entrepreneurs converging on downtown this week for San Diego's Startup Week, giving the region a taste of Silicon Valley.
It's an opportunity to learn from each other, but also to get discovered by investors.
"We cover everything from biotech, brew tech, defense tech, and of course all sorts of internet technology," said Startup Week co-founder Austin Neudecker.
It's not all about tech -- one of the startups is a mobile bike-fixing service.
"It's for anyone that has an idea or they've already started a business, maybe on Etsy, or they're selling on eBay and they kind of want to take it to the next level," said Maresa Friedman, a volunteer who used to work at a startup.
That's on Asuncion's mind. He wants to take industry from the Gaslamp to the globe.
"Anybody can serve a drink or make a burger, but it's your staff that really showcases your establishment," he said.
