| Valley Ventures alumni, Upcycle & Co. closes $825K Seed Round |
Valley Ventures Cohort III graduate, Upcycle and Company, recently closed an $825,000 seed round led by Tech Coast Angels with participation from 15 individual investors.
Their innovative proprietary fertilizer combines fertilizer with amendments aimed at improving soil quality - the most important asset for a landscaper or gardener.
CEO and Founder of Upcycle and Company, Jared Criscuolo, recently announced another groundbreaking entrance into the home gardening market with the distribution of their Native Soil Fertilizer in Target.
"We are looking to expand our merchandising plan and product offering at Target, to expand into Lowe's and [The] Home Depot, and to more independent home, garden and farm retailers," said Criscuolo.
"Additionally, we are releasing a version of our product for golf courses, parks, and athletic field trials this summer at the Center for Irrigation Technology at Fresno State on a liquid version for tomato growers."
Upcycle and Company graduated as part of Valley Ventures Accelerator Cohort III in 2018, which focused on agricultural applications.
"I'd like to express our deepest gratitude to the Valley Ventures team, Fresno State and the California Energy Commission for setting up and funding this program, and for the incredible outpouring of support from the Fresno State community," said Criscuolo. |
| Valley Ventures alumni, GroGuru, awarded grant for Cyber Agriculture |
Valley Ventures graduate, GroGuru Inc., was recently awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant for Cyber Agriculture.
According to the specifications of the grant, awarded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for Plant Production and Protection, GroGuru will be working on enhancing crop production in both conventional and organic systems in economically and environmentally sound ways.
GroGuru graduated as part of Cohort I of the Valley Ventures program and has since raised $2.9M in seed funding, partnered with Tennessee producers, and is now raising a financing round using equity crowdfunding on WeFunder.
"We are ecstatic to have had the chance to participate in the Valley Ventures program. The support network we've gained and the networking we've been able to do have been an instrumental help to our team," said Patrick Henry, president, and CEO of GroGuru.
"GroGuru has been thriving tremendously since graduating from Valley Ventures." Henry discussed the pivotal impacts of the SBIR grant, noting that the award further validates the capabilities of GroGuru's innovative technologies and research that helps farmers and the commercial agriculture industry at large.
"According to Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, the United States has a goal to increase agriculture productivity by 40% and reduce environmental impact by 50% by the year 2050," said Henry.
"GroGuru is focused on delivering strategic irrigation management solutions that move us toward this goal." |
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SICC Pitch Applications
Deadline: August 3, 2020
COVID-19 Business for All Emergency Grant
Award Amount: $10,000
Deadline: Until funds are depleted
USDA Conservation Innovation Grant
Award Amount: $15M
Multiple grants and deadlines
I Am Hydro Prize
Award Amount: Varies
Deadline: September 30, 2020
Renewable Energy Proposals - SoCal Public Power Authority
Deadline: December 30, 2020
Check out Funding Wizard and CalOES for more funding opportunities!
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HUD issues Opportunity Zones Toolkit Volume II
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently issued its Opportunity Zones Toolkit Volume II, a guide for implementing economic development strategies
IEA summit urges clean energy investments
The International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director, Faith Birol, urged global energy ministers to adopt ambitious green recovery plans at the IEA summit.
Clean Technology Market Forecast
This report details the direction that the clean technology market is headed in the next decade in terms of geographical hotspots and leading players in the industry.
CEC Awards $2.9M to Clean Energy Partnership
The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded a $2.9 million grant to be distributed to a partnership of clean energy and technology companies. The funds will go to ReJoule and CleanSpark and will be further supported by Ford Motor Company, BigBattery, and GRID Alternatives. |
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*Events subject to cancellation/rescheduling as professional recommendations regarding COVID-19 emerge
WET Center Webinar Series | Monthly
Our goal has been (and will always be) to play an important role online by providing innovative resources to our diverse network of professionals, ventures, and entrepreneurs. This role is more important than ever before!
To counter the ever-changing news surrounding COVID-19, and to help alleviate the impacts made by quarantine life, we strongly encourage you to join in on our monthly webinar series.
Our WET Center Webinar Series features keynote speakers from diverse and innovative backgrounds that aim to help your water, energy and ag-tech business develop and grow.
CleanStart Spotlight Pitch Night | July 23
CleanStart, in collaboration with BlueTechValley, is launching a new investor pitch event for clean tech startups. July's Spotlight Pitch will feature four new companies who will present to a five-person panel who will provide each presenter feedback and then questions will be taken from the attendees.
Startup Monterey Bay Tech Meetup | September 8
Startup Monterey Bay Tech Meetup is the place to go to meet aspiring entrepreneurs, get news about what’s happening with local startups, get help, and get inspired!
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| Introducing Mesur.io! They are an environmental analytics company that has been affiliated with the WET Center since January of 2019. |
| Tom Rump, CEO of Mesur.io, says that since partnering with the WET Center, their company has been able to “tap into the west coast/central valley agriculture community. As an east coast based firm it has been very helpful.” |
| Rump went on to say that his company has been able to grow from networking opportunities provided by the WET Center. “[We] are hopeful to continue to share our capabilities and resources to other members of the community.” |
| You can keep up with Mesur.io on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter! |
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engineers!
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Nitricity has received a Rocket Fund grant! This award will be used to support Nitricity's first commercial solar-fertilizer system in 2020.
Are you a WET member? Have a success story you want to share? Email us to be featured in our newsletter!
   
  
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