Sacramento Startup Ecosystem Circuit Board v1.2

Startup Digest is a weekly newsletter curated by Laura Good and Jeff Bennett that highlights news and events in the Sacramento startup community.

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Startup Grind Sacramento hosts monthly startup events to teach, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. Rich Foreman is the founding director of the Sacramento Chapter of Startup Grind.

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Networking. Entrepreneurship. Drinks and Snacks. This is a semi-informal event organized by Bryan Barton held several times a year, intended to foster a sense of community for Sacramento startups of all sizes- from napkin sketch to IPO!

Startup Hustle, a program from Hacker Lab and Sierra College, is an 8-Week Lean Startup Incubator designed to help participants launch a new startup.

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Startup Weekend Sacramento is a weekend-long hackathon where aspiring entrepreneurs and startup enthusiasts pitch ideas and create a startup in the course of a weekend. The Sacramento organizing team typically holds an event in the Spring and Fall each year.

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Hacker Lab, a coworking and maker space in Midtown, offers 3,000+ square feet of coworking and maker space. A community space that educates folks and supports entrepreneurs and creatives. Hacker Lab fosters technology by offering community driven mentoring and education! Build Code Unite!

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At Hacker Lab, we believe that technology can change the world and the starting point is education. That’s why a partnership with Sierra College fits so perfectly. Together, we’re setting out to fuel innovation in Rocklin and the surrounding area. So whether you’re an entrepreneur, maker, coder, or just starting out, come on by and take advantage of our resources.

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I/O Labs, a new downtown innovation space will house Sacramento’s largest community of innovators, along with technology, design, civic innovation, urban prototyping and media labs. I/O Labs will be additionally supported by several leading companies and organizations in the region with a focus on innovation and growth.

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As a Code for America Brigade, Code for Sacramento is part of a national network of civic-minded volunteers who contribute their skills toward using the web as a platform for local government and community service.

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The International Game Developers Association of Sacramento was created to help foster growth of professional game development in our local region. Their mission is to advance the careers and enhance the lives of game developers by connecting members with their peers, promoting professional development, and advocating on issues that affect the developer community.

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Local meet ups, organized through the site Meetup.com, are host to dozens of tech meet ups monthly in the Sacramento area. Meetup groups focus around areas such as web development, Javascript, Ruby, WordPress, Drupal, Oracle, Virtual Reality, 3D Printing and many more.

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Hackathons provide a great way to get involved with the community and create apps for specific causes. The Sacramento region is home to several hackathons each year, typically sponsored by city, county, or state governements or programs like Code for America.

Health 2.0 Sacramento is a grassroots group of innovators who meet up regularly with the mission to cultivate and propel health technology — especially mobile, wireless, and Internet technology. Health 2.0 Sacramento brings together health, technology, innovation, & entrepreneurship enthusiasts in Sacramento & the Central Valley.

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A former program of the now defunct SARTA, AgStart opened its doors in Woodland in November 2015 serving as a shared office space for ag startups, with an eye toward turning it into incubator space and eventually a business accelerator.

CleanStart, a former program of the now defunct SARTA, has relaunched as an independent nonprofit to support green technology companies and startups. The nonprofit will focus on supporting businesses and technologies that focus on developing forms of sustainable energy. CleanStart will be housed in the new downtown Sacramento co-location offices of Velocity Venture Capital.

The Urban Hive offers creatives and entrepreneurs shared work space, private offices, meeting rooms and conference rooms for collaborating, connecting and creating.

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Modern style, high class amenities and a central Midtown location; Outlet is a place where artists, start-ups, and professionals can all come to work... together.

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an express coffee shop, and a coworking experience.

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Founded in 2008, Capsity is an owner-occupied professional workplace located on 21st Street, south of Sacramento’s Broadway Corridor. Originally built in 1949 as a US Post Office, modern renovations provide a spacious interior of over 4,500 sq. ft., featuring clean and secure work habitats, accented by ample sunlight and a community Art Gallery.

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InnoGrove is a shared coworking environment for mutual benefit that inspires creative thinking, sharing of ideas and mutual support. InnoGrove was founded by innovators living and working in Elk Grove. We felt the need to create a space for technologists and innovators to meet, work, and collaborate on a range of subjects.

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Another former program of the now defunct SARTA, MedStart is the Sacramento region's virtual medtech incubator. MedStart represents over 140 entrepreneurs and startup companies and boasts an active advisory and mentor network focusing on the nine-county Sacramento region

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Davis Roots is a non-profit start-up incubator dedicated to growing the entrepreneurial community in Davis and Sacramento.

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The Big Bang! offers mentorship, team building, education, financing and networking for aspiring entrepreneurs.

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Billed as a "heavy incubator," Area 52 is geared towards building products and starting a manufacturing business. The space features office space acccessible to a full fabrication facility, as well as experienced engineers and fabricators.

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The Glue Factory is shaping Roseville’s future with a three-fold approach.
1. Entrepreneurial Development: We provide space, education and connections for the next generation of entrepreneurs to begin building their businesses.
2. Community Building: We offer professional training and networking connections to create growth opportunities for local professionals.
3. City-Wide Health: Through a partnership with The Health Education Council, we offer health-focused events and programs to inspire city-wide wellness.

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The Green Screen Institute is a collaborative initiative to spur innovation in the emerging virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) markets, incorporating an accelerator and investment program for startups, a co-working space for established corporations, and planned programs including vocational training.

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Sacramento's Regional Innovation & Growth Council is a new network for local Business, University and Government Leaders to openly discuss Innovation and Growth in the Greater Sacramento Region.

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The Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy helps develop successful entrepreneurs by providing real world mentoring, training and a network of support from local business leaders.

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UC Davis is recognized as a national center for new, creative, & innovative ideas and is ranked 16th highest in research funding. According to the Sacramento Business Journal, UC Davis launched 14 commercial startups for the 2014 fiscal year. Since 2003, 62 startups using UC Davis-originated technology have launched.

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Sacramento State works with UC Davis in cellular biology and stem cell research and is associated with the Sutter Institute for Medical Research.

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The Art Institute of California – Sacramento, a branch of The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles, offers among other programs, a bachelor of science program in Game Art & Design. The bachelor’s degree program in Game Art & Design prepares graduates for careers in the game and other industries as 2D and 3D artists, texture mappers, and project managers.

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Seed and early stage venture fund

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Velocity Venture Capital presents an annual Entrepreneurs Showcase and Demo Day, an invitation only forum that provides a unique opportunity for angel, corporate, venture and institutional investors from the Sacramento and Silicon Valley regions to hear pitches from promising seed stage technology startups from Velocity’s Entrepreneurs Showcase Accelerator program.

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Through the Venture Catalyst DRIVE™ (Distributed Research Incubation & Venture Engine) Program, UC Davis is taking a distributed approach to developing a network of lean, thematically oriented business incubators both on-campus and off-campus. DRIVE will consist of a network of start-up incubation facilities (the DRIVE™ Network Innovation Centers) to be facilitated through the Office of Research by Venture Catalyst with management of the actual incubation facilities handled by the physical facility owners. Startups will enter into leases directly with the Innovation Center landlord.

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Founder Academy is a Sacramento-based Silicon Valley training and mentoring program for entrepreneurs. The Founder Academy is being launched by experienced entrepreneurs and business leaders who are filling a critical need in the local ecosystem by providing training, tools and mentorship to Sacramento's best and brightest entrepreneurs. Founder Academy is a 12-week, hands-on, mentor driven, intensive launch program designed to take an idea to market or relaunch an existing product with market traction. Our program is designed to bring a structured iterative design, marketing and sales process to startups and small businesses in an intense, short period of time, culminating with a product launch at demo day. Come work with a group of talented founders who will have your back and help you build an enduring business in the Yolo/Sacramento region

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The Sacramento Region’s leading facilitator of economic development.

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The AgTech Innovation Fund is a venture capital fund investing in early-stage food- and agricultural-technology companies in North America. The Fund supports entrepreneurs who are developing solutions to improve farm productivity, increase agricultural sustainability, modernize supply and distribution chains, and create innovative new high-value products. Fund management believe that supporting these innovators can offer significant returns to our partners, while also improving the health and well-being of our population and our planet.

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Akers Capital, LLC is a venture capital firm dedicated to making private equity investments in emerging technology companies. Akers Capital manages Pac West Technology Fund I, LP, an investment partnership that invests in emerging technology companies in the Northwest and Northern California.

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Aside from capital investment, the Moneta team works closely with stellar entrepreneurs, developers, and sales and marketing teams to build on their ideas to optimize growth and profitability, so promising early stage startups can thrive.

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The Sacramento Angels™ and their Venture Capital strategic members believe in the journey of the entrepreneur and startups; the journey to make the world a better place, to create jobs and to keep America strong, competitive and at the forefront of innovation. We believe in this journey because we have traveled the path ourselves, either as entrepreneurs, working as executives in onetime startup companies, or as investors in the venture capital industry. If you are on such a journey or if you want to help guide and support those who are, then we encourage you to join us. Whether you are a potential member wishing to join our group as an investor or an entrepreneur seeking early stage capital we encourage you to take a trip around the site to learn more about us and our activities.

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Almond Tree Capital and its founders identified a unique and pressing opportunity to capitalize on medical technology and device businesses and assets. With deep passion and knowledge from the financial, marketing, legal, and technical world, the founders joined forces and developed a novel playbook for medical device and technology investing.

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CVF Capital Partners is a California-based investment firm that provides the capital and resources needed to help small and medium-sized businesses thrive. We offer a flexible capital solution through subordinated debt and preferred equity securities, as well as the relationships and expertise to take businesses to the next level.

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Sierra Angels is Nevada’s premier angel investment group founded at North Lake Tahoe in 1997. Our Membership consists of 50 highly experienced executives and entrepreneurs who provide funding, mentoring and strategic introductions for meritorious early-stage technology companies primarily in Nevada and Northern California. We also proactively collaborate with other angel groups throughout the Western States. To date, our Members have funded greater than 60 companies in a wide range of industries, including software, Internet, wireless, social media, IT, health tech, and clean tech, among others. Sierra Angels is a founding member, and on the Board of Angel Capital Association (ACA) and Angel Resource Institute (ARI).

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DCA Capital Partners makes direct investments in promising businesses led by talented and committed management teams. In addition to providing capital, we will partner with you to accelerate revenue growth, increase market share, enhance margins, and optimally position the company for a high-value, strategic sale. We typically take minority positions, which allows you to get the capital you need (for growth or shareholder liquidity) while still maintaining operating control of your business.

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Silicon Bay Partners is a holding company established to acquire and develop new leading edge technologies as well as promising early growth stage companies within the Software, Internet, Mobile Applications, and Real Estate sectors.

We partner with entrepreneurs who think differently and generally invest in founder-led, bootstrapped companies with fast-growing usage.

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AGR Partners is a capital provider that cultivates profitable, long-term growth in companies we see as indispensable assets of our food chain. AGR invests internationally in food and agriculture companies.

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WayUp’s cornerstone workforce development and employment initiative is the creation of a Medical Innovation Zone (MedZone) on Stockton Boulevard in close relationship with UC Davis Medical Center, Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente, and Dignity Health.

While MedZone’s primary benefit will be the creation of jobs, including those for local residents, fundamentally the initiative is a strategic tool for community economic development that will result in a vibrant and healthy neighborhood.

A successful MedZone will strategically create a thriving local economy, an educated local workforce, and jobs for local residents. It will, in essence, become a national model for the kind of community economic development that truly benefits all stakeholders.

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In his State of the City address in January 2016, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced an initiative to invest $2 million into the startup accelerator “500 Startups” which would invest in at least 10 new companies in Sacramento.

In his State of the City address in January 2016, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced the investing $1 million from new city innovation fund into Sacramento startups, $500,000 to fund small grants for organizations that “grow and train entrepreneurs” and an effort to find & develop additional innovation zones that provide physical space and resources for entrepreneurs.

In his State of the City address in January 2016, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced an initiative to create a “Mayor’s Innovation Office” focused on helping startups.

TBD

Pollinate Davis is a shared downtown Davis coworking community that promotes collaboration in a professional, inspirational and self-sustaining space to grow and nurture entrepreneurialism. Pollinate provides creatives, entrepreneurs, freelancers and startups a space they can call “home,” without the hassles of a traditional office.

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The Los Rios Community College District is a two-year public college district serving the greater Sacramento region of California.

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Sierra College, a California community college, has its main campus located in Rocklin, California. With approximately 125 degree and certificate programs, Sierra College is ranked first in Northern California (Sacramento north) for transfers to 4 year Universities, offers career/technical training, and classes for upgrading job skills.

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The UC Davis-HM.CLAUSE Life Science Innovation Center is a 3,100 square-foot, off campus facility that is administered and owned by HM.CLAUSE, a global leader in the production and sale of vegetable seeds. It is equipped with biochemistry, molecular biology and chemistry lab space, and also offers 1,800 ft² of contiguous greenhouse space.

As a business incubator, the center provides the technical services and support needed in order to turn viable ideas into successful businesses. The shared goal of UC Davis and HM.CLAUSE is to create an environment that breeds innovation, fosters creativity and inspires synergy. As is common for incubators such as this, tenants are able to lease space for a maximum term of two years in order to allow others to benefit.

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Women Who Code is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring women to excel in technology careers by creating a global, connected community of women in technology. The Women Who Code Sacramento branch holds technology and coding learning sessions in and around Sacramento County and are eager to help startups/individuals working on tech startups in the region.

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Davis Funding Club invests in smart people solving difficult problems using startups to commercialize intellectual property coming out of U.C. Davis and the local Davis economy. Club membership is focused on investors that are local to the city of Davis or associated with U.C. Davis in some way.

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