Comstock's magazine 1217 - December 2017 | Page 87

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“We recognize our role isn’t big in
scope,” Wood says. “We’re more con-
nectors, connecting people with the right
resources.”
Currently, the group is working with
and tracking more than 150 startups.
Wood says Sacramento has long had a
do-it-yourself, entrepreneurial spirit, and
this extends to medtech as well. Another
growth factor is the region’s four major
health care systems: Sutter Health, Dig-
nity Health, Kaiser Permanente and UC
Davis Health.
These big providers fuel innovation
while also offering a place for new ideas
and technologies to be applied. Dignity
Health, where Wood works, for exam-
ple, has a multi-million dollar fund aimed
at fueling local startup growth.
The results are tangible. Just ask Cin-
de Dolphin, who founded KILI Medical
Drain Carrier in Sacramento in 2014. Dol-
phin’s story is somewhat incredible. She
is a nine-time cancer survivor who was
tired of having to pin drain pods to her
medical gowns when she was a patient.
So, she invented a mesh apron that has
a fluid drain built into it. With the help
of the region’s many coworking spaces,
entrepreneur workshops, meetup events
and mentoring programs, Dolphin was
able to build a company out of her idea.
“I find this to be a wonderful start-
up community with a lot of attention on
being collaborative,” D