Pitch Elk Grove Showdown: Eight Startups Compete for $17,500 in Prizes and Local Recognition
Eight Startups Advance in Pitch Elk Grove Finals for $17,500 in Cash Prizes
A diverse group of startups, including those focused on artificial intelligence, human health, digital media, computer hardware, and home-chef platforms, have reached the final stage of the Pitch Elk Grove competition, vying for a total of $17,500 in cash prizes.
Economic Development Through Startup Competitions
Pitch Elk Grove serves as an economic development strategy for the city, showcasing the Sacramento suburb and its initiatives aimed at supporting local businesses.
Darrell Doan, Elk Grove's Economic Development Director, expressed excitement for the second edition of the event, stating in a press release,
"The number of applicants, quality of semi-finalists, and diversity of finalists demonstrates the strength of Sacramento’s startup scene and Elk Grove’s role within it."
Final Pitches Scheduled for May 18
The second annual Pitch Elk Grove competition received 53 applications. 16 startups were selected for the semi-finals. The final pitches will take place live on May 18 at The Center at District56.
The Finalists
The finalists include:
4pm AI (Sacramento): An AI sales assistant that automates 1 hour per day of admin tasks.
Adload Technologies (Sacramento): AdTech platform leveraging the trucking industry.
Foodom (Folsom): A marketplace for personalized weekly meal prep by in-home chefs.
HuLoop Automation, Inc (Folsom): AI-Powered Intelligent Automation Platform.
Matrubials (Davis): Antimicrobial peptides from milk for combating bacterial infections.
Neural Lab, Inc. (El Dorado Hills): Touchless user interface for any camera and any device.
Ravata Solutions Inc (Davis): Builds sensors to quantify embryo health for the IVF industry.
Tiami Networks (Elk Grove): Bringing sensing intelligence to every wireless device in the world.
Prize Distribution
At the final pitch event, the top pitch will receive $10,000, second place will receive $5,000, and the best pitch from an Elk Grove company will receive $2,500. Two of the eight finalists are based in Elk Grove.
Introducing Companies to Elk Grove's Incentive Program
Launched last year, Pitch Elk Grove aims to introduce regional companies to Elk Grove and its Startup Elk Grove Incentive Program, which began in 2018 and provides direct cash subsidies to city-based companies.
The Startup Elk Grove Incentive Program offers cash grants to companies that contribute to new job or technology opportunities in Elk Grove. The city does not take equity in the companies, and the grants do not need to be repaid as long as the companies maintain their headquarters in Elk Grove. If a company relocates or is acquired, the grant converts to a loan.
ATTEND PITCH ELK GROVE
When: Thursday, May 18, 2023, from 4:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: The Center at District56, 8230 Civic Center Dr, Elk Grove, CA 95757
Cost: No charge to attend but please RSVP
Register: Eventbrite
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.