It’s Black History month and I’d like to recognize some seriously innovative black inventors. George Washington Carver discovered discovered over 300 different uses for peanuts – including making cooking oil, axle grease and printer’s ink. Dr. Charles Richard Drew revolutionized the understanding of blood plasma – leading to the invention of blood banks. Dr. Patricia Bath invented the Laserphaco Probe, a tool that corrects cataracts during eye surgery. Marie Van Brittan Brown invented the first closed circuit TV security system. These are just a few of the black inventors who have made their mark on innovation. I’m so thankful that Sacramento has programs like Square Root Academy and Operation Innovate to encourage innovation in underrepresented youth–we’ll be celebrating the inventions of some of these kids during Black History Month in the future!

This Week’s Best Bets
Interested in Civic Tech? Tuesday night, Code for Sac hosts the City of Sacramento’s “Bureaucracy Hacker” Ash Roughani, who will lead a discussion on how to co-create the civic infrastructure we need to transform government and accelerate community progress.

Hacker Lab is hosting a Startup Hustle Sneak Peek on Thursday night. This will be a fun evening for entrepreneurs at any stage — from idea to post revenue. This is a must-attend for early stage startups! Find out more about Startup Hustle too — the next class kicks off in March.

Plan Ahead
If you’re looking for grant funding for your tech startup, UC Davis Venture Catalyst is offering their SBIR/STTR Grant Workshop again this month. This multi-session workshop will bring you up to speed on the grant filing process. The first session is on Monday, February 13.

Need some legal advice for your startup? Impact Venture Capital is hosting Legal Office Hours on Wednesday, February 15 immediately following 1 Million Cups. It will run from 10:30 to 2:00 pm — sign up in advance for your free 30 minute session. The spots will fill up quickly. More info here.

There’s lots of great stuff going on in the tech startup community this month–check out the details below. If you’ve organized (or know about) an event we have not included, please submit it here for consideration. And for even more startup information, happenings and resources, visit the StartupSac Website.