SAN DIEGO—A diverse economy, attractive labor pool and significant real estate and cost-of-living discount over other West Coast markets make San Diego ideal for both startups and corporate expansions, CBRE's VP and tech and media expert Andrew Ewald tells GlobeSt.com. San Diego offers an affordable real estate market compared to other major tech cities, making it a prime location for tech companies to expand or relocate, according to the firm's annual Tech Thirty list, which analyzes the 30 leading technology markets in the US and Canada in terms of high-tech software/services job growth.

We spoke exclusively with Ewald about San Diego as a tech market and why companies would choose to locate here.

GlobeSt.com: Why would tech companies choose to locate here?

Ewald: We're really seeing two different infusions of tech companies to San Diego. One is the traditional startup, and two is the expansion of more notable household-name tech companies. San Diego offers underlying characteristics for both. First, we have a very attractive labor pool, with year-over-year growth of 13.9% in the Millennial age-group category, and that puts San Diego in the top echelon of what tech companies are looking for in a skilled workforce. Second, for real estate here, compared to the Bay Area, users may see a 30% to 35% reduction in the cost of brick-and-mortar real estate. So, you can get cool space for cheaper and get pretty cool workforce. Third, there's a very nice way of living here, and the cost of living is cheaper than the Bay Area. Other markets are cheaper, but on the West Coast, between the traffic, the amenities the San Diego way of life we all know and love, companies are eager to have an expansion foothold here or have their startup grow here. Fourth, there's a tremendous amount of access to capital. San Diego Regional EDC ranked San Diego fourth in the nation for venture-capital dollars per capita, with more funding than Seattle and Austin combined.

GlobeSt.com: What does the market have to offer that other West Coast markets can't?

Ewald: We have a very diverse economy, so we are seeing labor and technology that really has a nice cross-pollination. The life-science companies are now integrating technology into their business, there's a whole med-tech component of integrating tech into business. And now we have physical chemists setting up breweries, so technology is bridging the gap of life science with breweries. There is a number of different revenue streams, areas of specializations and different markets versus regions focused on one or two major sectors. There's also a healthy labor pool, a vquality way of life access to capital.

GlobeSt.com: Which types of companies would thrive here?

Ewald: It's nice that we have the majority of genres of tech companies here. We have tremendous input on those involved with digital media which is huge in San Diego—both software and hardware development are strong fields of technology here in San Diego. We're seeing it a lot in the apps of R&D for the military in the way of cybersecurity or drone creation. Technology and the platforms supporting those things are nice pillars here in San Diego.

GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about San Diego's tech-market ranking?

Ewald: San Diego's Tech Thirty ranking is 26 for high-tech job growth. San Diego is poised for some really good growth from a real estate standpoint because we haven't really overbuilt the market. We have a tremendous versatile and diverse base between cybersecurity and apps and breweries and med tech, so as other markets on the West Coast become even more challenged with cost of living, real estate costs and retention, San Diego will be seen as a real value for starting your business or for companies that want to have an extended footprint. San Diego is poised for attracting those bigger companies.

SAN DIEGO—A diverse economy, attractive labor pool and significant real estate and cost-of-living discount over other West Coast markets make San Diego ideal for both startups and corporate expansions, CBRE's VP and tech and media expert Andrew Ewald tells GlobeSt.com. San Diego offers an affordable real estate market compared to other major tech cities, making it a prime location for tech companies to expand or relocate, according to the firm's annual Tech Thirty list, which analyzes the 30 leading technology markets in the US and Canada in terms of high-tech software/services job growth.

We spoke exclusively with Ewald about San Diego as a tech market and why companies would choose to locate here.

GlobeSt.com: Why would tech companies choose to locate here?

Ewald: We're really seeing two different infusions of tech companies to San Diego. One is the traditional startup, and two is the expansion of more notable household-name tech companies. San Diego offers underlying characteristics for both. First, we have a very attractive labor pool, with year-over-year growth of 13.9% in the Millennial age-group category, and that puts San Diego in the top echelon of what tech companies are looking for in a skilled workforce. Second, for real estate here, compared to the Bay Area, users may see a 30% to 35% reduction in the cost of brick-and-mortar real estate. So, you can get cool space for cheaper and get pretty cool workforce. Third, there's a very nice way of living here, and the cost of living is cheaper than the Bay Area. Other markets are cheaper, but on the West Coast, between the traffic, the amenities the San Diego way of life we all know and love, companies are eager to have an expansion foothold here or have their startup grow here. Fourth, there's a tremendous amount of access to capital. San Diego Regional EDC ranked San Diego fourth in the nation for venture-capital dollars per capita, with more funding than Seattle and Austin combined.

GlobeSt.com: What does the market have to offer that other West Coast markets can't?

Ewald: We have a very diverse economy, so we are seeing labor and technology that really has a nice cross-pollination. The life-science companies are now integrating technology into their business, there's a whole med-tech component of integrating tech into business. And now we have physical chemists setting up breweries, so technology is bridging the gap of life science with breweries. There is a number of different revenue streams, areas of specializations and different markets versus regions focused on one or two major sectors. There's also a healthy labor pool, a vquality way of life access to capital.

GlobeSt.com: Which types of companies would thrive here?

Ewald: It's nice that we have the majority of genres of tech companies here. We have tremendous input on those involved with digital media which is huge in San Diego—both software and hardware development are strong fields of technology here in San Diego. We're seeing it a lot in the apps of R&D for the military in the way of cybersecurity or drone creation. Technology and the platforms supporting those things are nice pillars here in San Diego.

GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about San Diego's tech-market ranking?

Ewald: San Diego's Tech Thirty ranking is 26 for high-tech job growth. San Diego is poised for some really good growth from a real estate standpoint because we haven't really overbuilt the market. We have a tremendous versatile and diverse base between cybersecurity and apps and breweries and med tech, so as other markets on the West Coast become even more challenged with cost of living, real estate costs and retention, San Diego will be seen as a real value for starting your business or for companies that want to have an extended footprint. San Diego is poised for attracting those bigger companies.