In Greater Palm Springs, a new vision is emerging: one where our valley also becomes a dynamic hub for technology and innovation. Achieving this transformation requires a strategic approach, recognizing that there isn’t just one way forward.
Innovate PS envisions two complementary paths converging on a single destination: a thriving, inclusive, and resilient tech ecosystem right here in the Coachella Valley.
Path 1: Importing Innovation – Attracting Tech Leaders, Startups, and Capital
The first path involves actively recruiting external forces: established tech startups, visionary founders, and the venture capital that fuels them. The goal is to inject proven innovation and resources into our local economy.
- The Allure of the Oasis: Greater Palm Springs offers a compelling value proposition. Compared to overcrowded and overpriced traditional tech hubs, we boast an exceptional quality of life, unique cultural appeal, and a more accessible cost structure. Resources like the Palm Desert iHub, now operated by the renowned Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at CSUSB, provide crucial infrastructure like co-working spaces, incubation, business counseling, and connections. However what these types of agencies, generally, lack is real world applicable use cases. Much like a college education, they mostly operate with out of date trainings and positioning, focusing on ensuring clients have the proper state, federal and city level licenses. Tech evolves daily, not quarterly or yearly, DAILY. Training programs MUST reflect the most recent developments and be able to translate how those developments impact their region and client base but also how to their client base can leverage new tools and strategies to grow.
“Tech evolves daily, not quarterly or yearly, DAILY.”
- Benefits: Attracting established or even recently funded tech players can rapidly diversify our economy beyond tourism, create high-paying jobs, bring in significant investment capital, and generate regional buzz, enhancing our image as a place for business and innovation.
- Challenges & Considerations: Success requires careful planning. We must mitigate potential downsides like increased cost of living and strain on infrastructure and affordable housing. I have personally watched these dramas play out in cities like Austin and Denver and the rift it causes is often unrepairable. It’s crucial to ensure that the economic benefits are shared broadly within the community and that we foster an environment where companies are invested in staying long-term, rather than just seeking temporary advantages. Building a robust ecosystem with strong local networks, skilled talent, and supportive services is key to retention.
Path 2: Cultivating Homegrown Innovation – Empowering Local AI Creators
The second path focuses inward, empowering our own residents to become the next wave of tech creators and entrepreneurs, particularly by leveraging the democratizing power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). These types of micro businesses accomplish more in the short term by greatly increasing personal incomes locally, meaning more people have more money to spend in traditional main street businesses. Particularly in the less served minority communities but also in the growing community of seniors and millennials struggling to find work.
The AI Opportunity:
AI tools are revolutionizing creation. What once required teams of engineers and significant funding can now be achieved by individuals with the right skills and accessible tools. AI is leveling the playing field, enabling anyone, anywhere, to launch a startup or build a lucrative online presence.
From Resident to Creator:
Build Personal Brands: Use AI for content creation, social media management, and audience engagement to become successful influencers or thought leaders. Now I know what you are thinking,”Ugh …influencers’ …. and I would agree with you, however influencers, now more comfortable with the term Creators, have evolved and become powerful personal brands. In a recent study, Creators in San Jose and San Francisco tend to earn the highest salaries, with San Jose leading at $127,882 annually. Long Beach and Oakland tend to have the most ‘influencer’ job postings. Thanks to events like Coachella, Palm Springs has become a major creator destination, both for its events as well as its plethora of ‘selfie’ locales.
But personal brands extend far beyond brand deals and viral videos. A personal brand with a thriving email list can quickly develop and implement record breaking sales for courses, products (everything from candles and supplements to Print on Demand products like T-Shirts, coffee mugs to White label coffee brands and even skin care.), paid newsletters and communities.
Launch Micro-Businesses: Develop simple, AI-powered tools or services that solve specific problems and generate income. Think of the countless single-purpose websites, like file converters (e.g., PNG to PDF converters), that earn substantial passive income. These can often be built rapidly using modern AI.
Throughout 2025 and 2026 you will repeatedly see the term ‘Ai Agents” which are ai tools linked together to perform simple to complex tasks. This is another tech sector that in the last 3 months has developed and progressed so quickly that now if you can drag and drop you can make agents for local businesses that solve a wide range of problems. like Lindy.ai make it possible to create Ai Agents that do everything from read and answer your emails to creating and posting on social media and answering DM’s to making dinner reservations, recording and transcribing meeting notes and tracking progress and timelines.
Simple one page websites like PNG to PDF get hundreds of thousands of visitors each month to use their free service and they monetize with ads and low level subscriptions to make $30-$100K a month in recurring revenue. They take almost no maintenance and can be built in a hour with free tools from Gemini or any of the other hundreds of Ai tools available.
Innovate Services: Apply AI to automate tasks, personalize offerings, or gain insights within existing small businesses or new service-based ventures.
Tools for Rapid Creation:
- The barrier to entry is lower than ever thanks to:
- No-Code/Low-Code AI Platforms: Tools like Lindy, N8N, FlutterFlow AI, Wix ADI, and Canva allow users to build sophisticated apps and websites using visual interfaces and natural language prompts, often generating functional prototypes in minutes or hours, not weeks.
Benefits: This approach directly fosters local talent and entrepreneurship, creating diverse income streams that stay within the community. It builds innovation capacity from the ground up, potentially leading to unique, locally relevant tech solutions. It embraces inclusivity, offering opportunities regardless of traditional background or resources.
Challenges & Considerations: Ensuring equitable access to AI training and tools is vital to avoid widening the digital divide. Supporting these budding entrepreneurs with mentorship, business fundamentals, and pathways to sustainable growth will be crucial. This is the mission for Innovate PS.
Synergy: Where the Paths Converge
Crucially, these two paths are not mutually exclusive; they are synergistic.
- Attracted tech companies (Path 1) will need skilled local talent – the very talent being cultivated through AI empowerment (Path 2). If you have been job hunting recently you will have noticed that every job posting in the tech world, even the non tech jobs, require Ai experience. Having a local community of trained and experienced prompt engineers or Ai agent builders will attract more Startup founders and Investors than any thing else.
- Local AI creators and micro-businesses (Path 2) will thrive in the vibrant ecosystem created by attracting external investment, mentorship networks, and a higher density of tech activity (Path 1).
- Institutions like the CVEP can serve as a nexus, connecting incoming businesses with local innovators and providing resources for both paths.
Building Our Tech Future, Together
Transforming Greater Palm Springs into a recognized tech hub is an ambitious goal, but achievable through a dual strategy of attracting external innovation while simultaneously cultivating our homegrown talent with the power of AI.
By pursuing both paths with intention and community support, we can build a future that is not only prosperous and diverse but also uniquely reflects the innovative spirit of our desert oasis.
Innovate PS is committed to championing these efforts, and we invite the entire community to join us in building this exciting future.