The Orange County Inland Empire SBDC Network (OCIE SBDC) opened a new center — Caravan SBDC. Hosted by Caravanserai Project in Palm Springs, California and servicing Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
PALM SPRINGS, Calif., Jan. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Orange County Inland Empire SBDC Network (OCIE SBDC) opened a new center on January 2 — Caravan SBDC. Hosted by Caravanserai Project in Palm Springs, California and servicing Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, Caravan SBDC will provide one-on-one consulting and development workshops in Spanish and English, further connecting underserved small business owners and entrepreneurs to the resources and skills needed to succeed.
"Language diversity represents a competitive advantage in starting and growing a business," said Caravan SBDC Center Director Carolina Rosas-Saavedra. "By focusing on underserved, minority entrepreneurs — especially Spanish-speakers, the center's programs will facilitate access to business technical support and capacity-building programs. It will also provide a space to exchange knowledge and leverage innovation, skills, creativity, determination, and the hard work of these individuals."
The Caravan SBDC Center will conduct active-learning and cohort-based training programs for entrepreneurs who are looking for a mission-driven model to help their business grow and succeed, extending the reach and impact of both the OCIE SBDC and Caravanserai Project as the two organizations work to empower individuals to launch and grow small businesses that continually create value, build financial security, increase economic mobility, and generate irreversible systemic change in traditionally underserved, under-resourced communities.
"The Orange County Inland Empire SBDC Network is excited to bring on Caravanserai Project as our newest center, which will service the Spanish speaking startup community," said OCIE SBDC Network Director Mike Daniel. "This new center is part of a larger effort to continue to grow the SBDC network in supporting underserved and marginalized communities with access to entrepreneurship resources to build sustainable career pathways and generational wealth."
Funding for the new center was awarded through a competitive bid process. This award further extends the successful partnership between the OCIE SBDC and Caravanserai Project, which first joined the OCIE SBDC Network as an affiliate program beginning in March 2023. The OCIE SBDC and its affiliate programs are funded, in part, by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the state of California through the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA).
"The SBA and the SBDC network are committed to helping small business owners and entrepreneurs succeed. Their success impacts families and entire communities for generations, especially in traditionally under-resourced communities," said U.S. Small Business Administration Orange County/Inland Empire District Director J. Adalberto Quijada. "As an SBDC specialty center, Caravanserai Project is affirming their commitment to work alongside the SBA and its network of partners to reach individuals where they are, in English or Spanish, and empower them to get to their next level of growth."
The OCIE SBDC is a leading business and economic development organization assisting aspiring entrepreneurs and current business owners with consulting and training. Over the past three years, the OCIE SBDC has conducted more than 120,000 hours of one-on-one consulting, assisting more than 21,000 small businesses and yielding the establishment of over 1,500 new businesses and the creation of 6,500 new jobs. Learn more at ociesmallbusiness.org.
Hosted by California State University, Fullerton, the OCIE SBDC is funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. All programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
The OCIE SBDC is funded, in part, through a grant with the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development.
Caravanserai Project is a social impact venture based in Palm Springs, California that empowers individuals from marginalized, under-resourced communities to launch for-profit and nonprofit organizations that generate financial security, economic mobility, and systemic change. For more information, please visit caravanseraiproject.org.
Media Contact
Suzanne Cichuniec, Orange County Inland Empire SBDC Network, 1 949-564-0469, [email protected], ociesmallbusiness.org
SOURCE Orange County Inland Empire SBDC Network
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