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.

SOL Learning Institute 

by Editorial Team | January 6, 2023 | Educational Services, Learning Support, Nevada County, Northern California | 0 Comments

CalOSBA had an opportunity to catch up with Travis Duckworth, the director of SOL Learning Institute, which has a year-round, skill-based enrichment program designed to introduce young adults to the three pillars of sustainable…

GK Promos

by Editorial Team | April 11, 2023 | Custom Promotional Products, Northern California, Retail, Sacramento County | 0 Comments

When Gerardo Zaragoza, Chief Executive Officer, and Kathy Gutierrez, Co-President, opened GK Promos, their main challenges were needing more income to sustain themselves and the business, a lack of social media presence…

Hella Nuts

by Editorial Team | December 14, 2023 | Alameda County, Northern California, Restaurant, Vegan Foods | 0 Comments

Kami and Mieko Scott founders of Hella Nuts started their plant-based journey in 2018. Their goal was to come up with vegan options that had no chemicals, fillers, or soy. Nothing but all natural ingredients. As a black-owned and women-owned business, Hella Nuts aims to…

Sierra Mobile Glass

by Abdul Afridi | February 20, 2025 | Automotive Glass Service and Repair, Nevada County, Northern California | 0 Comments

Diana Hartley was motivated to start her business, Sierra Mobile Glass, and she wanted to take advantage of the resources offered for entrepreneurs by the…

Lopes Family Farms

by Abdul Afridi | December 19, 2024 | Agricultural, Glenn County, Northern California | 0 Comments

Bruce and Christopher Lopes realized they needed to pivot from their old business model to something that could sustain the family long into the future because…

Redding Veterinary Clinic

by Ginger Cordoba | March 20, 2025 | Northern California, Shasta County, Veterinary Services | 0 Comments

Dr. Evelyn Townsell and her business partner, and vet tech, Jonathan Fleming, shared love for animals, combined with Evelyn’s experience working at a veterinary hospital…

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