Did you hear the news? The Kings Capitalize pitch competition is back for its fifth year! Four finalists will have the opportunity to present at Golden 1 Center on March 26 during the Sacramento Kings Tech Night game and the fans will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite startup via Twitter. The winning startup will take home $10,000! The application window is short — you must apply by February 23 to be considered. You can learn more about it, including all the rules and the schedule here.
Does your startup need more traction before you’re ready for a competition like Capitalize? The Lean Innovator has developed a simple process you can learn in 6 sessions that will help you identify your customers, pull meaningful data from them, and introduce your prototypes to them once you’ve established traction. Powered by the SBDC, Dan Casas-Murray is presenting a free 6-part workshop series called How to Get Customers on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in February and March. The first two in the series, Customer Profile Development and Market Research, are offered this week and then again next week. It’s recommended but not required that you attend each workshop. Sign up for each session here.
This Week’s Best Bets
On Wednesday evening, InnoGrove in Elk Grove is offering a free workshop, Legal Essentials for Startups, taught by Witan Law. The workshop will include a discussion of the new California labor law AB 5 and its ramifications for startups who hire contractors. RSVP
On Thursday from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm, StartupSac is holding Office Hours at the Buckhorn Grill on Howe Ave near Sac State. Grab your lunch at the counter and then join us at a community table to plug in to the Sacramento startup community. RSVP
Plan Ahead
Bizwomen Mentoring Monday, an annual nation-wide event hosted by the Business Journal, is happening on Monday, February 24 from 8:30-11:00 am. This is an opportunity for women to meet women mentors speed-dating style. This event usually sells out in advance, so if you want to go, better get your ticket now. Get Tickets
StartupSac Happy Hour on Tuesday, February 25 at The Red Rabbit will feature “Ask Me Anything” guest Mark Otero. Mark founded Klicknation which was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2011. Mark, now a serial entrepreneur, has launched a new startup, Alice Ventures. You won’t want to miss this one! RSVP
Startup Weekend Sacramento is back! This time it will be hosted at the Carlsen Center at Sac State the weekend of March 6-8. Early bird tickets are on sale now! Use code “digest” to save $15! Learn more here.
Application Reminders
- UC Davis Big Bang! Competition: Applications open through February 21. $80k+ in prize money to be awarded. Apply
- Kings Capitalize Competition: Applications open through February 23. $10K in prize money to be awarded. Apply
- Cowo Campus Growth Accelerator: Applications open through March 1, cohort begins in March, $10K in prize money to be awarded. Apply
We’re building community! The StartupSac Community Facebook Group has nearly 600 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.
