CalOSBA in Northern California

The California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalSOBA) serves as the voice of small business, representing your views and interests and advocating for equitable access to capital, markets and resources.

CalOSBA’s regional teams live and work near you so we can participate in local events and get to know our small business communities from the inside out. We want to meet you, answer your questions and support your events.

Local & Regional Economic Conferences | Ribbon-cuttings | Workshops & Webinars |

Chamber of Commerce Meetings | Lending Events | & More

Northern California Team

Clair Whitmer

Jermaine Carter-Gibson

Jamie Winters

Shruti Narain

Grants and Loans

Discover grant and loan programs for small businesses. On our website you can:

Get details on upcoming grant and loan programs
Find current grant and loan opportunities
Learn how to apply for a funding program

Learn More

Small Business Support Centers

California funds a network of Small Business Support Centers that provide no-cost one-on-one consulting and no-cost or low-cost training services and programs to small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Their expert advisors can assist you with all stages of your business including startup business plans, access to financing, growth, resiliency plans, e-commerce, marketing and more.

Find a Business Advisor

State of California Procurement Marketplace

Cal eProcure
Cal eProcure is an online portal that gives businesses access to state bidding, contracting and certification resources in one location. Learn more at the Cal eProcure website

Department of General Services
The Department of General Services (DGS) Procurement Division (PD) sets state procurement policies and provides purchasing services. It delegates purchasing authority to state departments; certifies small and/or disabled veteran businesses to do business with the state; and provides innovative purchasing methods that save taxpayers’ dollars, integrating quality solutions to meet customers’ needs. Learn more at the DGS website.

Source Diverse Source Local

Source Diverse Source Local is a public-private collaboration to foster an inclusive procurement process and a resilient California-based supply chain. Source Diverse Source Local supports diversity, equity and inclusion in California’s procurements by increasing state dollars spent with diverse and/or local California businesses.

This initiative aims to develop new and existing small businesses through procurement readiness programs to obtain manufacturing, government and/or corporate contracts.

Learn more here.

Resources

CalOSBA

CA Business Investment Services (CalBIS)

California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (iBank)

California Secretary of State

Small Business Administration

Small Business Development Centers

Employment Training Panel (ETP)

Apex Accelerators

Don’t Be Scared, Get Prepared

Outsmart Disaster provides California businesses and nonprofits with the training and resources needed to prepare for and recover from all types of business interruptions.

Download and customize your Business Resiliency Roadmap
Attend an online training webinar
Schedule an in-person training for your community

Trainings available in Spanish!

Get Ready to Outsmart Disaster

Small Business Success Stories from California’s Small Business Center Network

CalOSBA’s small business support partners and grant programs provide California’s small businesses with no-cost or low-cost 1:1 consulting and training to help them get started, manage, and grow. Learn how business-owners in a community near you took advantage of these services to improve the outlook for their businesses.

Beber Almondmilk

by Editorial Team | January 16, 2024 | Butte County, Food Industry, Northern California, Retail | 0 Comments

Beber was born in 2012, when founder, Arielle Danan, took her yearlong experience from organic farming abroad and applied it to almonds in her hometown of Northern California. Over the past ten years, Beber has grown from a humble start at the local Chico…

Safety by George, LLC

by Abdul Afridi | July 9, 2024 | Education, Humboldt County, Northern California, Occupational Safety | 0 Comments

There are many dangers in the common workplace and safety is a primary concern for employers and employees alike. The Department of Industrial Relations oversees the California Occupational Safety and Health program…

Breakers Breakfast, Lunch & Brunch

by Editorial Team | January 6, 2023 | Northern California, Restaurant, San Mateo County, Table Service | 0 Comments

Robby Bancroft and his father Steve, Co-Owners of Breakers Breakfast, Brunch & Lunch, received small business guidance from the Northern California SBDC Network to help them rebound after they opened their business in 2014 but had to close their doors for nine…

Correa Logistics

by Editorial Team | April 11, 2023 | Consulting & Services, Medical Products and Services, Northern California, Sonoma County | 0 Comments

Correa Logistics is a small business based out of Santa Rosa, California. They develop and market innovative medical products and services to multiple industry sectors around the world. Their mission is to provide…

Natural Behavioral Solutions

by Editorial Team | April 11, 2023 | Contra Costa County, Educational Services, Learning Support, Northern California | 0 Comments

Natural Behavioral Solutions is an Applied Behavioral Analytical (ABA) company which uses naturalistic approaches to learning in order to teach children and adults ages 1 through 22 years-old with disabilities or behavioral concerns…

Coastside Baking Co.

by Editorial Team | July 14, 2023 | Bakery, Northern California, Restaurant, San Mateo County | 0 Comments

Salomon moved to Halfmoon Bay from Santiago Apóstol Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2005. He came to Half Moon Bay looking for a better future for himself and his family and found his first job as a farmworker. Being new to the country, Salomon was open to working in…

Read All Success Stories

Accelerate California Inclusive Innovation Hubs in Your Region

Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Sacramento
Hosted by the Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Sacramento State, the Sacramento Entrepreneurship Growth Alliance (SEGA) focuses on supporting the region’s cleantech industry with programming such as CleanTech Funding Foundation Series

Learn More

ChicoStart

Chico
ChicoSTART provides innovation support by fostering technology development, establishing business partnerships, integrating university expertise and services, facilitating funding acquisition, and promoting university-to-industry technology transfer across the northernmost 17 counties of California.

Learn More

HumanMade

San Francisco
Humanmade is a business incubator and advanced manufacturing workforce development training center offering training in professional design, prototyping, and fabrication. Humanmade supports entrepreneurs building shoot-for-the-moon-style tech, as well as small businesses focused on handmade goods.

Learn More

Siskiyou EDC Agccelerator

Yreka
The Agccelerator addresses challenges facing the agriculture businesses including wildfires, droughts, and supply chain disruptions. The SEDC provides expert industry consulting, conducts workshops, and initiates succession planning for farmers and ranchers in Siskiyou, Shasta, and Trinity counties.

Learn More