There’s a lot happening this week for entrepreneurs and startup founders. We’ve curated a short list below focused on startup-relevant events. For the full rundown, check out this week’s Startup Digest and consider subscribing to get it every Monday morning.
New! Sacramento Startup Events App Startup Digest volunteer curator Manoj Keechilot of Gilentic Technologies has created a free Android app to help entrepreneurs discover Sacramento startup events, accelerator opportunities, and application deadlines. Browse upcoming events, filter by date, add events to your calendar, and access registration links—all in one place. Download Sacramento Startup Events free on Google Play.
Featured
Startup Happy Hour with MindfulText CEO Mark Montalban
Tue, Sep 22, 5 – 7 PM, Roseville Venture Lab in Roseville
Connect with founders and others in the Sacramento startup community at this casual monthly gathering. This month’s AMA features MindfulText CEO and Growth Factory Entrepreneur in Residence Mark Montalban, who will share insights from his experience building startups, working with AI and advising founders. Read more.
Startup World Cup Sacramento Regional
Apply by Fri, Sep 25 | Competition Tue, Oct 20
Greater Sacramento startups building scalable technology companies can apply to compete in the Startup World Cup Sacramento Regional. Ten finalists will receive pitch preparation from Traction Lab and compete for a $10,000 cash award, approximately $10,000 in legal services, and the chance to advance to the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in San Francisco to compete for a $1 million investment prize. The regional competition takes place Oct 20 at the Carlsen Center at Sac State. Learn More and Apply!
Sac Tech Week 2026: Six Days of Tech, Startups and Innovation
Oct 19 – 24 | Events throughout the Sacramento region
Sac Tech Week is coming in October with more than 30 events bringing together founders, technologists, investors, makers, students and others from across the region. The week includes workshops, panels, startup showcases, pitch competitions, AI programs, networking events and more at venues throughout Greater Sacramento. Explore the schedule now and start planning which events you want to attend. Read more.
This Week
Brand Therapy Breakfast
Tue, Sep 22, 8:30 – 10 AM, Connect Labs at Aggie Square in Sacramento
Learn how to build a brand that connects with the right customers. Brand strategist Zuza Hicks will cover the customer journey, what branding means beyond a logo, and how to make sure your website is helping rather than losing potential customers. Read more.
Go-To-Market & Digital Tools: Build a Lean, AI-Powered Revenue Engine
Tue, Sep 22, 5 – 7 PM, Bloom Workspaces in Sacramento
Learn how to turn a go-to-market strategy into a practical system for generating and converting leads. Al Moffatt and Danzell Nunsuch will cover positioning, pricing, marketing channels and metrics, then show how AI and automation tools can be used to find prospects, qualify leads, book meetings and measure results. Read more.
1 Million Cups Sacramento with Macero Therapeutics
Wed, Sep 23, 9 – 10 AM, Online
Hear from Macero Therapeutics, a Sacramento-area biotech startup developing a new approach to prevent dangerous bleeding during childbirth without exposing the baby to the treatment. The startup will give a six-minute presentation followed by questions, feedback and advice from the community. Read more.
Pair Anything Founder Fireside Chat
Wed, Sep 23, 5:30 – 7 PM, Aggie Square in Sacramento
Hear Pair Anything founder and CEO Christy Serrato share her entrepreneurial journey, including lessons on turning an idea into something customers want and the role community and relationships play in building a startup. An audience Q&A will follow. Read more.
MedStart CEO Roundtable Featuring Patrick Cormier
Wed, Sep 23, 6 – 8 PM, Granite City Workspaces in Folsom
Medical and life science startup founders and executives can hear from former Infinant Health CFO Patrick Cormier, who raised more than $150 million, then discuss their own challenges and get feedback from peers. Space is limited to 12–16 participants. Read more.
Tech Futures Early Stage Tech Series: Do We Have Product-Market Fit?
Thu, Sep 24, 12 – 1 PM, Online
Session two of the Tech Futures Group’s five-part series on preparing to raise venture capital. It covers how to iterate your product to meet market demand and investment criteria while minimizing cost and time, with emphasis on building an MVP that resonates with your ideal customer profile. Read more.
SacTech Social September Meetup
Thu, Sep 24, 6 – 9 PM, Hop Gardens in Sacramento
Connect with Sacramento’s tech community at this casual monthly meetup for making new connections, finding collaborators and talking tech. Read more.
Promethean Fire: Who Owns Innovation in the Age of AI?
Fri, Sep 25, 12 – 1 PM, Online
Learn how the growing use of AI is changing intellectual property strategy for startups. Cooley partners Chris Holly and Dan Knauss will discuss inventorship, ownership, confidentiality, patent protection and what founders should consider when using AI tools in the innovation process. Read more.
Plan Ahead
Tech Futures Early Stage Tech Series: Navigating SBIR/STTR Grants
Thu, Oct 1, 12 – 1 PM, Online
Session three of the Tech Futures Group’s five-part series on raising venture capital. It covers how to tap the SBIR and STTR programs for non-dilutive R&D funding, how to tell whether your innovation fits, and how to find opportunities across the eleven participating federal agencies. Read more.
GrowTECH FEST 2026
Thu–Fri, Oct 8–9, Sierra Nevada Big Room in Chico
Connect with founders, investors, and innovators from across the North State during this two-day entrepreneurship conference featuring keynote speakers, workshops, networking, and the GrowTECH Startup Pitch Showcase. Read more.
Applications
NSF I-Corps Customer Discovery Program – Fall 2026 AgTech
Apply by Thu, Oct 15 | Online program
Early-stage teams developing STEM-based technologies can participate in this free UC Davis Venture Catalyst customer discovery program, with a fall theme of AgTech. Teams of 2–4 will conduct customer interviews, identify target customers, refine their value proposition, and evaluate product-market fit. University affiliation is not required. Orientation is Nov 3, with workshops Nov 10, 17 and 24. Read more.
Build Up Sacramento 2027 Applications Open
Rolling Admission Open Now through Nov 30
Established Sacramento businesses with at least one year of operating history are invited to apply for this no-cost accelerator designed to help companies scale sustainably. Over four months, participants receive expert advising, peer learning, office hours, and practical strategies for strengthening operations, expanding customers, and preparing for long-term growth. Only 20 businesses will be selected, with qualified applicants accepted on a rolling basis. Want to learn more before applying? An online info session will be held Thu, Sep 24 at 6 PM. Read more.
Traction Lab: Investment Readiness Engine
Applications Open
Apply for this 9-month go-to-market acceleration program supporting Sacramento-area founders with B2B sales development, enterprise pilot strategy, investor readiness, and traction-building support. Led by Traction Lab in partnership with Right Box and the Carlsen Center, the program includes a $20K non-dilutive experimentation pool shared across the cohort, and culminates in a $100K SPV Investment Showcase. Read more.
GFN Office Hours – Apply for 1:1 Mentorship
Applications Open | Roseville
Apply for a free one-on-one session with a GFN Entrepreneur-in-Residence and get personalized feedback on your startup idea or business challenges. Sessions are held at the Roseville Venture Lab. Read more
Connect
Looking to connect with others? Join the StartupSac Community Facebook Group! Startup founders and those who support the growth of our startup community connect and exchange ideas in this private moderated group.
Resources
Check out the StartupSac Website for information on resources available to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Also check out the NorCal Entrepreneur Hub. From capital to connections and training to talent, find the resources you need to build your business in NorCal.
