Women’s Economic Ventures

What Women’s Economic Ventures does

Women's Economic Ventures (WEV) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation founded in 1990 in Santa Barbara, California, that delivers economic empowerment programming to women entrepreneurs, small business owners, and individuals seeking financial stability across Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Its core service portfolio includes one-on-one business consulting, expert-led group classes in marketing/financial planning/operations, business loan referrals through external lending partners (loans of $5,000\u2013$500,000), bookkeeping consulting, a free Financial Empowerment Class, and a free 6-week Credit Builder program. WEV also hosts a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)-designated Women's Business Center (WBC) that provides WOSB federal contracting certification support and is partially funded through a federal cooperative agreement.

The organization\u2019s technology footprint is intentionally lightweight: a proprietary-branded WEV Learning Center LMS for on-demand webinars and course delivery, the third-party UserWay accessibility widget for WCAG 2.1 compliance, and standard payment integrations (Stripe, DonorPerfect, SafeSave Payment Services) plus reCAPTCHA for form validation. There is no proprietary AI/ML capability; the model relies on human-delivered consulting and bilingual program staff (with Spanish-language service for LatinX entrepreneurs). Approximately 12 staff operate out of a Santa Barbara headquarters and a Camarillo regional office, supported by an extensive network of expert advisors, instructors, and a 15+ member Board of Directors chaired by DeAnna Steiger, Ph.D. (Amgen).

WEV\u2019s business model is grant- and donation-funded rather than revenue-driven. Roughly $300,000 annually flows from the SBA WBC cooperative agreement (50% federal / 50% non-federal match), supplemented by California GO-Biz grants, regional foundation and corporate grants (e.g., $50,000 Uplift Central Coast Catalyst funding, $10,000 Connect4Impact in 2025), individual and corporate donations via the League of Extraordinary Women program, and modest program fees (e.g., $425 for Bookkeeping Consulting). Most programs are free to participants. Customer acquisition is community-led through referrals from SBA, GO-Biz, local chambers, and partner organizations, with marketing concentrated on the organization\u2019s website, newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube channels, alongside in-person events. The organization asserts a 15:1 local economic multiplier on donations raised.

Name

Women’s Economic Ventures

Legal name

Women's Economic Ventures of Santa Barbara

Website

https://wevonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Women's Economic Ventures is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1990 that provides business consulting, classes, loan referrals, and financial empowerment programs to women entrepreneurs and small business owners in California's Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Development Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), Small Business & Self-Employment Personal Finance (Income, Expenses, Cash Reserves) (EDAAAJAL)

Keywords

• Women's business development
• Small business consulting
• Financial empowerment education
• SBA Women's Business Center
• Business loan referrals

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grants and Government Funding: WEV receives partial funding from U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) cooperative agreement and grants from California GO-Biz. WBC Program receives 50% federal share ($150,000) matching 50% non-federal share.
2. Donations and Contributions: Individual and corporate donations from supporters, including League of Extraordinary Women donor program and sponsorship opportunities
3. Program Fees: Some programs charge fees - Bookkeeping Consulting at $425 or 2 payments of $225. Many programs are free for participants.
4. Business Loan Referrals: Referrals to lending partner organizations for business loans of $5,000 - $500,000

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Women's Economic Ventures (WEV) is a nonprofit that delivers small business consulting, expert-led business classes, business loan referrals, bookkeeping consulting, and personal finance education (including credit-building and financial empowerment classes) to women entrepreneurs and small business owners in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. It also operates a Women's Business Center (WBC) partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration that provides low-cost training, coaching, and Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) federal contracting certification, with bilingual English/Spanish delivery.

Product overview

Women's Economic Ventures (WEV) is a nonprofit organization offering a suite of interconnected programs for women entrepreneurs and small business owners. The core offerings include Business Consulting for one-on-one coaching, Business Classes for group instruction, and Access to Capital/Funding Referrals for loan connections. These are complemented by Financial Empowerment Classes and Credit Builder programs for personal finance skills, plus Bookkeeping Consulting for accounting support. WEV also hosts a Women's Business Center (WBC) in partnership with the SBA, providing certified training and WOSB certification support. All programs are supported by the WEV Learning Center (LMS) for online access to course materials and webinars.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Consulting One-on-one personalized coaching and strategic support delivered by expert small business advisors to help women entrepreneurs and small business owners launch or grow their businesses.
• Business Classes Expert-led small business classes delivered in group settings, covering marketing, financial planning, market research, and operations, designed to help entrepreneurs build a strong foundation and grow their businesses.
• Access to Capital / Funding Referrals Business loan referral service connecting entrepreneurs with WEV's network of lending partner organizations for business loans ranging from $5,000 to $500,000 to start or grow their businesses.
• Financial Empowerment Class A free 3-hour personal finance class teaching budgeting, goal-setting, credit-building, and money mindset skills, offered in English and Spanish to help participants manage personal finances and plan for their future.
• Credit Builder A free 6-week program designed to help participants understand, build, and improve their credit through hands-on instruction, individualized financial coaching, and a personalized Credit Action Plan.
• Bookkeeping Consulting One-on-one expert consulting providing up to 6 hours of support to set up bookkeeping systems, clean up financial records, and strengthen the financial foundation of small businesses using software like QuickBooks, Wave, Excel, or Google Sheets.
• Women's Business Center (WBC) A SBA Women's Business Center partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), providing low-cost business training, coaching, and targeted funding to women entrepreneurs, and facilitating Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) certification for federal contracting.
• WEV Learning Center Online learning management system (LMS) providing access to on-demand webinars, classes, and course materials for WEV clients and community members.

Quantifiable outcome

• For every $1 raised, $15 is generated in local economy
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Association of Women's Business Centers (AWBC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWEV is a member of AWBC and was selected as one of only seven WBCs nationwide for the AWBC x Stearns Childcare Accelerator Program.
• Lending Partner OrganizationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWEV partners with lending organizations to provide business loans of $5,000 to $500,000 for entrepreneurs seeking to start or grow their businesses.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SCORE: SCORE is the largest U.S. nonprofit business mentoring and education network, partnered with the SBA, offering free small business consulting, workshops, and resources—directly comparable to WEV's consulting and classes model and target audience.
• Kiva: Kiva is a nonprofit crowdfunding platform facilitating 0% interest microloans to small businesses, including women entrepreneurs, providing capital access—directly comparable to WEV's loan referral service offering $5K–$500K loans to small business owners.
• Springboard Enterprises: Springboard is a nonprofit accelerator and network that connects women-led ventures with capital, mentorship, and expertise—directly comparable to WEV's entrepreneur-training and capital-access mission, though focused on higher-growth ventures.
• Grameen America: Grameen America is a nonprofit microfinance organization providing small business loans and financial training to women entrepreneurs in low-income communities—closely parallel to WEV's loan referral and financial empowerment programming.
• Pacific Community Ventures: Pacific Community Ventures is a California-based nonprofit that invests in underserved small businesses through advising, access to capital, and impact investing—closely aligned with WEV's mission and Central Coast geography.
• Center for Women & Enterprise: CWE is a nonprofit providing business training, consulting, and access to capital for women entrepreneurs in multiple U.S. regions, operating an SBA-affiliated program similar to WEV's WBC and serving the same women-business-owner segment.
• NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners): NAWBO is a national membership organization representing women business owners, providing education, advocacy, and networking—overlapping with WEV's women-entrepreneur mission and similar programming focus, though structured as a membership body.
• AnewAmerica Community Corporation: AnewAmerica operates an SBA Women's Business Center and provides bilingual business training, consulting, and capital access specifically for immigrant and LatinX entrepreneurs—an offering directly parallel to WEV's bilingual programming.

Emerging players

• Camino Financial: Camino Financial is a fintech lender providing small business loans and credit-building products to underserved Latino and immigrant entrepreneurs—an emerging competitor addressing a demographic WEV serves through its bilingual business training.

Broad incumbents

• Small Business Development Centers (SBDC): The SBDC network is an SBA-funded nationwide resource offering free business consulting, training, and capital access to all small business owners—broader in scope than WEV but overlapping heavily in services and target audience, and the closest SBA analogue to WEV's WBC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJRpBSRRkMiRNS2rcNhr_Xw
• Facebookfacebook.com/WomensEconomicVentures
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about
• Instagraminstagram.com/womenseconomicventures/?hl=en
• Xx.com/wevgottweets

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Women’s Economic Ventures