Start-up companies Grin and AltWork were selected as the top presenting companies at the inaugural Five Star Bank Tank on March 29 at The Sutter Club in downtown Sacramento.
Five Star Bank CEO James Beckwith and VP/Venture Banking Manager Jon Gregory Celebrate with Grin’s Founders Brandon Brown and Brian Mechem
Twenty-three start-up companies were featured at the Bank Tank event, hosted to connect fundable start-up and early-stage growth companies with serious deal makers in a private, invitation-only setting and intended for high net worth private (angel) investors, members of angel investor groups, venture capitalists and corporate investors actively seeking investment opportunities.
Accredited investors interested in obtaining the executive summaries of the presenting companies can contact Five Star Bank Vice President and Venture Banking Manager Jon Gregory.
Host sponsors of the event included Moneta Ventures, DCA Capital, Moss Adams, Weintraub Tobin, Greater Sacramento Economic Council and Shasta EDC. Supporting sponsors were Akers Capital and Blacktop Capital.
About Grin
Influencer marketing: when brands partner directly with creators on Instagram, Facebook & YouTube to reach consumers instead of purchasing ads. It’s expected to be a $10bn market by 2020 and is currently growing faster than digital advertising. Grin’s software helps brands such as Eddie Bauer & PGA Tour scale influencer marketing programs. Our revenue has been growing 31% monthly for the last 9 months, since launch, and is accelerating.
About AltWork
The problem: Pain at work, sitting is the new smoking and now standing is too! The solution is Altwork’s integrated computer workstation allowing the user to work with their computer while sitting, standing, collaborating and in reclined focus. The product is shipping and ready to scale to a large market. There is clearly identified path to low cost sales growth with disability insurers. The team is proven with a history of profitable exits for investors.
The Battle for the Bubbly
As the Top Presenters, Grin and Altwork won the first-ever “Battle for the Bubbly” competition. Sacramento-based entrepreneur Raymond James Irwin, who will soon be opening Fizz as the first champagne bar in the Capitol Region, assisted Five Star Bank in selecting two magnums of premium champagne. Greater Sacramento Economic Council CEO Barry Broome, whose organization served as the sponsor of the award ceremony, presented the bottles of champagne to the winners.
Investors
The event opened with a keynote investor panel featuring Lokesh Sikaria of Moneta Ventures, Prashant Fonseka of CrunchFund, John Lagomarsino of Lumia Capital, Ira Simkhovitch of Industry Ventures, and Dr. Christian Renaudin of Almond Country Capital. Bank Tank Emcee, Mark Haney, moderated the panel and led a topical discussion about (1) current and emerging industries that are driving where venture capital is headed; (2) innovative new approaches to investing in and growing early-stage companies; and (3) insights on what places (like the Greater Sacramento region) need to do to strengthen their ability to participate/thrive in the venture/innovation economy from a venture capitalist perspective.
The Five Star Bank Tank
Five Star Bank Tank represents a return of the Golden Capital Network Venture Forum series which were created by Five Star Bank VP and Venture Banking Manager, Jon Gregory. From 1999 – 2011, Golden Capital Network hosted these events across California and Nevada with over 2,000 alumni presenters including companies like StubHub, Pandora Media, A Place for Mom, PowerSchool, Marrone Bio Innovations, and many others.
About Five Star Bank
Five Star Bank was founded in 1999 by a group of local entrepreneurs seeking specialized banking services with an emphasis on commercial real estate and small business. Today, Five Star Bank is among the top performing banks in the nation for banks of its size. With offices in Rocklin, Sacramento, Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Chico and Redding, Five Star Bank is a deeply rooted steward of community and arbiter of economic development with a focus on reinvestment of capital in the Capital Region. Five Star Bank, a locally owned and based community bank, delivers expedient decision-making by professionals with regional expertise. For more information about Five Star Bank please visit our website.
