The Golden State Capital Network has announced it has chosen Apple’s PowerSchool and Meridian Project Systems as co-winners in the first annual Alumnus of the Year award. The PowerSchool honor is actually based, in part, on its being acquired by Apple.
The purpose of award is to promote the importance of entrepreneurism in the U.S. by honoring one company each year that has participated at a prior Golden State Venture Capital event. Nominees were reviewed and finalists were selected among 250 companies and were based on factors related to the past or potential future success of the company.
Meridian Project Systems is a project management solution provider for the international building industry. PowerSchool was started in 1997, and is now a division of Apple. It employs 180 with 120 in their corporate office. Prior to its acquisition by Apple, PowerSchool raised US$25 million in investment capital.
PowerSchool is a completely Web-based student information system that enables districts and schools to record, access, report and manage their student data and performance records in real-time. Parents, students, teachers and administrators use the system to share information about grades, attendance records, and homework assignments. The PowerSchool student information system is used by 2,000 schools in the U.S. Apple bought the company last year for $62 million in Apple stock.
Presented by Golden State Capital Network in association with Sacramento Business Journal, the Sacramento Angels, Sacramento Metro Chamber, UC Davis CONNECT, ETI and AeA, Alumnus of the Year award is part of a program designed to “bring together the brightest and most promising young companies, giving them exposure to a premier group of 80-plus accredited investors and venture capital firms from Silicon Valley, Sacramento, Tahoe/Reno and southern California.”