Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Sacramento Region Innovation Awards! I attended the celebration last Thursday at the Crest Theatre in Downtown Sacramento and enjoyed the festivities! I’ve become close to many of the winners over the years and have seen them grow from very early stage idea to successful company. The winning innovations came from companies at nearly every stage and from a variety of industries. 

This year’s winners are:

  • Advanced Manufacturing: Post Drivers & Jackhammers – US Hammer, Inc
  • Food & Agribusiness: Vite Ramen – Vite Kitchens
  • Government & Civic: Japa Smart Parking – Japa, Inc.
  • Medical & Health – Biopharma: Small Molecule Drug Discovery and Development – EicOsis
  • Medical & Health – MedTech: Precision Balance PaaS – PROTXX, Inc.
  • Software: Intelligent Network Automation – Gluware, Inc.
  • Sustainability: Hank AI Virtual Building Engineer – Hank

Recognizing its commitment to supporting the Sacramento area’s innovation economy, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) was named Innovator of the Year.

“SMUD’s commitment to the Mobility Center, the Powerhouse Science Center, HackerLab, CleanStart and other organizations working to develop an innovation economy in the region, as well as its initiatives to address climate change, demonstrate that SMUD embodies the region’s spirit of innovation in thought leadership and environmental stewardship,” said Christopher Russell, a Stoel Rives partner and chair of the Sacramento Region Innovation Awards.

Learn more about all of the winners in this Press Release from Stoel Rives LLP, who along with Moss Adams LLP and the Sacramento Business Journal, hosts the annual contest.

Did you know? Sacramento now has its own Slack User and Developer group and their first meetup, Tiny Spec, is happening this Tuesday at The Studio Coworking in Roseville. There will be pizza! And it’s rumored there will be Slack-logo t-shirts! RSVP to attend/more details. It’s free! If you can’t make it but are interested in attended future events, there’s a Slack Channel for that! Request to join here.

This Week’s Best Bets

This Tuesday, Jeff and I are holding StartupSac Office Hours from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at Solomon’s Deli in Downtown Sac. There’s no set program — this is your chance to ask us whatever questions you might have about Sacramento’s startup community. RSVP on Facebook or Meetup so that we’ll save you room at the table. You’ll need to buy your own lunch.

On Wednesday,  Dr. Kaplan, CEO of agtech startup Pheronym, will describe her company’s journey through a series of legal and financial milestones as her company has progressed. This Founder Education workshop, hosted by AgStart, will provide critical frameworks and insights for founders, innovators and entrepreneurs in any industry. Tickets are just $10 and include appetizers! Get Tickets.

Plan Ahead

Global Entrepreneurship Week is NEXT WEEK and there are a ton of startup-focused events happening! Check out the “Upcoming Events” list below and get them calendared! 

Do you want free business mentorship, advising, or consulting? StartupSac and the Capital Region SBDC have partnered to provide free business support mentorship to help Sacramento region entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Learn more and sign up!

We’re building community! The StartupSac Community Facebook Group has over 500 members. Now we need you!  Request to join here.

There’s lots of great stuff going on in the tech startup community–check out the details in this week’s Startup Digest. If you’d like to receive the digest in your inbox every Monday morning, sign up for free here. And for even more startup information, happenings and resources, browse  the  StartupSac Website.

If you’ve organized (or know about) an event you think belongs in the Startup Digest, please submit it here for consideration.