Navigating by the stars to achieve a brighter future for hometown scientists

U.S. Bank supports UCR’s business innovation programs to help power the potential of Southern California entrepreneurs

In 2013, to avoid monitoring by his manager, a truck driver at a New Jersey engineering firm purchased an illegal $50 GPS jammer that plugged into his vehicle’s cigarette lighter. The device inadvertently also jammed the satellite system navigation capabilities of the entire Newark airport every time he drove by. The signals emanating from the vehicle were blocking the reception of GPS frequencies used by the air traffic control system, and planes were unable to safely land or take off, forcing the airport to close.

“People don’t realize how vulnerable GPS is,” said Dr. Joshua Morales, owner and founder of StarNav, a startup tech company that provides hardware and software solutions enabling safe, reliable positioning and timing. “StarNav’s products convert terrestrial and low-Earth orbit satellite signals into reliable positioning and timing information, working even when GPS fails. Because GPS is used in critical U.S. infrastructure, such as time keeping, currency, communication, navigation, and energy, having a secondary way for keeping the country synchronized is an imperative.”

Navigational guidance by the stars is an ancient concept, but Morales and his team are innovating navigation for the future, and this work-with-what-you-have ethos has shaped much of Morales’ journey. As part of this he is determined to keep his company in the Inland Empire area of Southern California, in order to create a profitable career hub for brilliant scientific minds who graduate from the areas many universities, rather than feeding into the current intellectual exodus to the Silicon Valley that Inland Empire scientists currently face. StarNav began at one such local institution, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) as part of their Entrepreneurship Center (EPIC)  which specializes in providing training, mentorship and access to capital to innovative, technology intensive businesses.

Over the past two years, U.S. Bank provided corporate contributions totaling $95,000 in support of UCR’s Zero-to-Entrepreneur program, which is part of the SoCal OASIS™  regional economic development strategy focused on sustainability, innovation, social inclusion and workforce development in the Inland Southern California and home to StarNav’s early beginnings.

Morales earned his Ph.D. from UC Irvine in 2020. After completing his doctorate, he returned to Riverside, which is where attended UCR for his B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He has been a part of the vibrant innovation hub on the campus since beginning StarNav, which is where he also met U.S. Bank Business Access Advisor, and fellow Inland Empire native, Heli Castaneda.

“It has been a joy to support the business owners and students who participate in the programs at UCR,” said Castaneda.

As a native of the Inland Empire who is raising his children there, Castaneda shares Morales’ desire to invest in his community.

“This is where I have the privilege of being able to be of service to local businesses and students,” Castaneda said. “My role at U.S. Bank is all about bringing information, resources, and building bridges. My services are offered for free, and entrepreneurs don’t have to be a U.S. Bank customer to work with me, and I really enjoy that part of my job! I’m here to help everyone.”

The relationship between U.S. Bank and UCR began with the work of Inland Southern California community affairs manager Rossina Gallegos, who saw the vision to empower Inland Empire residents, particularly underserved individuals, to launch high-growth, sustainably focused technology startups that create quality jobs. The program's first year concluded in March 2024 and received glowing participant feedback, with many calling it “immensely valuable.” In addition to the funding, in 2023 and 2024 small business specialists from U.S. Bank participated in the selection of the SoCal OASIS Pitch Competition to help select the award winners of the program. 

“At U.S. Bank, our whole mission is to invest our hearts and minds into powering human potential,” Gallegos said. “We are happy to be able to support programs that serve brilliant students and innovative entrepreneurs who are equally invested in making our Inland Empire communities a better place to live and work.”