I hope you have a chance to celebrate Memorial Day in a much bigger way than you did last year. After 15 months of pandemic lockdown, it’s nice to be able to hang out with friends face-to-face again. We’re starting to see in-person business events return to the Sacramento region but they are still a bit scarce. If you’re just itching to attend one, Granite City Coworking has been offering them. They’ve got one this Friday: Talking TikTok For Small Biz. The 1 Million Cups Sacramento team is looking at a possible return to in-person meetings in August. Are you ready for in-person business events? Do you still prefer online events? Let us know what you’re thinking in our survey here. We’ll randomly award a $10 gift card to one of the respondents.

Calling All Early-stage Black Entrepreneurs! Apply to pitch your business to a panel of judges at the June 18th NorCal SBDC Global Diversity and Investment Summit. The event is virtual and if you want to be considered to compete in the pitch competition, you must apply by this Friday, June 4. Eligibility requirements and details here. (it says pre-revenue but some revenue is ok — they’re tweaking the final requirements now). There will be a prize — cash + more. Prize details will be announced soon. More details about the Summit are below in the event listings.

This Week’s Best Bet

1 Million Cups Sacramento with Kings Capitalize Winner Credder, Wed Jun 2 at 8:45 AM: This week, we’re featuring Credder, the winner of the Sacramento Kings Capitalize Startup pitch competition! PRESENTERS: Credder is the world’s largest news review platform, aggregating reviews from verified journalists and the public into credibility scores for every article, author, and outlet. Dopomo has pioneered dopameter, a point-of-care device using nanotechology to measure and monitors dopamine in blood. 

Sacramento Women’s Conference, Fri Jun 4 at 9:30 AM: The Sacramento Women’s Conference is assembling an inspiring group of contemporary and visionary voices of women who are continuing to challenge modern issues, successfully own and operate businesses, and work towards actionable solutions to build a better tomorrow. Panels and speakers will include young women in STEM, working mothers, women CEO’s, women who are excelling in male-dominated fields, and more!

[IN PERSON] Talking TikTok For Small Biz, Fri Jun 4, at 9 AM: How do I even TikTok? Do I have to do the dances? Am I cool enough to be on TikTok? How can I utilize TikTok for my business? Karla Vital will walk you through the basics of TikTok, sharing what’s “in” and what’s “out”, providing opps for hands on learning, and takeways! At Granite City Coworking in Folsom.

Plan Ahead

NorCal SBDC Global Diversity and Investment Summit, Fri Jun 18 at 10 AM: This summit features an acclaimed lineup of venture investors and BIPOC entrepreneurship experts sharing their views and insights on strategies for entrepreneurs of color on how to start, scale and sustain their new venture. Immediately following the program will be a live pitch presentation starring invited Black entrepreneurs. Apply Here by June 4 to Pitch Your Early Stage Business.

There’s a lot going on in Sacramento’s startup community this week –check out the details in this week’s Startup Digest. While you’re there, consider subscribing. For even more startup information, happenings and resources, check out what’s available on the StartupSac Website.

Looking to connect with other founders? Find your peers when you 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.

Find an Advisor with Mentor Sacramento: Mentor Sacramento is a free online business mentoring platform that connects early stage startup founders and small business owners to volunteer business mentors. Learn more here.