Are you looking to start a food business? Alchemist CDC is gearing up to hold another round of Alchemist Microenterprise Academy (AMA)! AMA is a 12-week business training course designed to cover the fundamentals of starting and growing a food business. The Fall 2022 cohort, starting Sept 13, will be mostly held on Zoom with a few optional in-person meetings. Application deadline is August 21. Learn more and sign up for an informational session here.

If you’re a food tech entrepreneur, check out this opportunity. Two NSF I-Corps Method courses, one with a curriculum tailored to food tech teams, are offered in August. You’ll learn from proven entrepreneurs how to conduct 15 customer feedback interviews, identify your top customer segment and value props, and find product market fit. Both courses use the same application, and each course has online sessions from 5-8pm PST on August 15, 17, & 22. Learn more/apply.

Mentor Sprint, which we’ve held virtually during the pandemic, is going in-person at the Growth Factory’s GFX event on August 25. Startups who are accepted will receive free admission to GFX (a $99 value). This speed mentoring event will give venture-backable high-growth startups an opportunity to meet with three mentors . Apply now — limited to 27 founders.

Application Due Dates

Find out what’s going on this week for entrepreneurs in our region in this week’s Startup Digest. While you’re there, sign up to get the digest weekly in your inbox while you’re there!).

This Week’s Best Bets

America’s Seed Fund Week, Jul 18-22. America’s Seed Fund Week is a virtual, collaborative outreach effort connecting entrepreneurs working on advanced technologies and the organizations that support them to the country’s largest source of early-stage funding – the SBIR and STTR programs, which provide over $4 billion in funding to small businesses each year in a wide variety of technology areas. Attendees will hear directly from the participating federal agency program managers that administer over 7,000 new awards annually and to engage with program decision-makers. Online

Founder Stock and Equity Compensation Legal Basics for Startups, Jul 19, 5 PM. Stoel Rives attorney Chris Russell will cover the legal basics of founder agreements and equity compensation during this seminar. Organized by StartupSac. In person at CENTRL in Downtown Sac. $10 fee.

Plan Ahead

Startup Happy Hour with Flexia Founder Kaleen Canevari, Jul 26, 5 PM. StartupSac and the Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Sacramento State welcome Kaleen Canevari Founder and CEO of Flexia to our July Startup Happy Hour. Come meet Kaleen and learn more about her growing startup Flexia. Online

Small Business Success Summit, Jul 30, 9 AM – 4 PM. Florin Square CDC is hosting the Small Business Success Summit at Florin Square. The event will have a variety of informative workshops throughout the day led by professionals. There will also be more than 20 vendors with resources for the small business owner and the future entrepreneur. A mixer will take place at the end of the event including a raffle, Jazz, and networking. In person at Florin Square in Sacramento.

GFX, Aug 25, 1:00-7:00 PM. Part startup showcase, part venture conference, part entrepreneurial ecosystem building — 100% high energy, interactive and impactful! GFX is the Growth Factory’s first annual event designed to activate the Backyard Advantage at scale. Use promo code “StartupSac” for $5 off admission. In person at @theGrounds in Roseville. 

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 our website for information on resources available to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses.