GameMic Triumphs in Business Journal's Inno Madness Startup Challenge
An El Dorado Hills-based startup, GameMic Inc., has emerged victorious in the Sacramento Business Journal's first-ever Inno Madness competition.
Securing 56% of the public vote in the final round, GameMic outperformed California Cultured, which received 44% of the vote and claimed second place. GameMic has created an app that enables individuals interested in youth sports to stream live audio of games on the internet, while California Cultured, a West Sacramento startup, is working on developing lab-grown chocolate.
Inno Madness is a bracket-style contest for local startups that started with 16 participants. Following public voting, the number was whittled down to eight and then four, leaving only two startups in the final round.
GameMic's co-founders, Chris Rivas and Steve Montoya, expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to gain exposure through the competition. Rivas, who serves as the company's president and co-founder, stated in an email to the Business Journal that this achievement further demonstrates GameMic's ability to unite people.
The GameMic app can be utilized by schools or teams and has already attracted more than 10,000 listeners to its broadcasts of five California Interscholastic Federation football championship games in December, for which it had secured the audio rights.
This Inno Madness win is not the first accolade for the startup; last year, GameMic claimed victory in its category at the national Hashtag Sports Awards. Rivas shared in an email that new features are being developed for the company's technology, with further details to be revealed in the summer. GameMic is also in the process of raising capital.
According to Rivas, GameMic intends to provide a platform for the new generation of content creators. Although the Inno Madness competition, part of the Business Journal's Inno section, is intended purely for enjoyment and recognition, with no cash prizes involved, the official rules can be found online.
About Rich Foreman
Rich Foreman is the founder of KidneyLuv which develops solutions for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Patients (CKD). He is also the COO of IGH Naturals. Previously, as founding CTO, Rich led the team that developed the CordicoShield / CordicoFire Wellness App. Cordico was honored with the Sacramento Innovation Award in 2021. After achieving a 7 digit ARR, Cordico was acquired by Lexipol in 2020. Rich has a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington, an MPA from Troy State University and was an officer in the U.S. Navy.
Rich co-authored his book, "Tap into the Mobile Economy." Rich's blog was listed in Top 20 Marketing Mobile Blogs of 2014. He has been featured on KCRA3, NEWS10, 1170 Tech AM PowerDrive, Business Radio Money 105.5, SiliconIndia, the Sacramento Business Journal, and the Sacramento Bee. Rich is also the Founding Director of the Sacramento Chapter of Startup Grind and served a term as Utility Commissioner for the City of Folsom. Rich is a regular contributor to TechWire.net and StartupSac.com. Rich was the Co-founder of Apptology which was named Small Business of the Year in 2014 by the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber.
