Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

We are thrilled to share that two of our innovative student startups, Splash Technologies and SentrySight, have made it into the Top 25 in '25 for the e-Fest? - Home of The Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge! This competition had nearly 200 submissions from colleges and universities across North America. Let's give it up for these innovators and entrepreneurs! Splash Technologies?is automating pool chemical testing. - Gabriel Sigala - Jeremy R. SentrySight is an AI prediction/monitoring system to prevent gun violence. - Huy Dao - Ritchie M. - Enrique De La Torre - Gavin Garcia We look forward to seeing them take on the competition at the end of April and share all the amazing work they have done! #BeMore #DoGreaterSacramento #studentstartups #venturebuilding #startups #entrepreneurship #innovation #SacState California State University-Sacramento Sacramento State College of Business Sacramento State College of Engineering and Computer Science Traction Lab Venture Accelerator Zero to Traction Sacramento Entrepreneurial Growth Alliance StartupSac Greater Sacramento Economic Council UC Davis Student Startup Center Startup Challenge Cameron R. Law Arlene J. Miranda Dale Carlsen J. Luke Wood, PhD Carlos Nevarez Lisa Hammersley Michelle Willard Jean-Francois Coget Kevan Shafizadeh, Ph.D., P.E. Nathan (Nam Kyoon) Kim Cheng Wang Ryan Fuller, PhD, MBA Brian K. Gladden, DBA Monique Brown Jeannie Wong Rafael A.C.D. Gacel-Sinclair Aaron Mondell Anderson Mark Haney Jessie Becker Alexander Jay Lee

Announcing the Top 25 in ’25! After nearly 200 submissions from colleges and universities across North America, these 25 undergrad teams earned their spot! It’s one of the most competitive and impressive groups we’ve ever seen—huge congrats to the students, their schools, and the advisors who championed them.

??? Office Hours — The Traction Lab Venture Accelerator team, Josh David Miller and Cameron R. Law went live from the Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship during the Startup Challenge. Think surveys will validate your startup? Think again. In our latest Office Hours session, JDM and Cam break down the real art of customer discovery — and why most founders are doing it wrong. ?? What we covered: ? Why most validation efforts fail (and how to fix them) ? The “early adopter pyramid” and how to use it ? Why surveys are usually a trap (sorry, not sorry) ? How to run interviews that actually give you traction-driving insights ? Why talking to just 5 people can change everything If you’ve been “talking to customers” but still feel stuck, this is the session you didn’t know you needed. ?? Catch the replay here: https://lnkd.in/gUD6QQ-h #startups #customerdiscovery #traction #zerototraction #officehours #founders #startupchallenge #entrepreneurship Zero to Traction StartupSac The Right Box Sacramento Entrepreneurial Growth Alliance Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy Growth Factory Veteran Entrepreneur Tribe of Sacramento (VETS) ChicoSTART CleanStart

Startup Challenge | Let It Begin! | 72 hours of Grind Mode Before Pitching On Sunday Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Morgan Leskody

?? Founders — not all “traction” is created equal. We see it all the time: the Product Hunt launch with 500 signups, the “interested” investor, the big-name partnership, or the viral LinkedIn post. But here’s the truth — none of those things matter if they don’t convert to real customers, real revenue, or repeatable growth. At best, they’re hopium. At worst, they’re distractions dressed up as progress. One of our co-founders, Josh David Miller, just dropped a no-fluff reality check: 5 traction metrics that don’t mean what you think they mean. If you’ve ever popped champagne after a pitch meeting or a shoutout on social, this one’s for you. Read it. Reflect. Then go build something repeatable. ????? ?? https://lnkd.in/gtPGXMdB #startups #traction #founders #productmarketfit #growth #earlystage #venturecapital Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship The Right Box Startup Challenge Zero to Traction

What an impactful mastermind for Purple Door Finders at the Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship with our facilitators Cameron R. Law and Josh David Miller for the Traction Lab Venture Accelerator. A groups of startups gathered at Sac State today to discuss our hypothesis for traction and set up experiments. We will be testing our assumptions over the weekend! It was so fun to be back at my alma mater and put that degree to work! ?????? Startup Challenge ???? #TLVA #StartupSac #TractionLab #Startups

Have I gone too far this time? ? Big investor meeting? Big deal. ? Fancy partnership? Well, fancy that. ? LinkedIn post take off? Brace for a hard landing. ? BigCo giving you love? Enjoy the one night stand. ? Product of the Day? I hope it at least made your day. Each week, I've been ratcheting up the sass to see just how much my readers will let me get away with before they turn on me, and this week I'm tackling the traction that wasn't. In this issue of my weekly newsletter, I'm breaking down 5 traction metrics that stroke founder egos but don't amount to anything — and what you should measure instead. Because real traction isn’t about attention, interest, or hype — it’s paying customers, engaged users, and a growth engine that runs on something more reliable than vibes and wishful thinking. ?? Grab it here: https://lnkd.in/g4EbGnDs

Episode 30 of Zero to Traction is LIVE! The "Hype or Hypothesis" Edition Hype is fun. It makes you feel good. But without real hypotheses to test, you’re just shouting into the void. ?? In this episode, Josh David Miller (JDM) & Cameron R. Law break down why optimism isn’t enough—startups need testable, falsifiable assumptions to actually move forward. ?? What’s Inside: ? Why hype alone won’t get you funded (or customers) ? The three must-have elements of a real hypothesis ? Why testing too many things at once is the startup equivalent of astrology ? ? How to set realistic, falsifiable targets for your experiments ? What to do when your data doesn’t match expectations ?? Takeaways & Highlights: ?? Hype ≠ Validation – If you’re not testing assumptions, it’s just storytelling. ?? How to Write a Good Hypothesis: Precision, Discreteness, and Falsifiability. ?? “Seeing What Happens” is for Amateurs – Real experiments need clear outcomes. ?? Choosing the Right Target Metric – Tie your KPIs to your business model assumptions. ?? Listen now & share with a founder who needs this: https://lnkd.in/gc-ZgM8n #ZeroToTraction #Podcast #StartupValidation #HypothesisDriven #Experimentation #Entrepreneurship #DataDriven #Innovation #CameronLaw #JoshDavidMiller Traction Lab Venture Accelerator The Right Box Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

We are pumped to share that the Sacramento Kings Capitalize public VOTE is now live! We are thrilled to share two ventures that have leveraged the Carlsen Center and associated programs: Splash Technologies and LogRx, led by Gabriel Sigala and Clive Savacool respectively, are in the Final 4! Be sure to cast your vote today! The winner will be announced in-game and presented a cash prize of $10,000 for further development of their business on April 9th! Vote Here: https://lnkd.in/gnhn5qY8 The ventures: - Splash Technologies?is automating pool chemical testing.? - LogRx?helps first responders and medical professionals track controlled substances more efficiently, ensuring accountability, reducing waste, and protecting communities. Vote Here: https://lnkd.in/gnhn5qY8 #SacramentoProud #SacramentoKings #Startups #entrepreneurship #ventures #competition California State University-Sacramento Sacramento State College of Business Sacramento Entrepreneurial Growth Alliance Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy NorCal Entrepreneur Hub Traction Lab Venture Accelerator StartupSac 1 Million Cups Sacramento Arlene J. Miranda Cameron R. Law Dale Carlsen Brian K. Gladden, DBA Monique Brown Ryan Fuller, PhD, MBA Cheng Hong Nathan (Nam Kyoon) Kim Cheng Wang Jean-Francois Coget Kwame Anku Barry Broome Mark Haney Kim Box Cheryl Beninga James Frasher Lokesh Sikaria Ricky Bailey Cody Kneale Andrew Solbjor Justin M. Huy Dao Ritchie M. Josh David Miller Laura Good May Chinavanichkit Kristen Simoes

?? Move Twice as Fast: The 3 Pillars of Startup Traction Finding traction isn’t magic—it’s a structured, repeatable process. At Traction Lab, we help startups reach their next fundraising milestone in half the time using a simple but powerful framework: 1?? Traction Framework – Define a clear milestone and a theory of what your business looks like when you hit it. Without a destination, you’re just wandering. 2?? Milestone-Based Progression – Break your path into key decision points that force clarity and focus. Each step should confirm you're on the right track. 3?? Iterative Validation – Run rapid, low-cost experiments to test your assumptions. If the data says you’re wrong, pivot fast. Most founders spin their wheels chasing distractions or guessing what works. This traction methodology keeps you moving forward with confidence—and gets you funded faster. Our co-founder Josh David Miller breaks it all down in his latest article. If you're serious about traction, check it out ?? ?? https://lnkd.in/gSA5gUfC #startups #fundraising #traction #growth #venturecapital #founders Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Zero to Traction Sacramento Entrepreneurial Growth Alliance The Right Box