Envoy’s launch in Sacramento ties in well with the “Green City” initiative by Volkswagen’s subsidiary Electrify America, in which $44 million in investment in zero-emission vehicle infrastructure, car-sharing services, delivery fleet and education is set to occur.

In the early 2000s, Mariah Lichtenstern was an undergrad studying the rhetoric of narrative and image at UC Berkeley and starting a boutique production company in the Bay Area. That was when Napster was disrupting the music industry in a way that would leave it forever changed.

The transition to parenthood can be daunting, particularly for new parents and those juggling work and family life. But several Capital Region-based parents have launched creative businesses and groups that support the whole family — from emotional and physical well-being, to work/life balance.

So you’ve got a terrific idea for a new business or product you’d like to bring to market. But where do you start?

The infomercial world is full of goods that will purportedly forever alter the way you mop, do your laundry, cook eggs, exercise and listen to music.

But are those products truly revolutionary? More importantly, can a product or service truly be revolutionary at all?

Armed with inspiration from a vintage WWII era battle tank, Michael Seals has carved out a niche high-end market as a custom watchmaker in the suburban community of El Dorado Hills, 25 miles east of Sacramento and across the globe from Switzerland’s Alps — home to the watchmakers who have set the standard for quality and precision.

Laticia Middleton perches in front of a computer at the Greater Sacramento Urban League’s job center, scanning employment ads. At 30, with two children, a high school diploma and a job at a call center, Middleton is the kind of student Gov. Jerry Brown has in mind as he pushes for a new online community college.

Around the world, 2.1 billion people lack safe drinking water at home. This Sacramento startup aims to make a difference. 

Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood brought in the bulk of the winning food-related projects, including a mural that will direct CalFresh (food stamp) beneficiaries to shop at their local farmers market, a high school sidewalk beautification project, and an urban farming training and demo garden. Here’s the projects getting a boost:

Gov. Jerry Brown wants to add millions in new spending on programs to help former inmates stay out of jail—a proposal generating bipartisan praise because of concern they are returning to prison in large numbers. But some say it still isn’t enough.