Five companies take Innovation Tri-Valley GameChangers awards

Innovation Tri-Valley presents its ninth annual #GameChangers awards Thursday evening at The Roundhouse at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon. The reception and ceremony run from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

The leadership group named this year's five honorees on May 6. Four of the five work out of the valley's own office parks and labs.

• Pac-12 Conference, San Ramon, for innovation in sports and entertainment. The conference moved its operations to San Ramon and is rebuilding its model for collegiate sports from that base.
• Inertia Fusion Energy, Livermore, for innovation in energy and deep technology. The company is working to carry the fusion ignition achieved at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in December 2022 toward a commercially deployable clean energy technology.
• SavvyMoney, Dublin, for innovation in financial technology. Its credit score and financial wellness platform runs inside the digital banking of credit unions and other financial institutions.
• Calyxo, Pleasanton, for innovation in biotechnology and medical devices. Calyxo's device is built to shorten kidney stone procedures and clear more stone in a single treatment.
• Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley receives the Founders Award, which the group gives for a contribution that reaches beyond one sector or one year.

"This region's innovation story is a huge contribution to the leadership of California," Katie Marcel, chief executive of Innovation Tri-Valley, said when the honorees were announced.

The award has been given since 2018. Past recipients include Gillig, Dialpad, 10x Genomics, AEye, Crosschq, Lam Research, Radiant Oximetry, Tekion, Topcon, Unchained Labs and Vagaro, along with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories.

Innovation Tri-Valley covers Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, San Ramon and the town of Danville. By its own count the five communities hold more than 700 technology companies and a regional economy of $52 billion.

Ticket and sponsorship questions go to info@innovationtrivalley.org. The group has not published a ticket price.