Kings Capitalize

Nikki Nicholson

The contest aims to provide exceptionally skilled and creative food entrepreneurs from the region with a unique opportunity to demonstrate their culinary expertise and bolster their brand equity and exposure.

capitalize-food

Capitalize: Food

kings-capitalize-app-orchid

Kings Capitalize - App Orchid

kings-capitalize-ravata-solutions

Kings Capitalize - Ravata Solutions

kings-capitalize-3d-ops

Kings Capitalize - 3D-OPS

kings-capitalize-shared-vision

Kings Capitalize - Shared Vision

Official Release

And then there were eight! The 2023 Capitalize: Technology contest, presented by Dialpad and the City of Sacramento’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development has selected the Top 8 contestants who will participate in Pitch Day on Wednesday, March 1.

The contest launched on January 23, the Select 16 were notified on February 7 and today narrowed to the Top 8, who will participate in a pitch workshop and coaching sessions as they prepare for Pitch Day on March 1. At Pitch Day, a panel of successful entrepreneurs, executives and investors will judge the Top 8 pitches and select the 4 Finalists.

The 4 Finalists will create pitch videos to share why they should be crowned the 2023 Capitalize: Technology winner. The pitch videos will be used for fan voting on Kings.com/Capitalize. Fans will have the opportunity to cast a vote starting March 2 until halftime of Kings game on March 24. Judges and fan votes will be tallied, and the Capitalize winner will be announced during the game and awarded a $10,000 cash prize towards the development of their startup and three years of access to Dialpad communication services.

The 2023 Capitalize: Technology Top 8 are as follows:

To learn more about Capitalize 2023, visit Kings.com/Capitalize

sacramento-kings-announce-the-top-8-for-capitalize-technology

Sacramento Kings Announce the Top 8 for Capitalize: Technology

none

Following another successful year, today the Sacramento Kings launched the Fifth Annual Capitalize contest. Capitalize, the league’s first crowdsourced startup competition, will offer local entrepreneurs a chance to gain publicity, receive mentorship and secure funding for their business. For the third year, the contest will be powered by Sacramento Urban Technology Lab, which aims to bring awareness to current and future city initiatives as well as develop programming to support the growth of numerous industry verticals.

Applications for this year’s competition are now open, and will close Sunday, February 23, at 11:59 p.m. Startups located within 75 miles of Sacramento are eligible to apply. Sixteen companies will initially be selected, and over the next month, the competition will progress until four finalists are chosen. On March 26, the winner will be announced and awarded a $10,000 cash prize towards the development of their startup.

“We are proud to host this competition for a fifth year and continue to encourage innovation in the Sacramento region,” said Sacramento Kings President of Business Operations John Rinehart. “The Capitalize contest is an opportunity to foster the local startup community and provide entrepreneurs with meaningful resources and support to help advance their companies.”

The “Sweet 16” companies that are selected for Capitalize will be notified on Tuesday, February 25. The Kings will then host a Pitch Coaching Session on March 2 to help the contestants solidify their pitches. On March 4, the 16 companies will deliver a brief “elevator pitch” and interview with representatives of the judging panel to earn one of the eight semi-finalist spots.

On March 9, the semi-finalists will participate in Pitch Day, during which they will present their business ideas in front of a panel of successful entrepreneurs, executives and investors to potentially earn a spot as one of the top companies to continue to the Capitalize Finals.

The four finalists will work with the Kings to create pitch videos that will be displayed on the Capitalize website and used for fan voting, which will be open from March 18 until halftime of the Sacramento Kings vs. Atlanta Hawks game on March 26. At that time, the judges’ votes, along with the fan vote will be tallied to determine the winner of the 2020 Capitalize contest, who will be awarded $10,000 at center court.

“This is our third consecutive year partnering with the Kings to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the Sacramento area through the Capitalize contest,” said City of Sacramento’s Chief Innovation Officer Louis Stewart. “We are excited because this competition helps to highlight the thriving tech ecosystem in Sacramento thanks in part to the Kings and innovative frameworks like the Sacramento Urban Technology Lab.”

Since the inaugural launch of Capitalize in 2016, hundreds of applicants from Sacramento’s growing technology and innovator community have submitted their business to be recognized in this competition.

For more information and details on how to enter, visit Kings.com/Capitalize.

sacramento-kings-launch-fifth-annual-crowdsourced-startup-contest

Sacramento Kings Launch Fifth Annual Crowdsourced Startup Contest

awhedbee

Tonight, the Sacramento Kings will host the third annual Tech Night as the team takes on the Atlanta Hawks at Golden 1 Center, the world’s most technologically advanced and sustainable sports arena. Tech Night will debut innovative in-game technology – an augmented reality prize cannon powered by Xperiel, as well as showcase tech products from local community organizations. The Kings annual crowdsourced tech contest, Capitalize, powered by the Sacramento Urban Technology Lab, will conclude on Tech Night with the final four start-ups – Cognivive, Highlands Power, HomeZada and Protxx – presenting their pitch videos to fans in the arena and the contest judges selecting the grand prize winner.

“At every opportunity, we aim to reimagine the fan experience during Kings games and Golden 1 Center events,” said Sacramento Kings Chief Technology Officer Ryan Montoya. “Cutting-edge technology, like our award-winning app, allows us to enhance how our fans interact with the team, in the arena and beyond. On Tech Night, we have an opportunity to showcase technology that is changing the game experience, as well as highlight tech entrepreneurs from our community through the Capitalize contest.”

The Kings + Golden 1 Center mobile app will be the remote control that unlocks the enhanced experience on Tech Night at Golden 1 Center. Inside the app, fans can access “Photo in the Plaza” and submit a picture during the day to appear on the arena’s exterior screens as they arrive. During the game, the augmented reality prize cannon will fire up on NBA's only 4K ultra HD center-hung video board, VSP SKEYE View, giving fans around the arena an opportunity to virtually catch a Kings prize. Through the Kings + Golden 1 Center app, fans can tap on their screen, use the virtual crosshairs to aim and snag a prize. Winners can pick-up their prize at section 111 before the end of the third quarter.

Several technology exhibits will be on display throughout the arena. Hacker Lab will be exhibiting a 3D printer setup, a light matrix displaying the Kings logo, and a tabletop robot battle pit. The Sacramento Urban Technology Lab will showcase local robotics from the Sacramento Fire Department and Obra Art &amp; Tech Compound. The Sacramento Kings NBA 2K League team, Kings Guard Gaming, will host a gaming station equipped with a Nintendo 64 and Playstation 4 for fans to play.

During the game, the Capitalize contest will enter its final stage. Pitch videos featuring the four Capitalize finalists, created with the help of HaneyBiz Marketing, will be shown on VSP SKEYE View with a final call for fans to vote before halftime. After all of the Twitter votes are counted, and the final panel of judges deliberates, the grand prize winner will be announced during the third quarter of the game. The winner will receive $10,000, an opportunity to pitch to leading angel investors and CFO consulting services provided by Countsy. For more information on Capitalize and to view the finalists’ pitch videos, visit Kings.com/Capitalize.

The Kings Foundation will also support one of Sacramento’s most innovative non-profits on Tech Night.  ReCreate is dedicated to reducing waste in the Sacramento area by recycling undesirable and old tech items to promote science, technology, engineering, art and math projects for elementary students. The in-arena 50/50 raffle will benefit ReCreate and help extend their educational programs.