Resources| Partners

RESOURCES & ASSOCIATIONS

 

Following is a list of local organizations and industry associations that provide additional resources to entrepreneurs and businesses:

American Electronics Association (AeA)

AEA offers human resources services, management development programs, executive networking, public policy leadership and other valuable services.

Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA)

The AFCEA provides educational, professional development and networking opportunities for companies in defense-related industries.

Beyster Institute at the Rady School, UC San Diego

A non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the use of entrepreneurship and employee ownership to build stronger, higher performing enterprises.

Building Engineering & Science Talent (BEST)

A public-private partnership to follow through on the September 2000 recommendations of the Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development.

BIOCOM

BIOCOM is a premier life science industry association representing more than 550 member companies in Southern California. The association focuses on initiatives that positively influence the growth of the life science industry, including capital formation, public policy, workforce development, and scientific discovery and development.

CDC Small Business Finance Corporation

The nation's #1 SBA-certified lender, offering long-term, fixed-rate financing. It offers general business loans, e.g. for business start-ups, equipment purchases, inventory debt financing, and real estate loans.

Center for Applied Competitive Technologies at San Diego City College
The Center for Applied Competitive Technologies at San Diego (CACT-SD), established in 1990, is one of twelve regional advanced technology centers (ATCs) designated by the State of California to assist manufacturers m modernizing their management of manufacturing and production technologies

Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CCAT)

Providing a broad range of unique services to technology innovators and developers, CCAT's goal is to move these technologies through the developmental milestones necessary for success.

Chairmen's Round Table (CRT)

A non-profit volunteer organization comprised of successful Chief Executive Officers with diverse industry backgrounds who provide businesses in San Diego County advice on how to manage and grow their businesses through a well-defined mentoring program.

Cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and National City-San Diego Regional Revolving Loan Fund

The SDRRLF is designed to improve economically distressed areas, increase the numbers and level of business operations, and subsequently increase incomes and earning capacities. Helping to stimulate San Diego County’s economic growth, the program offers financial assistance to start-up and expanding businesses. The SDRRLF targets firms in biotechnology, software, electronics, communication, and medical services—the top five industries that drive economic growth.

City of San Diego ' Technology Fund'

The San Diego Technology Fund (SDTF) is a public revolving loan fund that helps finance promising small businesses' efforts to raise working capital and accelerate growth. The SDTF addresses finance needs among the region's smaller growth companies that may not yet possess the transaction size or market potential necessary to attract venture capital.

CommNexus

CommNexus (formerly the San Diego Telecom Council) is focused on developing and cultivating awareness of the region's telecommunications and information industry, as well as its unique environment for entrepreneurs, by providing a forum for exchanging industry knowledge and promoting local telecom industry goals.

Connectory.com

The Connectory.com Buyer-Supplier Network is an innovative, business-to-business marketing and communication tool for the entire San Diego/Imperial County and Baja California region, and it provides profiles of primary industry and technology and the suppliers of goods and services that support them.

Corporate Directors Forum (CDF)

CDF programs are designed to meet the demanding and highly competitive needs of board members and organizations in their selection of a qualified board.

East County Economic Development Council (ECEDC)
The San Diego East County Economic Development Council is a dynamic, award-winning, non-profit organization of leaders committed to a healthy, vital economic climate and quality of life in the East County region.

The Entrepreneurial Management Center

EMC at San Diego State University is a non-profit institution that supports and serves the emerging growth sector of the regional entrepreneurial academic, business and social communities. Its mission is to assist this sector of the economy through programming focused on the application of the underlying principles and perspectives of entrepreneurship through educational programming offered to students, organizations, and individuals.

Envision SD

A partnership between KPBS, the Union Tribune's SignOnSanDiego.com and SDSU's International Center for Communications designed to enhance citizen awareness of, and commitment to solving major public policy issues affecting the development of the region.

Financial Executives Network 

Creates opportunities for senior financial professionals to network,

share job leads and friendship with peers in the financial community.

Foundation for Enterprise Development

As a private foundation, the Foundation for Enterprise Development seeks to foster the advancement of entrepreneurial scientific and technology enterprises

Global CONNECT - UC San Diego

A dynamic collection of organizations-firms, regional development organizations, university programs, and capital service providers-working together to develop international high technology and life science linkages.

Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce is one of the most influential forces in local government and regional economic development. With more than 3,000 members, the Chamber of Commerce is actively involved in public policy and providing valuable resources to its members.

Kauffman eVenturing

Geared to those who are building companies that innovate and create jobs and wealth, Kauffman eVenturing is the trusted guide for entrepreneurs on the path to high growth.

Los Alamos National Laboratory

For more than 63 years, the Laboratory has served the nation by developing and applying the best science and technology to ensure its safety and security.

MIT Enterprise Forum

A non-profit organization that addresses the changing nature of technology-based businesses.

NanoBioNexus

NanoBioNexus's mission is to facilitate economic development and provide a community service whereby leading-edge nanobiotech companies and research institutions are matched with companies that have synergistic, converging technologies or investment.

National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)

The San Diego chapter of the NDIA provides forums for knowledge, networking and access to key decision makers, focused on the defense industry.

NIH - CAP

In support of regional efforts to bring innovative technologies into the marketplace, CONNECT serves as an alliance partner with the Larta Institute in Los Angeles which offers an annual National Institutes of Health Commercialization Assistance Program (NIH-CAP). This program, now entering its third year, is offered at no cost to companies who have been awarded Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) research and development grants by the NIH. This program, which is conducted on a national level, is designed to help some of the nation's most promising life science startups develop their commercial business. The program begins with an application process, and includes ten months of individual mentoring and consulting plus training workshops and opportunities for public presentations to the biomedical and biotechnology investment communities. For more information, please contact LARTA Institute at www.larta.org.

Pacific Community Ventures (PCV)

Pacific Community Ventures (PCV) is an innovative, 7-year old 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that has pioneered a new approach to community economic development. They provide capital, mentoring and resources to businesses that have the potential to bring significant economic gains to low-income communities throughout California. PCV targets companies, generally not high tech, that draw a significant portion of their workforce from low/moderate-income communities, and offer free business and workforce service programs and targeted equity investing activity. Launched in the SF Bay Area, they commenced operations in San Diego earlier this year.

The Rady School of Management at UC San Diego

The Rady School will pioneer the education of tomorrow's business leaders through an innovative curriculum, led by internationally recognized faculty. Seeking to rapidly obtain top-tier status, the school leverages UC San Diego's strengths as a preeminent research institution – especially its outstanding programs in science, engineering, medicine, economics and international relations.

San Diego Defense and Space Consortium

It provides a virtual organization under which member companies can come together to market and bid new engineering production projects. This virtual organization, the Engineering Production Board, will be key to small companies by providing the ability to work together on projects.

San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC)
EDC is a private, nonprofit corporation, whose core mission is to assist companies in locating or expanding - and with solving problems - while also focusing on issues of regional competitiveness, through a CEO-driven issue agenda that supports the growth and expansion of high-wage, high-growth industries in the region.

San Diego Software Industry Council (SDSIC)
SDSIC exists to foster and support the entrepreneurial spirit within the software and IT industry in San Diego, by providing an organized forum for the exchange of ideas, sharing of resources, and promotion of industry goals.

San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego
SDSC enables international science and engineering discoveries through advances in computational science and high performance computing.

San Diego Venture Group

The San Diego Venture Group is a non-profit business organization whose mission is to provide an informal atmosphere that fosters ideas on how to form, fund and build new ventures.

SDSU Bioscience Center

The Center offers a variety of programs including an interdisciplinary doctoral degree program in Biology in cooperation with the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego).

SDSU Tech Transfer

The Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at the San Diego State University Foundation facilitates and enhances the transfer of intellectual property, resources, and information between San Diego State University and the business community in an effort to improve the commercial value of inventions and creative work from the University and to make this intellectual property available to the public.

San Diego Venture Group

The San Diego Venture Group is a non-profit business organization whose mission is to provide an informal atmosphere that fosters ideas on how to form, fund and build new ventures.

San Diego World Trade Center (SDWTC)

SDWTC is committed to developing and expanding international trade and commerce opportunities for the San Diego region, and it recently implemented a new MDCP program to boost telecommunications and bio-medical exports from San Diego to Asia.

Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)

SCORE provides a public service to America by offering small business advice and training.

America's premier source of free and confidential business advice. As "Counselors to America's Small Business" you get the experience of 10,500 volunteers from Fortune 500 executives and entrepreneurs who have made it in business.

Small Business Administration (SBA)

The SBA helps small businesses gain access to capital and credit, federal procurement opportunities, and provides general entrepreneurial development assistance. Its programs include loan guarantee programs, small business investment programs, government contracting, minority enterprise development programs, and business education

Tech Coast Angels (TCA)
TCA is an angel network providing opportunities for members to obtain outstanding financial returns by investing in early-stage technology and life science companies in Southern California and accelerating them to market leadership.

TiE San Diego

A worldwide networking and mentoring organization chartered by high profile entrepreneurs, corporate executives and senior professionals, "including, but not limited to those with roots" or interest in the Industrial region, with the explicit goal to benefit ALL entrepreneurs by creating a positive and insightful networking environment for TiE members and by nurturing TiE members towards successful entrepreneurship.

UC San Diego ATHENA
Athena is a program for executive women in technology industries who strive for success, by creating a unique set of educational and motivational programs, professional and social networking opportunities, to foster the personal and professional growth of its members.

UC San Diego Entrepreneur Challenge
The UCSD Entrepreneur Challenge is an entirely student run organization fueling the next generation of technology entrepreneurs. The mission of the Challenge is to foster community involvement and technological innovation by bringing multi-disciplinary teams of engineers, scientists, and business-minded students together with local area entrepreneurs and professionals. The Challenge comprises of a year-long series of workshops on entrepreneurship built around three competition, one each academic quarter, culminating in a Spring Quarter $80k Business Plan Presentation Competition.

UC San Diego Extension

Whether you learn onsite, online, or at one of our four convenient San Diego campuses, UC San Diego Extension is your lifelong learning partner. Extension supports one of the most diverse workforces in the world through innovative educational programs, networking forums, and personal enrichment programs. Count on us to provide you with an awareness of emerging trends and new ideas that can take your career to the next level or inspire your creativity.

UC San Diego

UC San Diego consistently ranks among the top ten public universities in the country for its pursuit of excellence in education, research, and service to the community.

UC San Diego, Jacobs School of Engineering

The Jacobs School of Engineering is a premier institution in the midst of brant growth, whose strategy is to lead in targeted research areas critical to national technological leadership, the economic prosperity of our region, and the quality of life for people everywhere.

UC San Diego Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Services

Established in 1964, UC San Diego Technology Transfer & Intellectual Property Services (TechTIPS) is responsible for the management of all new inventions, tangible research materials, and selected copyrightable materials (collectively, "intellectual property") developed at UC San Diego and owned by the Regents of the University of California.

UC - Industry Homeland Security Network

Companies currently working in the homeland security area or considering it for the future are invited to apply for access to and inclusion in this valuable Network which is comprised of a carefully vetted selection of top UC research groups and California companies, and is managed through the Office of the President, University of CA.

USD School of Business Administration's Information Technology Management Institute

The University of San Diego Information Technology Management Institute committed to improving the ability of Information Technology/Systems organizations to attain their goals through applied research and innovative, personalized education and training programs designed to develop socially responsible Information Technology leaders and advisors.

VentureForth @ UC San Diego

VF is a student organization at UC San Diego whose mission is to train the most successful leaders of the time. VentureForth also strives to foster the entrepreneurial spirit in students, as being the best path to success, financial independence, and happiness.

The von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement

The William J. von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement aims to: foster innovation within the Jacobs School, accelerate the commercialization of Jacobs School knowledge, facilitate the exchange of ideas between Jacobs School and industry, prepare engineering students for the entrepreneurial workplace