Founder Nav

Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship – Santa Clara University

Accelerator Prep School

Provides a hands-on, supportive environment to help teams refine business ideas, develop roadmaps, solve problems, and build pitches, preparing them to apply for top accelerators or raise early-stage funding. No fees, equity, or industry restrictions.

CAMEO Network (California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity)

CAMEO Academy

Capacity-building training and resources for microenterprise organizations and business coaches to improve service delivery to small business clients.

Economic Development Collaborative (EDC)

Digital Upskilling Training Program

Free digital literacy and small business online training for entrepreneurs and business owners in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Covers computer basics and 'Get Your Small Business Online' curriculum. Part of EDC's UPSKILL workforce development initiative, which also provides employer training, job seeker support, and small business owner education.

Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Ecosystem Partner Workshops

Offers hands-on learning and experiential events to develop entrepreneurial mindsets in students, featuring workshops led by regional partners and experienced entrepreneurs on topics like innovation, intellectual property, and startup development.

Veterans In Business (VIB) Network

EDGE Training Program

Free training program for veteran entrepreneurs covering Contracts 101, government contracting, networking strategies, and business development fundamentals.

Student Startup Center

Entrepreneurship in Residence & Courses (Student Startup Center)

Suite of student entrepreneur support at UC Davis: Entrepreneurship in Residence (milestone-based support track with early funding access), daily programming events (VCs @ UCD, Startup Speaker Series, Pitches & Popcorn), and hands-on courses including ENG 108 'Launching a Company' and 'Introduction to Entrepreneurship.' Features a Certificate in Entrepreneurship for undergrads. Cultural Connections initiatives include Build Black, ElevateHer, Accessible Startups, and InnovAmigis for underserved founders.

UCSF Innovation Ventures

Global Life Sciences/Healthcare Entrepreneurship Virtual Master Class

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Hub101's Startup Bootcamp

\- Guides entrepreneurs through idea generation, validation, development, and business launch in a structured 14-week format. \- Helps founders refine and strengthen their pitch, progressing from initial workshopping to public presentations. \- Empowers founders with expert insights, peer learning, accountability, and actionable growth strategies in a four-week, theme-based format. \- Offers free, weekly interactive workshops for students, members, and the community to learn, collaborate, and create. \- Provides a one-week experience for high school and college students to test startup ideas and validate customer problems. \- Facilitates community collaboration to solve business challenges, launch ventures, and gain practical experience over eight weeks. \- Connects entrepreneurs with peers, tools, and resources to gain new perspectives in a free, supportive environment.

The Basement – UC San Diego

i4X (Innovating for X)

Multi-quarter experiential program where student teams collaborate with industry, society, and government leaders on real-world challenges. Four tracks: i4I (Industry), i4S (Society), i4G (Government), and i4NS (National Security). Builds entrepreneurial problem-solving skills through applied project work.

UCR Office of Technology Partnerships – EPIC

INNOVAR Entrepreneur Training Program

Offers a 10-week entrepreneurial training that guides participants in transforming technology concepts into viable businesses, focusing on customer discovery, market validation, business modeling, and mentorship to help launch innovations with real-world commercial potential.