SARTA (Sacramento Regional Technology Alliance) just announced 20 companies will be participating in Pitchfests taking place at TechCon Sacramento on November 6, 2014, at the Sacramento Convention Center.
Kirk Uhler, CEO of SARTA, said, “We are successfully developing a vital investor community in the Sacramento region with three new venture capital funds getting ready to invest in innovation in our region. Moneta Ventures launched with $19 million, Almond Tree Capital has plans for $2 million, and the upcoming Ag Innovation Fund has plans to raise $50 million. The timing for the TechCon Sacramento Pitchfests couldn’t be better. Investors will hear directly from exciting innovators and attendees will enjoy hearing straight from the entrepreneurs themselves.”
In four separate technology Pitchfests (AgTech, MedTech, CleanTech and NextTech), local entrepreneurs will present in front of a panel of investor judges and a live audience. Over the last four weeks, presenters have been coached by VentureStart mentors on how to create their startup deck, succinctly present their value proposition, go-to-market strategy, competitive differentiator and management team. Each needs to be condensed into a five-minute pitch followed by a hard-hitting Q&A from the investor judges. The judging panels are comprised of Angel, Venture Capital and professional investors from firms such as DSM Venturing, HealthTech Capital, Blumberg Capital, and 50/60 Ventures, among others.
“We see the Pitchfest as an opportunity to hone our skills, get visibility, and ultimately get in front of investors and partners that can create a trajectory of growth for us,” said Ben Ilfeld of AdGlue. “Working with our Pitchfest mentor we’ve uncovered areas for improvement and how to address some difficult questions about our competitive advantage. We’re ready to present!” added Ilfeld.
The Sacramento technology community has pulled together a prize package of items (valued at more than $5,000) from UC Davis Entrepreneur’s Academy, Hacker Lab, Apptology, the law firm of Kronick, Moskovits, Tidemann & Gerard, and others. A prize package is to be awarded to a PitchFest Winner in each of the four tech categories.
In addition to the Pitchfests, TechCon Sacramento will be hosting four local CEO’s sharing how they are “Succeeding in Sacramento”, and featuring Aaron Frank from Singularity University. More than 65 technology industry experts will be speaking on panels in 12 break-out Sessions. The full-day conference will wrap-up with an Innovator of the Year Awards & Pitchfest Winner Cocktail Party at 4:45pm. Tickets are on sale now. Full details and registration is available at techconsacramento.com.
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