This week, more than 70 innovators, founders, and ecosystem champions gathered at The Urban Hive for the annual Sacramento Startup Ecosystem Holiday Party. The energy in the room made one thing clear: our region’s entrepreneurial community continues to grow stronger, more connected, and more collaborative each year.

The event brought together leaders and participants from across the region’s innovation network, including StartupSac, CleanStart, Urban Technology Lab, The Urban Hive, the Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Startup Folsom, Startup Grind Sacramento, MedStart, 1 Million Cups Sacramento, The Veteran Entrepreneur Tribe, Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy, AgStart, and the CA Starters Coalition. It was a true cross-community celebration—uniting people who are shaping Sacramento’s future through technology, sustainability, and entrepreneurship.

Attendees spent the evening networking, reconnecting, and building new relationships in a warm, festive atmosphere. From first-time founders to seasoned mentors, the diversity of perspectives and ideas highlighted the strength of Sacramento’s startup ecosystem.

For CleanStart, gatherings like this reinforce our mission: to support innovators, expand the clean tech community, and help build a vibrant economy across the region. Seeing so many partners and entrepreneurs come together is a reminder of what makes Sacramento special.

As we head into a new year, we’re excited to continue collaborating with our ecosystem partners and helping the next generation of clean tech founders thrive.

Here’s to a strong 2026 for Sacramento startups and clean tech innovation.

At the Rising Stars Showcase, we proudly presented Certificates of Completion to the companies graduating from our Deep Dive Accelerator program. These companies have already shown strong customer traction and revenue, and they joined our intensive coaching program to sharpen their strategies and accelerate their next stage of growth.  The program was conducted over 26 weeks from April to October with classes and one-on-one coaching sessions with each company.  The ceremony recognized their hard work and persistence in finishing all elements of the program.

Congradulations to the 2025 Deep Dive Cohort:

• Capital Energy Systems – Bobby Reed & Jeremy Macdonald
• Give2Lead – Marcie Shelton
• Nutra Compass – Justin Mickle
• Planetcents – Leslie Sheridan
• Solir – Diana Eastman
• XEROHOME – Mudit Saxena

Diana Eastman presenting Solir at an earlier Deep Dive Class.

GrowTECH Fest 2025: Two days of bold ideas, big energy and next-gen momentum

What a whirlwind two days of inspiration in Chico! On November 6 & 7 Chico Start brought the North State startup ecosystem out in full force for GrowTECH Fest 2025 – and the energy was electric. The Chico Start team led by Eva Shepherd with Heather Ugie put on a great event. Organizers and attendees alike could feel that something special was afoot: a growing sense that this region is truly ready to punch above its weight when it comes to innovation, sustainability and entrepreneurial grit.

From the opening keynote through to the student lightning round and startup stories pitch event, the theme was clear: now is the moment to act, test your ideas, build the infrastructure, and bring new clean-tech solutions to market. Here’s a look at some of the standout moments that got everyone buzzing — and why they matter for our region’s future.

Testing business ideas with clarity

A highlight was the talk by David Bland (co-author of Testing Business Ideas), who delivered a powerful message: stop guessing and start experimenting. He laid out how founders and venture-teams can move beyond the “we think this is a problem” mindset and instead frame their assumptions, design rapid experiments, and learn what matters early. CleanStart brought David to our Deep Dive Accelerator for this reason.  As David reminded the crowd: you don’t have to get everything perfect; you do need the courage to test quickly and learn fast.
That sentiment set the tone for the rest of the event — a subtle shift from inspiration-only to action-oriented.

Take control of your energy-future

Also, we were thrilled to hear from Thomas Hall, Executive Director of CleanStart, who delivered a stirring panel contribution entitled “2035 — What’s Next?”. Thomas called on everyone in the room — entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and students — to take control of electricity systems: embrace solar, batteries, microgrids and decentralised energy architectures. In his words: “We can take action and spend locally… we must build it, own it and scale it.”
For CleanStart’s community, that framing aligned perfectly: this region has the talent, the grid-readiness, the policy momentum — all that’s left is seizing that opportunity.

Talent rising: Student Lightning Round

One of the most exhilarating portions of the festival was the Student Lightning Round, where fresh-faced teams pitched bold ideas in rapid succession. The winner emerged as Change LLC — a team that built a sodium-ion-powered e-motorcycle as their proof-of-concept. Their win spotlighted two critical trends: (1) students are no longer only ideating — they’re building hardware, they’re innovating in battery chemistry and mobility; (2) our network’s academic and startup pipelines are delivering real-world prototypes.

Startup Story Challenge: pitch–fire and impact

Meanwhile, the Startup Story Challenge brought veteran venture-builders and fresh startups together in a high-stakes pitch atmosphere. One highlight: Jeff Greef (alumnus of the CEO Crash Course) pitched his company Plumas Woodfiber — a firm pushing advanced forest-biomass and wood-fiber technologies. Yet, the prize went to another region-shaking venture, Ponderosa.ai, an autonomous drone fire-suppression company that uses machine-vision and robotics to tackle wild-land fires.

Why this moment matters

Looking across the two days, a few things become obvious:

• We have moved from “talking about innovation” to “doing innovation”. The presence of prototypes, business-model experiments, and regional partnerships was undeniable.
• The North State – often overlooked – is increasingly aware of its momentum. With events like GrowTECH Fest, and with support from orgs like CleanStart, ChicoStart, and others, the ecosystem is knitting together.
• Clean tech, energy infrastructure, mobility, forest-and-wild-land resilience: these are converging themes in our region. That convergence gives us real advantages.
• The collaboration between students, startups, investors, policy and infrastructure actors was strong. The pipelines are visible and working.
• Momentum breeds momentum. One inspiring keynote or one winning pitch can catalyze dozens of follow-on conversations, partnerships and companies.

What’s next — and how you can plug in

If you left GrowTECH Fest 2025 energized (as we did), then here’s your invitation: don’t let the momentum fade. Follow the journeys of the startups you met. Connect with the students who pitched. Stay plugged into the broader regional scene. Specifically:

• Follow ChicoSTART on social media and subscribe to their updates — this region is building something.
• Keep tabs on the student teams and startup winners — Change LLC and Ponderosa.ai are just the start.
• For CleanStart’s community: we’ll continue spotlighting regional cleantech pioneers, publishing insights, and connecting the dots. Stay subscribed to our blog and mail-list.
• If you attended GrowTECH Fest and left with a conversation unfinished, pick it up. Meet a founder for coffee. Introduce yourself to an investor. Ask the questions you meant to ask.
• Mark your calendar for 2026. The vibe in 2025 was electric — let’s make sure we carry it into next year, scale it, deepen it.

Final thoughts

GrowTECH Fest 2025 wasn’t just another conference — it was a milestone. A moment when the North State’s entrepreneurial and cleantech ecosystem showed up in full force. We cheered the student winners, the startup pitches, the strategic keynotes. But more than that, we saw the horizon: a region ready to lead in clean energy, mobility, forest resilience, and distributed infrastructure.

At CleanStart we’re proud to stand alongside this movement. We’re excited about the ventures that will emerge from these two days, the partnerships that were formed, and the ideas now entering the execution phase.

So here’s to 2026: to follow-through, to bold experiments, to region-wide acceleration. If you’re in the game — whether as a founder, investor, student, policy-maker or collaborator — this is your moment. Stay tuned, stay connected, and let’s keep building the future together.

Follow ChicoSTART. Follow the startups. Stay plugged into the North State’s innovation surge.
We’ll see you next year.

Check out the fun!

In a recent CleanStart Perspective discussion, I sat down with Derek Porter, a product and strategy leader who has helped grow software companies from scrappy startups to billion-dollar acquisitions. With over 25 years of experience across the energy and enterprise software space, Derek shared hard-won lessons from every stage of the company life cycle.

🎥 Watch the full conversation now on CleanStart’s YouTube channel.

Scaling Isn’t Linear — It’s Evolutionary

Derek opened with a foundational idea: companies don’t grow linearly; they evolve through maturity stages, each with different needs and risks. 

“I’ve been with startups and with large software platforms that scaled,” Derek explained. “You need to change your team, structure, and mindset at each stage.”

Early Stage: Find Your Product Strategy and Start Hiring Right

When Derek helped Henwood Energy grow from $5M to $25M ARR, he learned a key startup lesson: product consolidation and strategic focus are critical.

“A strong product strategy, vision, and roadmap are key. Customer success leads to your success.”

Derek emphasized that early-stage companies often grow faster than their hiring systems can keep up. “You have to learn how to hire while you grow,” he said, noting that early disorganization can create bottlenecks down the line. Keeping a strong focus on the goals and continually learning to support the customer is important. 

Growth Stage: Build the Team and Sell Solutions, Not Just Products

As VP at Global Energy Decisions, Derek navigated a massive scale-up from $21M to over $100M in ARR and through crises like the Enron collapse and 9/11. His advice at this stage?

“You’ve got to gel your leadership team or you will fail.”

He also stressed the need to shift from product sales to solution selling, helping customers see the business outcomes, not just features. That’s when a professional sales organization becomes key.

Enterprise Stage: Integration is the Hidden Battlefield

At Ventyx and ABB Software, Derek led large-scale integrations and strategy pivots. The stakes and mistakes were larger. His advice?

“Integration is tricky, it needs to be well planned and executed quickly.”

And: “Large industrial companies do not understand the software business model.” Derek’s experience in bringing digital practices into traditional companies revealed the cultural disconnects that can derail even well-funded ventures. Historically, large older companies had trouble understanding the value of software and data. Collaborating and educating inside the company was a learning experience.

Final Phase: Metrics, SaaS Discipline, and Data as a Product

In his most recent role with Energy Exemplar, Derek helped guide the company from < $20M to > $100M ARR and a $1.2B exit.

“Run your business by the metrics you will be evaluated by at sell time — like Rule of 40.”

He also highlighted how real SaaS discipline and treating data as a product line helped drive valuation and scalability.

Advice Evolves with Your Company

Perhaps Derek’s most enduring insight is that there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy. What worked in the early days would sink a mature company, and vice versa.

“The challenge is, the advice you give someone at a toddler stage company is completely different than what you’d give when you’re at $100 million ARR.”

Don’t Miss the Full Discussion

Derek’s stories — from navigating billion-dollar M&A to building resilient teams — are full of insights for founders, product leaders, and investors alike. Watch the full conversation now on CleanStart’s YouTube channel, and hear more from leaders shaping the future of cleantech and software innovation.

In an era where support for clean technology seems to be on the decline, a new opportunity is emerging that should not be overlooked. The Governor’s Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) has launched a funding initiative aimed at bolstering innovation across California through its Accelerate CA Hubs.  If you are seeking seed funding for your clean tech startup,  keep reading.

Each Hub is receiving a new allocation of grant funds to help advance startups in three key sectors: Agriculture and Food Technology, Health and Life Sciences, and Clean Technology including Zero Emission Vehicles. One of those Hubs, the Sacramento Entrepreneurial Growth Alliance (SEGA), is playing a leading role in the Sacramento region.

SEGA will be awarding $150,000 in total funding, distributed as $50,000 grants for each of the three industry areas. These awards are non-dilutive, meaning recipients do not give up equity in exchange for the funding. For early-stage companies, especially those in clean tech, this kind of capital can be a critical stepping stone.

Cameron Law, Co-founder of SEGA and Executive Director of the Carlsen Center at Sacramento State, shared more details in a recent webcast on May 22. Law explained the process that applicants must go through to be considered for one of the $50,000 awards in clean tech.

The application is simple enough to begin. Prospective applicants should submit their information by August 1 via SEGA’s online portal. From there, a panel of industry experts will evaluate submissions and select between 8 and 12 companies from each of the three sectors.

Selected companies will then enter a 10-week investment readiness program, which is designed to prepare them for outside funding and help refine their business strategies. These sessions will be held virtually each Wednesday afternoon from 3 to 5 pm, beginning September 3 and running through October 4.

Once the program concludes, companies will present in a competitive pitch event. From there, three to five companies per industry sector will be chosen to undergo final due diligence. Those selected will advance to a final pitch event later in the fall, likely scheduled sometime between mid-October and early November. One winner in each industry category will walk away with a $50,000 award.

For clean tech founders in particular, this program offers a rare mix of mentorship, visibility, and financial support at a time when public funding is becoming harder to secure. The competition also provides a broader opportunity for entrepreneurs to sharpen their pitches, connect with experts, and get noticed by regional stakeholders.

If you are building something in clean tech or zero-emission transportation, now is the time to act.

Applications are due August 1.
To apply, visit the SEGA Accelerate CA portal.

We strongly encourage eligible entrepreneurs in the region to take advantage of this opportunity. Clean tech still has a future. This might just be your chance to help build it.