Accelerator participants receive special consideration for inclusion in the Startup World Cup Sacramento Regional Competition in September. Participants also receive free tickets to attend the Startup World Cup Global Grand Finale on October 4th in San Francisco to expand their networks. Over 350 investors attend the Global Grand Finale

Our program looks beyond the local ecosystem to identify trends happening in your idea space in other relevant geographies around the global. Your competition includes startups around the global working on the same or similar startup concepts. When evaluating your company for potential funding, investors know about your competition from other regions…even if you don’t. Having this broader view necessitates that you think deeper about how you are different, results in better positioning the competitive advantages of your startup and may uncover new perspectives on how to approach the problem you are trying to solve. It also results in thinking about global scalability of all aspects of your company from day one…a must for becoming a high growth startup.

Our CEO Charlotte Danielsson has evaluated thousands of pitches. She has spent over 25 years working with startups in Silicon Valley and Europe, was an Ambassador for MIT Technology Review making nominations for what founders should receive the honor of the “30 under 30” designation and has been a regional organizer for Startup World Cup since 2018—the largest global startup competition in the world. You will learn best practices for pitching and leave with optimized pitch decks for varied purposes

When developing your go-to-market strategy a thorough and realistic understanding of sales processes is essential which is why we have included intensive sales training into our program. Our Co-founder Henry Chang has over 25 years experience in sales and sales management in tech, telecom and manufacturing from various angles including direct sales, indirect sales, and channel management.

While all participants receive training in all of the core concepts needed, our program goes beyond this to establish personalized programs for each participant to ensure each entrepreneur receives the specific training and support required for their stage of development, their level of resources, their industry, and their needs. We also provide flexible scheduling to accommodate participants’ schedules.

We want our founders to hit the ground running…upon successful completion of the program, you will be provided with $1,000 worth of attorney services from Infiniti Law to establish your business in the City of Sacramento. Services must be used within 90 days of completion of the program and can be used for incorporation, business licensing, trademarks, business contracts and legal consultations. This credit is for attorney’s fees and does not cover any filing fees or third-party fees.

Our accelerator will be held here at our offices in the heart of Sacramento’s midtown with flexible programming and expansive hours to meet the varied needs of our founders, including daytime, evenings and weekends with hybrid options as well.

We welcome a wide range of innovators in areas including but not limited to Clean Economy, Advanced Manufacturing, Food & Beverage Manufacturing, Mobility, AgTech, and AI. We have two tracks to accommodate different stages of development. We are looking for innovative ideas and founders with tenacity, resilience, coachability, and curiosity.

Ideation techniques

Problem solving immersion

Idea evaluation models

Product-founder fit

Scalability assessments

Market identification & measurement

Scalable innovation revenue models with key metrics for each model

Customer value proposition

Effective customer interviews

Framework for defining your minimum viable product

Evaluating product-market fit

Developing your go to market strategy

Sales methodologies and techniques

How to raise capital

Different types of capital

Identifying & writing grants

Thinking like an investor

Effective pitching

Do’s & Don’ts on How to Handle Investor Q&A

Business formation & expansion legal overview

Strategic network building for startup success

o ROLE: Key planning organization supporting implementation of California’s ambitious climate goals, including pilots, research, and funding for such projects. Liaison between local California governments and the state government for implementing new policies

o Redefining land-use policies to allow for denser, more environmentally friendly development. Their policies make California a leader in this field for the nation

o Organization in charge of funding research and projects to implement California’s ambitious zero-emission goals

o Major funder for projects on climate adaptation in California

o Writes California’s Environmental Goals and Policy Report every 4 years, which shapes California’s policy and sustainability direction

o Creates land-use policy standards for local governments to adopt. This has major implications for city design and sustainability initiatives, not to mention mobility

o Writes the standards and implementation best practices around renewable energy for local California governments

o CA OPR advises other agencies (federal, state, and local) on the implementation of renewable energy projects

[CARB is a sub-department of the Cal EPA]

o ROLE: Major engine behind California’s position as a climate leader worldwide, on par with entire countries. Far-reaching implications for industry, automotive, and freight past California’s borders

o Established in 1967 to address California’s major air pollution problem at the time. Has evolved into a major regulatory body with worldwide impacts on sustainability goals and vehicle design

o World leader with key policies on emissions and vehicle pollution often adopted by other states and countries. Pioneer for many key programs such as emissions reduction targets, catalytic converters, fuel standard, and Cap-and-Trade

o California often enters into climate agreements with other countries based on programs and policies by CARB

o CARB is responsible for tailpipe emissions standards on vehicles that tackled California’s crippling toxic smog problem. California went from the state with the most toxic smog to the cleanest cars in the world in about a decade

o ZEV manufacturing regulations introduced in 1990, requiring carmakers to produce a certain amount of ZEVs per year to hit emissions targets

o 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act mandating California to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and 40% before 1990 levels by 2030. First mandate of its kind in the US

o California achieved CARB’s 2020 emissions goal 4 years early in 2016, and on track to hit 2030 goal early as well—with full carbon neutrality targeted by 2045

o Introduced Cap-and-Trade emissions program in 2010, further strengthening California’s position as a world leader in sustainability

o CARB sets fuel standards for vehicles in California. Thanks to progressive standards, Californian fuel is the cleanest in the world

o CARB distributes grant funding across the state for key projects and research around sustainability. Many local and city governments rely on them for sustainability project funding

o ROLE: Direct communication with federal government on environment policy and major lever for California to influence the rest of the country. Key distributor of federal grants

o Overarching organization for key Californian sustainability bodies:

 CARB

 State Water Resources Control Board

 Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment

 Department of Toxic Substances Control

 Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery

 Department of Pesticide Regulation

 Office of the Secretary

o ROLE: The state's primary energy policy and planning agency, responsible for promoting energy efficiency through appliance and building standards, supporting renewable energy projects, and funding innovation in clean energy technologies.

o Provides funding, resources, and information to help sustainability startups develop and deploy new technologies in the energy sector.

o ROLE: Manages and protects California's water resources, working with other governments, agencies, and the public to meet the state’s water needs and its responsibility for the stewardship of water resources.

o Provides resources and support for water sustainability initiatives, crucial for companies focused on water efficiency and management technologies.

o ROLE: Oversees the state's waste handling and recycling programs. It promotes the management of materials more sustainably.

o Supports sustainability startups by providing guidelines, funding, and innovative opportunities in waste management and recycling.

o ROLE: Implement state-level air quality policies on a local level in Sacramento

o Local government distributing government funds for key sustainability programs and incentives

o Key organization for on-the-ground community engagement

o ROLE: Coordinates between otherwise separate local governments to ensure that projects and pilots are regional instead of limited by city

o Trans-regional coordination agency with a unified sustainability plan for the region. Agency handles long-term planning for the Sacramento region, ensuring different municipal governments cooperate

o Key receiver of federal grants to fund sustainable development and projects in the region. SACOG further distributes those funds to local companies and organizations to achieve its long-term goals

o ROLE: Coordinates grid infrastructure and ZEV adoption policies to make Sacramento one of the most forward-thinking regions in the US for decarbonizing the grid and transportation

o Zero Carbon Plan which has a zero-emissions goal by 2030, the most ambitious of any large utility in the US

o Leader in supporting EV adoption, building charging infrastructure, and pioneering grid management technology through pilots, incentives, and community engagement programs

o ROLE: Innovative university part of the wider University of California system. Key academic contributor on a world scale in key areas of sustainability, energy, agriculture, and transportation

o Energy and Efficiency Institute leading key research in the area

o University ranked 1st in environmental sustainability in the nation

o Campus goal of carbon neutrality by 2025

o Testing ground for key new energy projects (such as on-campus solar)