2023 Elk Grove Startup Pitch Competition Winners
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."
The Finalists
A diverse group of startups, including those focused on artificial intelligence, human health, digital media, computer hardware, and home-chef platforms, reached the final stage of the Pitch Elk Grove competition on March 18. The finalists included:
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.
Best Elk Grove Startup
The winner of the Best Elk Grove Startup with a cash prize of $2500 was AdLoad. AdLoad is a platform that leverages the trucking industry.
2nd Place Winner
Placing 2nd and earning a cash prize of$5000 was Matrubials. Martubials develops antibiotics from human milk proteins.
And the winner is…
Taking First Place and a check for $10,000 was Ravata Solutions Inc. Ravata builds sensors to quantify embryo health for the IVF industry.
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.
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.
