Startup of the Month: InnerPlant
Detecting crop diseases before symptoms show
InnerPlant develops seed technology that turns crops into living sensors that detect stress (such as fungus, pathogens and nitrogen deficiency) at the molecular level before visible symptoms appear. The startup’s initial focus is a soybean engineered to emit a fluorescent optical signal within 48 hours of fungal infection.
Sponsored
Gilbert CPAs
POWERING PROGRESS: HOW WECA AND GILBERT CPAS PARTNER TO ADVANCE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE
Since 1929, the Western Electrical Contractors Association (WECA) has been a fixture in Sacramento, powering the region’s growth while lighting the way for the electrical industry across the western United States.
Sponsored
Dignity Health
EXPANDING CARE TO MEET GROWING NEEDS OF ELK GROVE
In a city that’s grown from quiet farmland to a vibrant, bustling community, Dignity Health is preparing to bring a new wave of care — and a healthy dose of humankindness — to Elk Grove.
Sponsored
City of Elk Grove
CELEBRATING ELK GROVE’S SILVER ANNIVERSARY OF CITYHOOD
Elk Grove is celebrating 25 years of cityhood. From a vision for incorporation to becoming Sacramento County’s second-largest city, Elk Grove is now a vibrant home for residents and businesses alike.
UC Davis Survives Potential Loss of $36M NIH Grant
Funding is for study by UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
A UC Davis’ Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center study, “The Clinical Significance of Incidental White Matter Lesions on MRI Amongst a Diverse Population with Cognitive Complaints,” is funded with a $35.9 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health. NIH recently informed UC Davis it would terminate the grant.
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.”