While StartupSac is mostly focused on tech startups and innovation in Sacramento and neighboring communities like Davis, Folsom, Roseville, etc., it’s noteworthy to highlight innovation and entrepreneurial programs in communities that may be a bit further away but still have close ties to Sacramento. Once such community Nevada County, which includes Nevada City and Grass Valley.
Many individuals in that region are engaged professionally in the Sacramento region. Many people commute into Nevada County to work, an estimated 10,222. But more, approximately 16,645, commute out and of those, 2,175, or 6.8%, commute into Sacramento County.
While a lot of focus in Northern California is on programs and initiatives to support innovation and entrepreneurship in the Sacramento region, Nevada County also has a robust tech support network. The Nevada County Tech Connection (NCTC) is an organization that work to support, connect, and showcase the technology ecosystem in Nevada County. Take a look at some of the technology-related initiatives in Nevada County.
Nevada County Tech Connection networking event
NCTEC Tech Biz Focus Group
Technology-Related Initiatives in Nevada County
CONNECTED COMMUNITIES ACADEMY: CCA is Nevada County’s newest Technology Training Center. CCA provides Nevada County residents with a hands-on opportunity to learn valuable technical skills while working with local mentors. The Academy offers classes at every level, with the goal of giving people the training they need to begin or expand a digital career.
CCAacademy VR Booth at STEAM Fair
ACME ROBOTICS: ACME Robotics is an independent robotics team for 8th through 11th graders from various schools in Nevada County. Students build and program robots, and compete with other robotics teams around the country.
TALENT CONNECTION: Nevada County Economic Resource Council created this initiative to recruit, develop and retain talent for local companies that rely on technology to support their business, specifically in the broadcast, digital media, and healthcare industries, and in the arts.
TAHOE SILICON MOUNTAIN: Tahoe Silicon Mountain is the hub for entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners, tech and other professionals who live, frequently visit, or own a second home in the Truckee-Tahoe region.
THE CURIOUS FORGE: “Nerd night” is a public meetup that happens on the second Wednesday of every month from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at the Curious Forge, a makerspace in Nevada City.
TRUCKEE ROUNDHOUSE: The Truckee Roundhouse is a a nonprofit makerspace that supports the teaching, learning, and practicing of a wide variety of crafts, skills, technologies, and arts in the Truckee-Tahoe community.
TECHTONIC TUESDAYS: Join local tech talent, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, makers, coders, and other members of the Nevada County tech community at this lively monthly event.
TechTonic Tuesday
GREEN SCREEN INSTITUTE: The Green Screen Institute intends to spur innovation in the emerging VR and AR markets, incorporating an accelerator and investment program for startups, a co-working space for established corporations, and planned programs including vocational training.
GIRLS WHO CODE: The Girls Who Code Clubs Program, hosted by Nevada City School District, teaches computer science to 6th-12th grade girls. It is a unique and scalable model that enables girls in the community to access fitting and challenging resources.
VIRTUAL REALITY MEET-UP: NCVR meets every Wednesday from 7:00 – 9:00 at the Connected Communities Academy. It’s a “hacking” session where they bring ideas and tech related to AR and VR to work on projects and talk about them.
QUIETECH ASSOCIATES: Quietech Associates, Inc. has been providing on-site tech solutions to businesses and individuals throughout Nevada county since 1986, and also offers a storefront (The Geek Boutique) with new and refurbished computers, and a full-time technician. They host frequent digital literacy classes for the community.
NEVADA CITY FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAMS: NCFF screens over 60 films, including comedies, dramas, documentaries, animation, and international shorts in a variety of historic locations in downtown Nevada City. They also provide training and internship opportunities for people interested in digital media production.
NEVADA COUNTY HACKERS: Nevada County’s programmers, software developers, and scalable tech business founders are getting together for hackathons, help, support, and fun.
CODE AND COFFEE: An ongoing meetup organized by local developers for NC Hacker peers to come together and work on independent projects in the company of their counterparts who are available to brainstorm and mentor each other
FREE CODE CAMP: Nevada County Free Code Camp an open source community that helps participants learn to code, then practice by building projects for nonprofits. Local professionals run this peer learning group and it is hosted by a different tech business each month.
Nevada County Free Code Camp
THE COMPUTER CLUB: A social network for kids and their parents in the Sierra Nevada Foothills area who have an interest in computers, programming, technology and science.
