Founders share secrets to launching successful companies
Santa Barbara is known for several things, but it’s not seen as a startup hub like its neighbors to the south, Los Angeles, or the north, San Francisco. But Dan Engel, the founder of FastSpring, a software e-service platform, sees Santa Barbara’s quietness as a positive, not a negative. When he founded FastSpring in 2005, Read More →
UCSB patents power region’s tech sector
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Top women 2026: Michelle O’Malley
She’s engineering nexgen biology By L. Wayne Hicks Special to the Business Times When Michelle O’Malley’s older brother went off to college to study chemical engineering, she was at a loss. She wasn’t quite certain what that was, but she became a quick study. Her initial understanding was that it involved “making oil and chemicals Read More →
Top women 2026: All-star honoree Kathy Odell
She’s got the prescription for success By Paula Aven Gladych Special to the Business Times Kathy Odell has reinvented herself many times over the years, since she helped found Medical Concepts Inc. in Santa Barbara in 1985. Some might even call her a serial entrepreneur. “For me, my career has sort of been a dream Read More →
Top women 2026: Keynote speaker & special honoree Megan Tremer
Space imaging is her universe As a kid, Megan Tremer was used to moving around. Her father, a metallurgist, relocated his family from her hometown of Pittsburgh to Oklahoma and France. And though it was tough constantly being on the move, Tremer said it “made me very adaptable to change,” something that has suited her Read More →
Top women 2026: Marcy Campbell
She values revenue and relationships By Paula Aven Gladych Special to the Business Times Marcy Campbell, chief revenue officer at AppFolio, didn’t plan on having the career she has had for more than 30 years, but fell into it because of her curiosity and passion for technology. She earned bachelor’s degrees in history and communications Read More →
Hair care products company with Santa Barbara roots sells for $1.4B
Olaplex Holdings, a New York-based hair care products company with Santa Barbara roots, has been sold for $1.4 billion, agreeing to be acquired by Henkel AG & Co., a leading global manufacturer of well-known consumer and industrial brands. The deal, announced on March 26, states that Olaplex will be purchased for $2.06 per share in Read More →
