A Quarter Century of Startups: Big Bang! Finalists Share $100K in Milestone Year
Checking in with past honorees of the UC Davis competition — some who’ve gone public, others who’ve pivoted careers
Today, the UC Davis Big Bang! awards ceremony honors 19 finalist teams with $100,000 in grants. For every founder that participates in the Big Bang, several of which have been spotlighted in Comstock’s Startup of the Month column and other stories, no path forward looks the same.
Inside California’s Retro Video Game Modding Scene
Modchips and fan games can cross legal lines—but for some, it's a passion worth the risk
Selling modified video games and consoles is illegal but typically unenforced. The fear of a lawsuit from a big tech company is enough to scare away established retailers. A few side-hustlers in the Capital Region take that chance and operate in a gray market.
Can You Franchise the News? Media Entrepreneurs Say Yes
Franchise and license models like Edible and Coffee News offer turnkey options for would-be publishers
From McDonald’s to Ace Hardware, franchises permeate all sorts of industries, and media is no exception. The franchise model offers an onramp into the industry for entrepreneurs with the money but without the experience.
Startup of the Month: CREE8
A ‘studio in the cloud’ connects creatives worldwide
“I wanted to build a platform that removed those barriers,” says Lisa M. Watts, CEO and founder of CREE8, “enabling creators to work from anywhere with the same power as an enterprise-grade studio. Truly reinventing the future of work.”
The Increasing Risk of Cyberattacks: How to Protect Your Organization Against Massive Losses
As the bad guys get more sophisticated, all businesses, both large and small, are vulnerable. Cybercriminals view large business as a big pot of gold for them to steal and small or medium-sized business as an easy target. McKinsey & Company estimates that cyberattacks will reach $10.5 trillion by the end of this year, a whopping 300 percent increase from 2015.
Standout Startups: How Did These Capital Region Entrepreneurs Succeed Where So Many Have Fallen Short?
It’s a wild ride that not everyone has the access, resources, means or the mentality to stomach. Most fall short. But since 2015, some startups in the Capital Region have defied the odds, reaching remarkable heights.
Startup of the Month: Off The Wall Energy
Energy device puts power usage in consumers’ hands
With a family of six, Bob Guimarin had three “power problems”: 1) too many cords, 2) too many outages and 3) not enough ports in the van during road trips. Being a serial entrepreneur, Guimarin came up with a way to simplify power management and reduce reliance on external sources.
Sponsored
Pinnacle Emergency Management
THE EXPERTS IN DISASTER RESTORATION
The Client
Spencer Building Maintenance, a full-service custodial and building maintenance firm, serves their customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They are humble, joyful professionals who clean where people work and improve every environment they touch.
Sponsored
DesCor Builders
TWO DECADES OF GROWTH, EXCELLENCE AND TRUSTED PARTNERSHIPS
Twenty years ago, Brad DesJardin and Neal Cordeiro founded DesCor Builders with a simple yet ambitious goal: to create a construction company that prioritized collaboration, innovation and exceptional service.
Hydrologic Engineering Center in Davis to Keep Federal Government Lease
Longtime center had been sent a lease termination notice
Behind a nondescript door in downtown Davis exists a little-known but vitally important piece of infrastructure, the Hydrologic Engineering Center. A recent threat to this center’s existence appears to have passed.