North Coast SBDC

Name

North Coast SBDC

Legal name

Northern California Small Business Development Centers

Website

https://northcoastsbdc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Development Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Results-Based Financing (RBF) & Performance-Based Grants (BPADAOAF)

Keywords

• Small business advising
• Business development services
• Entrepreneurship support
• Nonprofit business consulting
• Small business training

Headquarters

HQ city

Eureka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Cooperative Agreements: North Coast SBDC is funded through federal and state government grants and cooperative agreements. The organization receives funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA). Services are provided completely free to clients, funded by taxpayer dollars and government appropriations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

North Coast SBDC provides free, confidential one-on-one business advising and group training to small businesses and entrepreneurs in Northern California, covering marketing, finance, access to capital, human resources, compliance, and accounting. Services are organized into core advising plus industry-specific programs (Restaurants, Technology, International Trade), stage-based programs (Startup, Growing, Transition), and the NorCal APEX Accelerator. All services are no-cost to clients, funded through SBA and CalOSBA cooperative agreements.

Product overview

North Coast SBDC is a nonprofit business advisory service providing a unified portfolio of free consulting and support programs for small businesses in Northern California. The core offering consists of 1-on-1 free business advising, supplemented by On-Demand Learning, Events and Workshops, and Ask SBDC quick-question services. Industry-specific programs include Restaurant, Technology, and International Trade programs. Stage-based programs address Startup, Growing Business, and Transition/Selling Business needs. The NorCal APEX Accelerator provides intensive growth support. All services are provided at no cost to clients, funded through SBA cooperative agreements and state grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Norcal APEX Accelerator: Accelerator program for entrepreneurs providing intensive advising and support services.
• SBDCIntel
• Restaurant Program
• Tech Futures Group

Products and services

• 1-on-1 Free Business Advising Confidential, no-cost advisory services provided by industry expert Business Advisors covering marketing, finance, accessing capital, human resources, compliance, and accounting for small business owners and entrepreneurs in Northern California.
• On-Demand Learning Self-paced online learning resources available to clients for skill development and business knowledge acquisition, allowing entrepreneurs to build capabilities on their own schedule.
• Events and Workshops Group learning opportunities including workshops, programs by industry or skill, cooperative academy, and incubator programs for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
• Ask SBDC Quick question service providing rapid guidance and pointers to best resources for specific business needs, enabling entrepreneurs to get fast answers without a full advising engagement.
• NorCal APEX Accelerator Accelerator program providing intensive support for businesses seeking rapid growth, including structured engagement and specialized resources for high-growth entrepreneurs.
• Restaurant Program Industry-specific program supporting restaurant and food service businesses with tailored advising and resources on licensing, operations, and growth.
• Technology Program (Tech Futures Group) Technology-focused advising program supporting tech-based businesses with technology commercialization, scaling, and accessing venture capital.
• International Trade Program Program assisting businesses with exporting, international business development, cross-border compliance, and global market access.
• Startup Advising Stage-based advising services for entrepreneurs in the startup stage of business development, including business concept validation, legal structure, and initial financing.
• Growing Business Advising Stage-based support services for established businesses seeking to expand operations, revenue, or market presence, including growth strategies, capital access, and market expansion.
• Transition Business Advising Stage-based advising for business owners transitioning, selling, or exiting their business, including business valuation, succession planning, and exit strategies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 16,000 businesses served annually with $645 Million in capital investment and 10,000+ new jobs created
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cal Poly Humboldt Sponsored Programs FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organization for the Northern California SBDC program. Provides administrative infrastructure and institutional support for SBDC operations.
• NorCal APEX AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccelerator program partnership providing specialized support for government contracting and federal programs for small businesses.
• Redwood Region Economic Development Commission (RREDC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development organization partnering with SBDC to provide financing support and business development resources to local entrepreneurs.
• Cooperation HumboldtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner that co-founded Full Cycle Compost cooperative with SBDC guidance, supporting employee ownership initiatives.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Women's Business Centers (WBC) Program: WBCs are SBA-funded resource partners providing business training and counseling specifically to women entrepreneurs. They share North Coast SBDC's free service model, SBA funding structure, and target small business client base, making them directly comparable peer programs within the SBA Resource Partner ecosystem.
• Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC): VBOCs are SBA-funded centers providing business development services to veteran entrepreneurs. They operate under the same SBA Resource Partner model as SBDCs with comparable free advisory services, federal funding structure, and small business client focus (with a specialized veteran segment).
• America's SBDC Network (National Association): America's SBDC is the national association representing all SBDCs in the U.S. network. As the umbrella organization of which North Coast SBDC is a member, it directly compares in mission, funding structure, and service delivery model across its 1,000+ SBDC locations.
• SCORE Association: SCORE is a nonprofit association providing free business mentoring and education to small businesses through a national network of volunteer mentors. It is the closest direct peer to North Coast SBDC because it delivers the same free, confidential one-on-one business advising model with comparable client outcomes (capital access, business planning, mentoring).

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): The SBA is the federal parent organization that funds and oversees the SBDC network. While not a direct operational peer (it is the regulator/funder), the SBA defines the operating model, sets performance standards, and distributes the cooperative agreement funding that North Coast SBDC depends on.
• California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz): GO-Biz is the state-level economic development agency that administers CalOSBA and provides grant funding to California SBDCs. It is a broader state-level incumbent that sets small business policy direction and funding priorities affecting North Coast SBDC's operations.

Others

• Kauffman Foundation: The Kauffman Foundation is a major nonprofit foundation focused on entrepreneurship education and research. While it does not directly compete with SBDCs, its research, programmatic initiatives, and policy advocacy shape the small business development ecosystem in which North Coast SBDC operates.
• Small Business Majority: Small Business Majority is a nonprofit small business advocacy organization that conducts research, policy advocacy, and provides educational resources. It is thematically adjacent to SBDCs—supporting the same small business client base—but focuses on policy rather than direct advising services.

Regional players

• Humboldt County Chamber of Commerce: Local Chambers of Commerce in Northern California provide business networking, advocacy, and limited advisory services to small businesses in the same geographic market as North Coast SBDC. They are regional peers in the local small business support ecosystem and frequently partner with the SBDC.
• Cal Poly Humboldt Center for Entrepreneurship: Cal Poly Humboldt (the institutional host of North Coast SBDC) offers entrepreneurship-related academic and student programs that intersect with the small business advising space in the same Northern California region. They share geographic market and overlapping audience of aspiring entrepreneurs.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/northcoastsbdc
• Facebookfacebook.com/NorthCoastSBDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northcoastsbdc
• Instagraminstagram.com/northcoastsbdc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 North Coast SBDC