Welcome to the Valley Ventures Edition! Valley Ventures is excited to introduce its 2018 fall Cohort. Congratulations to the newest members: AgriBugs, Aguanaut, ConserWater Technologies, Disinfect Water, Dropcopter, Ivy Food Technology, Letspol, Perigo Welding Works, RetaW Technologies, Skyven Technologies, Sprinkl, Upcycle and Company, Water Wrights, and WISRAN!     The accelerator program goals are to assist Cohort companies to grow sales and raise capital. Every company is working to further develop, and Valley Ventures’ goal is to provide the resources and connections they need to help them continue to increase their revenue by at least ten percent each month. In addition, if a company wants to raise capital, Valley Ventures staff will work closely with each venture to hone their communication techniques with investors so they can be as successful as possible.    Are you an entrepreneur in ag, water or energy? If you want to advance your company and are interested in joining the next cohort, visit www.valleyventures.org                          Perigo Welding Works receives $150,000 grant from the California Clean Energy Fund Awards as a CalSEED Concept Winner The California Energy Commission approved nearly $2.7 million in grants for this year’s group of innovators and entrepreneurs working to bring early-stage clean energy concepts to market. Eighteen new grants of up to $150,000 bring the total number of CalSEED Concept Awards to 46 over the last two years.    One of the 18 projects selected from a field of more than 400 applicants was Valley Ventures Member, Perigo Welding Works. The CalSEED award will help them continue their mission to use knowledge, experience, and resources to assist those in the greater Central Valley and beyond. We sat down with the owner of Perigo Welding Works, Steve Perigo, who gave us an inside look at how they plan to continue to make an impact in the irrigation industry.     “We certainly see this as a tremendous opportunity. This was the very first grant that we applied for and won. It felt really, really good. It confirmed to us that we are on the right track and working on the right problem,” Steve said. “One of our milestones is actually written into the grant award. We will be creating a filter for testing at the Center for Irrigation Technology at Fresno State, focusing on different types of contaminants and water flows.”   Perigo Welding Works was founded in 1991 and dedicates its business to the agricultural irrigation industry. Since then, Perigo has gained a comprehensive understanding of what the agricultural market needs, and strives to meet those needs with innovative solutions. We asked Steve how Valley Ventures has helped in continuing their mission and making an impact. “In order to be successful, we need to be exposed to a lot of people in the industry and customers. I think it all turned out the right way, and because of that, now we do have a good path, and a chance to be successful,” Steve said.  “Valley Ventures has helped tremendously. They’ve exposed us to a lot of different people in business and different types of businesses,” Steve said. “A phone call a year ago changed my life. Connections are huge!” Steve believes he would not have won the CalSEED award without the BlueTechValley workshops, connections, and application assistance “I appreciate the staff at the Center for Irrigation Technology, BlueTechValley and Fresno State as they played a key role in this whole thing.”   To learn more about Perigo Welding Works, visit: http://perigowelding.com/perigo Come see some of Valley Ventures Alumni and current Cohort pitch and vie for your Bulldog dollars at the annual Central Valley Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum The November 1st event has something for companies and organizations of all sizes: a “Shark Tank” style competition, a stock exchange and panel discussions for investors and startups. For an entrepreneur, come hear from industry leaders, angel investors, venture capitalists, and more. For an investor, come listen to up-and-coming companies pitch. For an attendee, come invest your “Bulldog Dollars” in a company of your choice. Winners will be announced at the end of the day and a cash award presented to the winning companies. For more information on the event or to register please visit http://cvieforum.com/.

In the News

California State University, Bakersfield professor awarded $4.8 million grant  Brittney Beck, a professor with California State University, Bakersfield’s Department of Teacher Education, was awarded the five-year, Teacher Quality Partnership grant to prepare K-12 teachers and students in applying their budding competencies in STEM-C fields and to address real community issues, enact real community change, and cultivate the scientific literacy needed for full participation in democratic citizenship.” To read more, click here.  Valley Ventures Alumni, AQUAOSO®, officially launches Water Risk Intelligence Tools  Designed specifically to meet the needs of growers, banks, investors and other agricultural professionals, the AQUAOSO Water Risk Intelligence Tools allow users to identify, quantify, report, and monitor water supply risks across the California agricultural economy. The platform will ultimately provide a comprehensive set of tools to evaluate and monitor water risk around the globe. To read more, click here. Panera Bread launches new digital video series on food transparency  Panera Bread is boosting transparency about its products this week, starting with its namesake. The fast-casual chain is now disclosing the whole grain content of the breads on its menu. Along with the new labeling system is the launch of Food Interrupted, a new, six-episode weekly digital video series that follows leaders in the food industry as they meet a variety of people who have dedicated their lives to changing America’s food system. To read more, click here.

WET Member Highlight: Meet Agri-Logix! Agri-Logix was founded in 2016 and was built/designed for farmers by farmers! Agri-Logix came up with the idea after speaking with a local farmer on a drill site. Agri-Logix president Jordan Reyes asked the farmer how he kept records of everything that he was doing. The farmer pointed to his head and replied, "It’s all in here." This was Reyes’ lightbulb-moment, sparking the idea of creating a more efficient company/system that can monitor, control and inspect farms and ranches from anywhere in the world – Agri-Logix.     Reyes said that while there were products that offered similar systems, he felt that there could be a newer application that truly met all of the farmer's needs. Agri-Logix helps growers save money and more importantly, save time in the field by providing real-time, streamlined data.  Reyes acknowledged the impact that Valley Ventures made on Agri-Logix, noting that although sales are key, Valley Ventures prepared Agri-Logix in raising funds and working with interested investors.   “Don't be afraid to fail, even if you don't have all the bugs worked out, put something out there and get feedback,” said Reyes. “If you aren't selling, you’re dying. You have to make a living and the quicker you learn something works, or doesn't, the better.”    Learn more about WET member, Agri-Logix, here: https://agri-logix.net/

Grants and Other Opportunities

Production Scale-Up of Emerging Energy Technologies The California Energy Commission is planning to release an Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) solicitation to help California companies scale-up production of emerging energy technologies to meet customer demand. This solicitation will provide funding to help clean energy startup companies migrate small-scale production lines to larger-scale manufacturing facilities in California.  Click here to learn more about how to apply, application requirements and more. Center for Produce Safety Announces its 2019 Request for Research The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) is a 501 (c)(3), U.S. tax-exempt, charitable organization focused on providing the produce industry and government with open access to the information needed to continually enhance the safety of produce. Click here to learn more. FLOW's Rocket Fund FLOW's Rocket Fund is a granting pool that helps academic and garage innovators turn their technologies into commercial realities through financial support and entrepreneurial education. It is an exclusive program of the Resnick Sustainability Institute at Caltech, which is dedicated to supporting the cutting-edge research and creative problem solving necessary to change the balance of the world’s sustainability.    Learn more about how to apply here.

Upcoming Events and Webinars

Big Bang! Business Competition 2018/2019 launch! October 25, 2018 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.  Have an idea you want to bring to life? The annual Big Bang! Competition runs October through May, and is YOUR chance to advance your entrepreneurial ideas. On October 25, 2018, join the UC Davis Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship as they launch the 2018/2019 Big Bang! Business Competition with a networking mixer featuring athlete, author, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker, Sally Edwards.    Click here to RSVP. Growing your Business Using LinkedIn with Jennifer Darling  October 25, 2018 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  Bitwise South Stadium – Fresno, CA    Join LinkedIn expert Jennifer Darling for a morning of learning and insights to attract customers, give value, and find prospects on the professional networking site. LinkedIn is chock full of opportunities to build major influence for your business.  Click here to register. AgSharks Competition During the Western Growers 93rd Annual Meeting Oct. 30 in Palm Desert, CA    The competition varies from the television show, “Shark Tank,” in that five finalists will be selected to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges — the AgSharks — consisting of venture capitalists and fresh produce farmers. Like the show, the judges will decide on the spot whether to invest and how much to invest. Entrepreneurs and startups developing innovative solutions in food, ag tech and agriculture will have opportunities to receive a minimum of $250,000 in investment capital to support the development and growth of their businesses from Western Growers and S2G Ventures, the latter a multi-stage venture fund investing in food- and agriculture-related projects.  Click here to learn more. The Vine Food & Ag Meetup!  November 6, 2018 4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.  CSU, Chico -- Colusa Hall 100A    Meet agricultural and food processing companies, farmers, ranchers, faculty, students, technology companies and entrepreneurs and develop connections between farm and processor needs. Network with the ag and food technology companies that are in our region!   Click here to register. 12th Annual Kern County Energy Summit November 7, 2018 7:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.  Doubletree by Hilton, Bakersfield CA   Billed as the Central Valley's premier energy forum, since 2007, Kern Economic Development Corporation has presented the Energy Summit as a forum for energy innovation and development in Kern County. This regionally-renowned event has served as a timely and relevant platform for information on the various forms of energy as it affects Kern County’s position as a U.S. industry leader. Click here to register. Fresno State's AGTech Day November 16, 2018 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  Fresno State     The Center for Irrigation Technology will host its second annual “Innovations in Ag Irrigation Technology Demonstration and Showcase.” This event brings together the latest in irrigation and water management technologies, highlighted by exhibitor displays in the WET Center as well as a tour of the University Farm Laboratory.  Exhibitors will have the chance to showcase their innovative irrigation products and speak directly to the attendees. Exhibits, presentations, and exclusive sponsorship opportunities are available to interested companies!   Click here to register.

Did You Know? Valley Ventures has a press room that has the latest news on our Valley Ventures Accelerator Program!  Check out the latest information from our ventures here.

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