04/30/2026
Join us on May 2nd for Project Invent Demo Day San Diego, where student teams will showcase inventions designed alongside real community partners—and take their first steps from idea to impact.
Last year, we had the privilege of hearing from Sydney Thomas of Symphonic Capital, who left students with a powerful idea: building something is just the beginning—what comes next is where impact scales.
She started simply—reflecting on her own San Diego roots and the activities that first sparked her curiosity. But quickly, the conversation opened up into something bigger:
💡 What is venture capital, really?
Sydney broke it down as a way to take ideas—sometimes just early prototypes—and help turn them into companies that can scale their impact.
💡 Could today’s student inventors be tomorrow’s founders?
Absolutely. She emphasized that VC isn’t just for seasoned entrepreneurs—it’s for people solving real problems in thoughtful, persistent ways.
💡 What actually matters when building something?
Not perfection. Not having all the answers.
But teams that are curious, mission-driven, and willing to learn through every iteration.
She also challenged a common myth: venture capital isn’t just about chasing profit—it can (and should) fuel solutions in critical spaces like health and wealth, where innovation can change lives.
For students wondering “What’s next?” after Demo Day, Sydney left them with a clear message:
Stay curious. Stay committed. And don’t underestimate how far a small idea can go.
Because the journey from prototype to impact might just start sooner than you think.
FutureFounders
