Growth Factory

Snowie King, participating in Build Up Rocklin, a public/private partnership between Growth Factory and City of Rocklin, used their grant funding to test adding cotton candy to their menu. There is a learning curve to making this sweet treat but they have successfully created multiple all-natural flavors. The community came out to celebrate last week at THE CHALET EVENT CENTER to taste test and vote for their favorite flavors. We love watching businesses test and grow and we love how the community supports them!

What a great afternoon at The Urban Hive attending Human Machine Collaboration Institute AI ignite event. Thank you to Sadie St. Lawrence, J.P. Morgan and team for including us. We enjoyed connecting with new people and seeing old friends as collectively we consider how we might design and build our future with AI as an enabler.  

Officially less than a week left until GFX24 Venture Summit on October 10th at the Grounds in Roseville, Ca! Come join our innovative community of entrepreneurs, investors, industry thought leaders, policy experts and change makers to connect and amplify the momentum happening in our Backyard! Listen to Growth Factory's Monique Brown, and GF portfolio company, Plum Identity, founder Jon Coss discuss the importance of GFX24, and the events of venture summit here!

We are excited for the conversations that are shaping up at this year's GFX2024 Venture Summit and grateful for the engagement across our industry, investor and innovator communities. The climate & transportation discussion moderated by Anette Smith and featuring Peter Bell Sean Bigley Sean Luangrath Stacey K. and Scott Scholtz will dive into how industry is engaging with innovators to solve critical climate impacted infrastructure problems at scale and how venture investors are infusing capital alongside non-dilutive funding and project financing to fuel these efforts. Join us! Tickets available here: https://lnkd.in/d4DWc5tE Monique Brown Mark Haney Rick Spencer Nikki Sims Franklin Burris, MPA Emily Hoffman Cameron R. Law Amy Schulz, PhD, MBA Wayne Wiley Mehrshad Mansouri Bill Thomasmeyer

What a great day of grocery shopping for the finest local produce Raley's with our chefs in preparation for the Future of Food Recipe Challenge!! The Future of Food recipe challenge features talented up and coming chefs who are tasked with creating, preparing, and plating new culinary creations featuring innovative products from regional food startups (many in our portfolio) and fresh locally sourced ingredients from Raley’s.  Their target - a delicious, innovative, zero waste menu item that symbolizes the future of food!! The competition will be held on October 8th as a part of the Discover Sacramento Welcome Reception at the California Mobility Center. This reception is just one of many GFX Venture Summit activities this year and we are excited to co-host it in in partnership with CA FWD, Cal Asian Chamber, Valley Vision, the CMC, & ZEV Tours. Courtesy of SMUD Chefs will be able to prepare their menu items on induction stove tops - also representing the future of sustainble cooking. They will present food to a panel of award-winning Chef Judges who will select a winner based on taste, presentation, and criteria. Reception attendees will also be able to taste and vote! A HUGE thank you to Chelsea (Minor) Carbahal for taking such great care of us today and for being a steadfast champion of this region - to Celebrity Chefs patrick mulvaney Brad Cecchi for their partnership, support and creativity - to Steve Turturici and the Legion AVS team for capturing the story - to our innovators Checkerspot Optimized Foods Upcycled Foods, Inc. (UP, Inc.) California Cultured Inc. Oobli LandLover - to our chef competitiors, and to partners like AgStart Kara E. Leong and team at iCamp. Nikki Sims Monique Brown Mark Haney Danielle Vaticano Roe Danielle Briggs Rick Spencer

Here to celebrate Edge, our Growth Stage Winner! This award is recognizing growth beyond Series A as measured by revenue and team growth, fundraising success, local impact, global reach, and CAP table. Join us to celebrate all of our Backyard Award Winners at the Backyard Awards Party presented by Stoel Rives LLP at GFX24 on October 10th. Register for GFX24 at GFXVentureSummit.com. Edge (formerly EyeRate), the leading employee-driven growth platform, unlocks employees as a thriving sales and marketing channel for multi-location service brands like European Wax Center, Massage Envy, Gold’s Gym, Driven Brands, and Xponential Fitness. The Edge, Employee-Driven Growth Engine, platform transforms frontline teams into a trusted network of brand promoters with employee rewards that are aligned to sales growth.

Welcome Brian💥 Sparkes, who will be speaking on Enterprise SaaS, and recording Silicon Valley Impact in the media studio at GFX24 on October 10th! Join Brian and our speakers at Growth Factory's annual venture summit and startup showcase this fall. Register at GFXVentureSummit.com Brian Sparkes is a community-driven entrepreneur and strategic GTM Communication advisor for startups and C-suite executives. With experience supporting over 1,400 startups annually, Brian partners with key organizations like Plug and Play, Founder Institute, Startup Grind, Growth Factory, Transform, and Bay Angels to accelerate go-to-market strategies, and brand authority. As a Silicon Valley native and "super connector," he specializes in fostering high-value relationships that drive engagement, investment, and growth. Brian also hosts Silicon Valley Impact on 92.9 FM and is Head of Communication for Bay Angels, helping startups and investors thrive in a competitive landscape.

Glad to have a partner like Five Star Bank - California right in our backyard! For over 20 years, Five Star Bank has helped businesses start-up, grow, and succeed through relationship-based banking and best-in-class treasury solutions. Join Five Star Bank at GFX24 at the Five Star's Funders & Founders Lunch or the Backyard Expo on October 10th. Jon Gregory, Michael Rizzo, Shelley Wetton, Monique Brown, Rick Spencer, Nikki Sims, Mark Haney

Who will you be at GFX24? We are looking forward to connecting our community of mentors, investors and entrepreneurs and build up the moment of the Greater Sacramento business community at our annual venture summit & startup showcase happening in just ONE month on October 10th! Register for GFX24 at GFXVentureSummit.com and stay tuned for featured speaker, panelist and Backyard Award winner announcements. Let us know who you will be at GFX24!

In August, Rocklin business owners enjoyed an inspiring message from Margo Fowkes from OnTarget Consulting, Inc. about how to stay focused and productive when life gets challenging. These captivated business owners are part of Build Up Rocklin, a partnership between the City of Rocklin and The Growth Factory. This program supports innovation, growth, and sustainability within established Rocklin businesses in a year-long program. We're grateful for Margo's practical insight and strategies! #Rocklin #Smallbusiness #GrowthFactory #BackyardAdvantage