CleanStart December News: Turn Up the Volume!

2017 goes out with a bang!

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From Our Chairman

We have had some very good news from our clean tech community as the year closes. Tenkiv and Terzo Power were finalists for the Sacramento Region Sustainability Innovation Award. Both are great companies with some unique technologies. Ultimately Tenkiv got the award, but both are winners without question. Congratulations to both! Then in the past week, Integrated Comfort closed an important deal to boost them to the next level. You can learn more elsewhere in this issue.

There are many more great stories like these. These three companies are among the seven for which we have developed and posted profiles on our website. The universal reaction to reading these profiles from the those beyond the clean tech sector has been, "We had no idea there were such interesting and great companies here." That's good news and bad. The good news is that recognition is growing -- what a gem of a sector we have here. The bad news is that a dozen years into our existence, most people still don't know much about what is happening here.

That just stimulates us to move even faster to get the word out. We have many more profiles in the pipeline and next year we will start a series of forums to hear directly from our "Clean Tech 100" about what they are doing, what they aspire to do, and what their plans are. We need to turn up the volume. More people need to hear about us. The more people hear, the more articles get written, the more investors will get interested, the more potential customers may see products they like, and the more the companies themselves will get enthused to press forward. It's a virtuous circle. This is going to be fun!

If you would like to help us turn up the volume, take a spin over to our crowdfunding site and toss in a few bucks. As a non-profit, we depend on you, our fans, to help keep us going. Your support is much appreciated.

Gary Simon, Chairman of the Board

Innovation Awards Recap

At this year's Innovation Awards, three companies CleanStart has been tracking and promoting were honored as finalists. Athena intelligence, a finalist for the ag tech category, uses a big data solution to evaluate the cost of farming, encouraging farmers to better utilize their resources. Terzo Power and Tenkiv went head-to-head in the sustainability category. Terzo is making a revolutionary hybrid platform for tractors, enabling hydraulic systems to operate with a constant running diesel engine. Tenkiv, who won the 2017 award, submitted the Tenkiv Nexus, a combination solar heat and PV solution to water scarcity. Read more.
Photo credit Tia Gemmell, Riverview Media Photography

Cleantech Stocking Stuffers

Need some sustainable gift ideas this holiday season? Our executive director, Thomas Hall, has rounded up a great list of cleantech stocking stuffers available from local companies. From solar-powered cell phone chargers to a solar cooker perfect for backpackers, we've rounded it up for you.And if you'd like to help stuff our stocking, the CleanStart Catalyst crowdfunding campaign will help with that! See the Gift List.

Buzzwords -- Pain Point

pān/ /point/, n
A problem thought to be facing a person or group of people that entrepreneurs are looking to solve through goods and/or services.

This month, Comstock's Magazine explored the buzzword "pain point." Our executive director Thomas Hall and Bluon's Sedale Turbovsky got in on the fun with their perspectives on the term. Hear what Thomas, Sedale and others had to say in the video in this article.

The Blog

Want to Fund Great Idea for New Tech Hardware?
Look elsewhere than VCs. It is tough to find capital to build a business around a new piece of hardware. VC’s have lost interest. Why?,....continue reading

Company Profile: Terzo Power
Terzo makes energy-efficient, compact hydraulic power units with smart pumps which can be controlled electronically ...continue reading

News

Sacramento leaders talk of turning city into 'Urban Technology Lab'
Sacramento Business Journal

West Sacramento-based Integrated Comfort purchased by Australia's Seeley International
Sacramento Business Journal

How will Sacramento’s designation as a ‘Green City’ shift the transportation landscape?
Comstock's Magazine

The challenges of innovating in Sacramento
Sacramento Business Journal

Sacramento International Airport's $15.2 million solar array nearly complete
Sacramento Business Journal

Sunergy solar module factory moving forward at McClellan Business Park
Sacramento Business Journal

SMUD elects new board president
Sacramento Business Journal

U.S. election results boost carbon trading markets
Sacramento Business Journal

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CleanStart Sponsors

Stoel Rives	Weintraub \| Tobin	Comstock’s Magazine
Greenberg Traurig	Von Bekke Films	Impact Venture Capital
Bosley Till Neue & Talerico	Moss Adams	City of West Sacramento

For more information about our sponsors, visit cleanstart.org

Thank You to Our Valuable Partners
AgStart, Area 52, Davis Root, Entrepreneurs Showcase
The Grant Farm, MedStart, StartupSac, Sierra Energy Research Park
Startup Grind Sacramento, UC Davis Engineering Student Startup Center
UC Davis Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, UC Davis Venture Catalyst