Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center

What Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center does

Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center is a 501(c)-style nonprofit founded in 1985 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. It provides business training, one-to-one coaching, mentorship, and access-to-capital support to aspiring and existing small-business owners across the San Francisco Bay Area, with a deliberate concentration on underserved entrepreneurs - approximately 90% of clients are lower-income, 75-81% are women, 75% are people of color, and 39% are immigrants. Programmatic offerings include Start Smart foundational training, business planning classes, finance and marketing workshops, mentor matching, a Financing Resource Center, the Women's Business Center, the Fillmore Women Program, Pop-Up Advisors, Marketing Bootcamp, and annual Access to Capital panels. Service delivery is carried out through 8 physical locations across San Francisco (SoMa/WBC, Bayview), Richmond, South San Francisco, North Fair Oaks, Half Moon Bay, and San Jose, supplemented by virtual programs and a "Shop Our Network" online marketplace showcasing client businesses.

In 2023, Renaissance served 2,476 entrepreneurs with 3,537 advising hours across 483 classes and events, and helped client businesses secure over $4.9 million in capital; over its 40+ year history, the organization reports having helped launch or grow more than 20,000 small businesses, with reported client outcomes of a 28% average increase in annual income and $114,700 in average annual client-business revenue. The organization is governed by a board of directors and led by CEO Sharon Miller, who has held the role for more than 25 years; it also operates a Women's Leadership Council providing advisory and fundraising support. Strategic partners include the San Francisco SBDC, San Mateo County, JobTrain, Coastside Venture Studios, the Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber, and Golden Gate University School of Law.

Renaissance is funded primarily through donations, foundation and corporate grants, and government contracts (including $2.5 million in San Mateo County pandemic-relief funds supporting Coastside programming), supplemented by fees from training classes, workshops, and events. The technology stack is conventional nonprofit SaaS - Salesforce for CRM, Constant Contact for email marketing, Give Lively for donation processing, and Vistashare Outcome Tracker for client case management - with no proprietary AI, ML, or platform technology disclosed. The organization has no parent company, subsidiaries, or equity backing; it operates as an independent private nonprofit.

Name

Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center

Legal name

Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center

Website

https://rencenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center is a San Francisco-based nonprofit founded in 1985 that provides business training, coaching, mentorship, and access-to-capital support to Bay Area small-business owners, with a focus on women, people of color, and lower-income entrepreneurs across 8 locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Development Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (61171), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Financial Literacy, Budgeting & Personal Finance (EDAMAHAE), Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG), Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business (EDAMAHAI)

Keywords

• Small business training
• Entrepreneurship education
• Business coaching services
• Small business advising
• Access to capital

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a nonprofit organization, Renaissance relies heavily on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors to fund its programs and operations.
2. Program and Training Fees: Renaissance generates revenue through fees for its business training classes, workshops, coaching services, and events for entrepreneurs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center is a nonprofit organization that delivers small business training, one-to-one coaching, mentorship, and access-to-capital support services to Bay Area entrepreneurs, particularly those from underserved communities. Its offerings include business planning classes, finance and marketing workshops, the Start Smart foundational program, the Women's Business Center (WBC), the Financing Resource Center, the Fillmore Women Program, and the Shop Our Network online directory of client businesses, delivered across 8 Bay Area locations and through virtual channels.

Product overview

Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center is a nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive suite of small business support programs and services. The core offerings include business planning classes, one-to-one coaching, mentor matching, and finance workshops. Specialized programs include the Women's Business Center (WBC), the Start Smart foundational training program, the Fillmore Women Program, and the Financing Resource Center. The organization also provides a marketplace through its 'Shop Our Network' business directory featuring Bay Area entrepreneurs. Additional programs include Pop-Up Advisors, Business Plan Review, Marketing Bootcamp, and the annual Small Business Big Impact event. The organization operates multiple locations across the San Francisco Bay Area, including San Francisco SoMa/WBC, San Francisco Bayview, East Bay (CoBIZ), and Peninsula locations in South San Francisco, North Fair Oaks, San Mateo SBDC, San Jose, and Half Moon Bay Coastside.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Planning Classes Classes teaching entrepreneurs how to create business plans, including one-page plans and slide decks for lender presentations.
• One-to-One Coaching Individualized business coaching sessions helping entrepreneurs develop and refine their business strategies, delivered at 8 Bay Area locations and virtually.
• Mentor Matching / Mentorship Program Program connecting entrepreneurs with experienced volunteer mentors for guidance and support during business launch, rebuilding, or growth phases.
• Finance Workshops Financial literacy and management training including classes on accounting, bookkeeping, and financial projections for small business owners.
• Marketing Classes Training programs covering marketing strategy, branding, social media presence, and customer acquisition.
• Women's Business Center (WBC) Specialized center providing resources, training, financing navigation, and support specifically for women entrepreneurs, headquartered at the San Francisco SoMa location.
• Financing Resource Center Resource hub helping entrepreneurs understand funding options, access capital, and navigate loan applications, with lender connections.
• Start Smart Program Foundational business training program that helps individuals lay strong foundations in business training and financial literacy.
• Small Business Intensive Training Classes Comprehensive training program for developing business plans and preparing for business operations.
• Shop Our Network (Business Directory) Online directory showcasing businesses operated by Renaissance clients, including restaurants, bakeries, retail, services, and more across the Bay Area.
• Fillmore Women Program Program specifically supporting women entrepreneurs in the Fillmore area with training, skill building, and mentoring.
• Access to Capital Events Panel events connecting small business owners with lenders, CDFIs, and financial institutions to discuss funding options.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20,000+ small businesses launched and grown
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• San Francisco Small Business Development Center (SBDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSBDC partnered with Renaissance Women's Business Center to co-host the Access to Capital Panel 2025 event, bringing together lenders and Bay Area small business owners for funding education and connections.
• Half Moon Bay Coastside ChambercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperating as one of the organizations in the Opportunity Center of the Coastside, providing business development support to the Half Moon Bay community.
• JobTraincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization at the Opportunity Center of the Coastside, providing job training and workforce development services alongside Renaissance.
• Coastside Venture StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates a business incubator at the Opportunity Center of the Coastside, collaborating with Renaissance on entrepreneurial support.
• Golden Gate University School of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for the Access to Capital Panel 2025 event, hosting over 100 Bay Area small business owners.
• Women's Business Center (WBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenaissance operates a Women's Business Center (WBC) in San Francisco SoMa, providing specialized programs for women entrepreneurs including Pop-Up Advisors, Women Mean Business events, and the Women's Leadership Council.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pacific Community Ventures: Bay Area nonprofit supporting small business growth through advising, capital access, and research — directly comparable in geography, mission to grow underserved small businesses, and the advising + capital-access dual offering.
• Women's Initiative for Self Employment: Bay Area-based nonprofit providing business training, advising, and access to capital specifically for women entrepreneurs — directly comparable mission, geography, target demographic, and service mix to Renaissance.
• Main Street Launch: Bay Area CDFI and small business development organization providing loans, advising, and incubation to underserved local entrepreneurs — same geography, same demographic focus, and same integrated capital-plus-advising approach.
• SCORE: National nonprofit network offering free business mentoring, workshops, and resources to small business owners — directly comparable in service offering (advising, classes, mentorship), differing only in being a national free mentor network versus Renaissance's regional paid/funded model.
• DreamSpring (formerly Opportunity Fund): CDFI nonprofit providing small business loans, advising, and training to underserved entrepreneurs — directly comparable in the combined capital + advising model and focus on women and minority founders.

Regional players

• ICA Fund Good Jobs: Bay Area-focused nonprofit supporting small businesses and worker cooperatives with advising and capital — overlapping mission and region, though with a stronger cooperative-formation orientation than Renaissance.

Broad incumbents

• Grameen America: National nonprofit microfinance organization providing small-dollar loans and training to women entrepreneurs in low-income communities — directly comparable underserved-entrepreneur focus, with deeper microlending product offering.
• Kiva: Global nonprofit crowdfunding microlending platform focused on financial inclusion for underserved entrepreneurs — overlaps with Renaissance's mission of capital access for low-income/immigrant founders but operates at much larger scale online.
• Accion: Global nonprofit small business lender and advisor serving underserved entrepreneurs with capital and coaching — comparable in combining access-to-capital services with business training for underbanked founders.
• America's SBDC Network (ASBDC): Federally-funded nationwide network of Small Business Development Centers providing free advising and training — Renaissance both partners with and competes against this network for the same small business audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rencentersoma
• Facebookfacebook.com/RenaissanceEntrepreneurshipCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/390427
• Instagraminstagram.com/rencenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center