
Startup of the Month: Soar Optics
Company targets microplastics in water with high-tech microscopes
Microplastics can be found everywhere, from Antarctica to Mt. Everest to breast milk. A Western Regional Winner in 2022, Soar Optics develops technology to identify these microscopic particles in water.

Startup of the Month: Inspirame
College and career navigation platform aims to repair education pipeline
In 2019, CEO Maria Medrano co-founded the equity-driven startup Inspirame to repair these critical gaps in college enrollment and workforce development.

Startup of the Month: AgriNerds
Mapping tool helps farmers track carriers of bird flu
In recent years, avian influenza (or “bird flu”) has been on a rampage, wiping out wild and domestic birds, disrupting the environment, and causing a shortage of eggs and poultry meat. The Davis-based startup AgriNerds aims to help farmers to identify potential risks and protect poultry against the threat of diseased ducks.

Startup of the Month: 3D Organic Polymer Silk
Trio of researchers aim to revolutionize orthopedic medicine with spider silk
With over 3 billion years of evolution under its belt, the natural world has a pretty long track record of creativity. Knowing this, three interdisciplinary researchers at UC Davis looked to the golden silk orb-weaver spider to develop an innovative biomaterial.

Startup of the Month: OnSight Technology
Company deploys robots to detect issues on solar farms
After years in the solar farm industry, Derek Chase was looking into different drone companies to handle aerial flyovers. But he found these companies couldn’t provide the information he needed, which was found on the ground, under the panels, where the wires are.
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Bank of Marin
BRINGING EXCELLENCE TO LOCAL RELATIONSHIP BANKING
From supporting local businesses through lending to strengthening the places it calls home through volunteerism and corporate philanthropy, Bank of Marin has been honored to call the Greater Sacramento region home since it joined the community in 2021.

Startup of the Month: Botanical Solution Inc.
Lab-grown plants offer key compounds for crop protection, vaccines
Grown in a lab from raw materials, so-called “baby trees” could be essential for protecting not only the future of fruits and vegetables, but also people. This is the aim of Botanical Solution Inc., a Davis-based ag tech startup with global roots.

Startup of the Month: RePurpose Energy
Fairfield startup puts sustainable spin on retired EV batteries
For an old electric vehicle battery, retirement doesn’t mean the end of the road. This fact was the catalyst for RePurpose Energy, a Fairfield-based startup that converts retired EV batteries into renewable energy storage systems.

Startup of the Month: Scopi
A portable endoscope helps clinicians diagnose nasal problems
Nasal and sinus problems can be tricky and costly to diagnose. Based on a hardware prototype developed at Stanford University, Scopi Medical aims to solve both problems with the first AI-enabled portable nasal endoscope for diagnosis at the point of care.

Startup of the Month: Badaye Technologies
Machine helps farmers clean maize more efficiently
In Uganda, farmers clean maize in three traditional ways: hand sorting, winnowing and sieving. During an internship in eastern Uganda in 2018, Ismael Mayanja observed these processes and believed there had to be a better method.