This information is being shared in partnership with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. 

Five innovative startups will showcase the culmination of their two-year journey in the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s (CIE) Incubator program during the Incubator Showcase on Friday, Nov. 1, at the CIE HotHouse in downtown San Luis Obispo.

Since its inception in 2010, the CIE Incubator has promoted regional economic development by supporting tech and innovation startups with scalable potential. The program has helped nearly 100 startups create more than 350 jobs and raise over $54 million in funding. In the past two years alone, the five companies completing the program have collectively created 37 jobs, benefited from over 650 hours of one-on-one consultations, and secured more than $2.6 million in capital funding, grants and awards.

“The CIE’s two-year incubator program includes everything early-stage companies need to develop into financially stable, high-growth enterprises,” said CIE Interim Director Liz Fisher. “Having worked closely with these companies from initial concept to their first investments, we are proud to see how far they have come and excited to see where the future takes them as they continue to grow.”

The companies graduating from the CIE Incubator program include:

• Acre Cloud has a farm-management platform that offers growers and contractors customized control over their operations, extensive auditing capabilities, and access to new products, such as AcrePay and AcreAnalytics.
• Farm to Table Co. is significantly improving independent access to quality food and maximizing crop yields while reducing the environmental costs of food production in a meaningful way in our communities.
• Little Place Labs is a software company specializing in building advanced machine-learning solutions for deployment and execution on satellites and other space infrastructures.
• Quantum Energy Inc. is driving a clean-energy future by providing data that quantifies the hidden emissions and environmental impacts of energy. Their platform equips decision-makers with the insights needed to invest in clean energy, reducing harmful emissions and supporting a healthier planet.
• VETAMA is a mobile veterinary company that is using AI and other technologies to provide a seamless service for pet owners. Users get the convenience of a veterinary clinic from home.

Founders praised the help that CIE’s Incubator program provided over the past years.

“There is nowhere else that I can imagine where you can get this level of access to resources and support as a startup founder to move forward and make your vision a reality,” said Andrew Demille, co-founder and COO of Quantum Energy.

The CIE recently added seven new startups to the Incubator, making a total of 16 startups currently in the program. The new startups include:

• ENTEIN grows high-quality black soldier fly larvae for use in animal feed. The company is able to breed these insects off of food waste, making ENTEIN an integral player in California’s circular bioeconomy.
• GreenSight Technologies provides enterprise software to IT asset disposition companies to streamline the resale and disposal of electronics. They are using AI and market data to improve their business processes.
• Hire with Miles helps startups and small businesses recruit international employees for customer service roles. Grow your business with top international talent.
• JackRabbit Marketplace is a green-tech company helping contractors and property owners divert material from the waste stream.
• MindSprout is a mobile platform that gamifies the gambling addiction recovery process as a tool for reducing relapses, building healthy habits and increasing self-awareness of addiction.
• ODIN is redefining concussion care to mitigate traumatic brain injury with an objective and reliable eye-tracking solution, reducing the risk of successive concussions and enhancing athlete safety.
• SafePlate Technologies is using biosensors to replace allergen-testing methods that manufacturers currently use to test their ingredients, providing them with quick, quantitative and cost-effective results.

To RSVP for the Incubator Showcase, visit: https://cieincubator24.eventbrite.com/?aff=pressrelease.

Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The City of San Luis Obispo is a proud sponsor of the CIE's HotHouse. This important center provides Cal Poly students, faculty and community members with the tools, mentorship and resources to transform their innovative ideas into viable businesses, fostering entrepreneurship and regional economic development. By providing quality coaching, professional consulting and connections with industry professionals, the CIE creates an environment in which new businesses can develop and thrive. For more information, visit cie.calpoly.edu.

The CIE Incubator program is open to the broader business community, and Cal Poly affiliation is not required. Enrollment is open year-round. Startups interested in applying for the Incubator can visit cie.calpoly.edu/launch/incubator.

Photo Information: Andrew Demille, co-founder and COO of Quantum Energy Inc. presents at a Cal Poly CIE-SBDC AngelCon event. Demille’s startup was among six finalists to compete for over $100,000 in equity-backed funding June 1, 2023. Photo by Ruby Wallau for the CIE