Perspectives: Building My Startup with the Clean Tech Ecosystem w/ Tolo

California has a vast Startup Ecosystem to support innovators wanting to build a clean tech company. From Innovation Clusters, Accelerators, Competitions, to Seed Grants and more, navigating and creating partnerships in it may seem daunting. What has it been like for an entrepreneur going through it?

In 2020 Thomas Karagianes, founder of Tolo Photo, joined CleanStart’s CEO Crash Course, an accelerator put on with BlueTech Vally. Since then, he has been busy building his company in the California Clean Tech Ecosystem built to support innovative companies. Tolo has won CalSEED funding and took part in the CleanTech Open.

Thomas founded Tolo to help utilities reduce the risk of wildfires using drones, imaging and AI to identify risk to electrical infrastructure, including foliage clearance violations and equipment degradations. While his innovation may prove critical, he is a startup trying to work with large established (and sometimes entrenched) stakeholders. It hasn’t been easy, and he still has a way to go, but learn about how he has moved forward connecting California resources to get Tolo off the ground. Find out what he wishes he knew as he was going through the process, what he learned, and where he is now.

CleanStart Perspectives are short online conversations to connect the greater Sacramento clean tech entrepreneurship community and share insights, experiences, and outlooks. Join us as we welcome our featured guests to share their perspective on what entrepreneurs and innovators can do to thrive and grow.

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CleanStart Perspectives are recorded through Zoom