While last week’s heatwave didn’t exactly shout, “Summer’s over!,” the trees near my house have started to drop their leaves. The passing of Labor Day always meant the start of school for me as a kid (although plenty of schools start well before the first week of September now). There is a feeling in the air, regardless of its temperature, that reminds me that it’s time to get busy again. The languorous days of summer are behind us. And this change of season is reflected in all of the event and program offerings now available for entrepreneurs in our community.

Intro to Lean Startup

One such opportunity is Intro To Lean Startup: NSF I-Corps Method, a free remote one-week course based on Steve Blank’s Lean LaunchPad. The three evening sessions teach you to identify and refine your value propositions and customer segments, which is essential to de-risking your idea and achieving product-market fit. Apply by September 30 to be considered for the October course (meets October 17, October 19, and October 24 from 5-8pm online). Learn more here. Note – the program is for startups with a technology innovation. While the description emphasizes a technology with university origins, it is not a hard requirement

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.

Application Deadlines

This Week’s Best Bets

KISS, SAFE or Convertible Note? Understanding Early Stage Financing Instruments, Tue, Sep 13, 12-1:30 PM. Join Startup Grind Sacramento for a workshop featuring DJR Garcia CFO, Gabriel García. Mr. Garcia will review familiar convertible instruments that startups often use for early-stage financing, analyze pitfalls that founders make with respect to diluting their equity, and discuss the importance of hiring a professional service team to avoid catastrophic legal and accounting errors when taking on outside investment. Online, Free

Startup Challenge Information Session, Wed, Sep 14, 1:00-1:30 PM. The Startup Challenge is a weekend-long event happening Sep 23-25 at the Carlsen Center at Sac State. If you’d like more information to help you decide if it’s the right program for you, join Cameron, JDM and Laura for an information session. Online

Plan Ahead

Startup Challenge, Sep 23-25. The Startup Challenge is a weekend of DOING where we focus on providing founders and early-stage teams with a dedicated space for experimenting and making traction. The weekend caters to two different cohorts. The Catalyst Cohort is for brand new ideas, and anyone is welcome to participate. The Traction Cohort is for existing startups, who may or may not have a product or customers yet, but have not raised investment yet. In person at the Carlsen Center at Sac State.

Startup Happy Hour Fall Social, Thu, Sep 29, 5-7PM In Person! Plan ahead to join with other startup founders at Startup Happy Hour’s Fall Social at the Red Rabbit Kitchen and Bar in Sacramento! There’s no agenda — just an opportunity to meet some new folks in the greater Sacramento region’s startup community while enjoying appertizers and your favorite beverage! Appetizers sponsored by Stoel Rives. No host bar. In person in Sacramento

growTECH FEST Presented by ChicoStart, Oct 5-6. growTECH FEST is the largest and only entrepreneurial regional conference north of Sacramento leveraging the growTECH industry sector-led partnership, to celebrate and elevate the entrepreneurial and tech culture that is fresh, pervasive and on the rise in the North State. If you are a techie, startup, small business, community leader, student or just someone with an idea, this conference is where you need to be! In person in Chico

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.