Graelyn Brashear

How Oakland’s startup scene is trying to do tech right

For years, Oakland has been the subject of startup-centric speculation: Is it about to blow up into the Bay Area’s next tech hub? Will San Francisco’s astronomical rents drive companies out of SoMa and across the bridge? There’s plenty of reason to bet “yes” on both. While the tech sector accounts for only about three percent of the city’s jobs, it’s growing at a gallop. Oakland is now home to more than 400 tech firms, according to the Chamber of Commerce,…

Health tech companies leaving Mission Bay for downtown Oakland, citing lower rent

Biotech companies, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and physicians’ group Brown & Toland to downtown Oakland, are moving to downtown Oakland. The city, already home to health giants like Kaiser Permanente and household products maker Clorox Co., offers a more attractive price points with easy access to transit, according to biotech companies making the move to Oakland.