Institute for Innovation and Economic Development

What Institute for Innovation and Economic Development does

The Institute for Innovation and Economic Development (iiiED) is a non-profit research and education-support unit within California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), founded in 1994 and operating from 100 Campus Center in Seaside, California (with a visitor address in Marina). The institute's stated mission is to research, create business projects, and support students in their education, functioning as an applied-innovation center that connects CSUMB's academic programs with regional economic development, entrepreneurship, and workforce partnerships.

Operationally, iiiED is nested within the CSU system and inherits the institutional infrastructure of its parent: a public, accredited four-year university offering 80+ undergraduate majors, minors, and concentrations, plus graduate programs in business, education, human services, technology, and health and environmental sciences. The wider institution runs standard higher-ed technology stack components - Canvas LMS, Okta identity management, EAB Early Alert for student intervention, and Google Analytics for web measurement - rather than proprietary technology products. Aux functions include housing, dining, and recreation, with CSUMB claiming the highest residential density in the CSU system.

The institute's revenue mechanics are non-commercial and institutionally mediated. CSUMB's primary funding streams are state appropriations through the CSU system, recurring tuition and mandatory student fees (currently ranked 15th among CSU campuses, with a proposed $467 per-semester increase for 2026-2027), auxiliary services, and external grants and philanthropy (including a $15 million grant from Montage Health for the new nursing school and a $2.5 billion-class state budget context). Pricing for students is annual-billed and partially offset by financial aid (75% of students receive aid). Go-to-market is public-university enrollment management - outreach, recruitment events, campus visits, and partnerships with community colleges - targeting first-time freshmen, transfer students, graduate students, and support-needing populations such as veterans, undocumented students, students with disabilities, and student parents. Distribution is regional across California's Central Coast and Monterey Bay, with on-campus instruction, distance learning, and community-college transfer pathways as the three primary channels.

Name

Institute for Innovation and Economic Development

Legal name

California State University, Monterey Bay

Website

https://csumb.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Institute for Innovation and Economic Development (iiiED) is a non-profit research and student-support center within California State University, Monterey Bay, founded in 1994 to research, create business projects, and support students through applied innovation and regional partnerships on California's Central Coast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Research and Economic Development Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Services (611), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Strong Industry Partnerships (EDAHAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB), Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

Keywords

• Economic development research
• Innovation research
• Business project development
• Student entrepreneurship support
• Community economic development

Headquarters

HQ city

Seaside

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. State Funding: California State University system funding from state appropriations
2. Tuition and Fees: Student tuition and mandatory fees including Instructionally Related Activities (IRA), Materials Services and Facilities (MSF), and Health Services fees. Currently ranked 15th among CSU campuses for mandatory fees. Proposed $467 per semester increase for 2026-2027.
3. Grants and Philanthropy: External grants including $15 million from Montage Health for nursing program expansion, donations through University Advancement, and federal/state research funding
4. Auxiliary Services: Housing, dining, recreation, and other student life services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Institute for Innovation and Economic Development (IiiED) is a non-profit institute within California State University Monterey Bay that conducts economic development and innovation research, develops business projects, and supports students in their education. It functions as a campus-based center that connects CSU Monterey Bay's academic resources with regional economic development initiatives and student experiential learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Economic Development and Innovation Research Conducts applied research on regional economic development and innovation topics, producing findings that inform community partners, students, and university stakeholders. Targeted at community organizations, local businesses, and university stakeholders in the Monterey Bay area.
• Business Project Development Develops business projects that connect student learning with regional economic needs, providing applied project experience for students and tangible outputs for community and business partners. Targeted at students seeking hands-on business experience and regional partners seeking project capacity.
• Student Education Support in Innovation and Economic Development Supports students in their education through mentorship, applied projects, and experiential learning focused on innovation and economic development topics, complementing the broader CSUMB academic offerings across 80+ majors, minors, and concentrations. Targeted at undergraduate and graduate students at CSUMB.

Quantifiable outcome

• Four-year graduation rate doubled from 23.1% (2011 cohort) to 46.5% (2021 cohort)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, flagship and minor.

• Montage HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026$15 million grant to establish the Montage Health Helen Baszuki School of Nursing, enabling a standalone four-year nursing bachelor's degree program and master's degree in nursing starting Fall 2027. Represents a major healthcare workforce development partnership.
• Pebble Beach CompanymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Pebble Beach Scholars Program created in 2015, benefiting students in the Sustainable Hospitality and Tourism Management major with scholarships and industry connections.
• Bright Futures Educational PartnershipflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Founded in 2014 by President Eduardo Ochoa, this collaborative initiative involves education, business and community leaders to improve cradle-to-career educational outcomes in the region. The partnership aims to address poverty, health, crime and local economy through education.
• Hartnell CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSin3 partnership allowing students to earn a computer science degree in three years through collaborative program. One of two programs awarded $8 million in state Innovation awards in 2015.
• Neighboring Community CollegescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAligned curriculum with all four neighboring community colleges and built out Monterey Bay College Pathways Partnership to improve visibility and pathways for transfer students.
• Cannery Row CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO and chairman Ted Balestreri received honorary doctorate from CSUMB; active in community service and supporter of university initiatives.
• Everyone's HarvestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit benefiting families in need of food that has roots in CSUMB, won regional award. Founded by CSUMB-affiliated individuals.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Hartnell College: Hartnell College is a community college partner in CSUMB's flagship CSin3 computer science pathway; it is a direct feeder into CSUMB transfer enrollment and competes/coordinates with the university on aligned curricula for the same regional population.

Direct peers

• CSU Dominguez Hills: CSU Dominguez Hills is a regional, access-oriented CSU with a heavily transfer and non-traditional student population; it competes with CSUMB in serving similar first-generation and Pell-eligible populations.
• CSU Channel Islands: CSU Channel Islands is a similarly young CSU (founded 2002) emphasizing small class sizes, mentorship, and regional workforce development on the California coast—making it one of the closest institutional peers to CSUMB in mission and operating model.
• UC Merced: UC Merced is the youngest UC, founded in 2005 with a parallel social mobility and Central Valley access mandate; it overlaps CSUMB in mission, founding-era profile, and recognition for upward economic impact, while operating one tier above in selectivity.
• Cal State East Bay: Cal State East Bay is a Bay Area regional CSU with a comparable diversity, transfer, and access-oriented student body; it operates in an adjacent California labor market and competes for similar non-traditional and first-generation students.
• CSU Stanislaus: CSU Stanislaus (now Stanislaus State) is a similarly sized regional CSU serving a non-coastal California region with strong transfer pipelines from community colleges and a comparable access-focused mission.
• Cal State San Marcos: Cal State San Marcos is a CSU campus founded in 1989 with a comparable mission of access, social mobility, and serving a fast-growing region; it directly parallels CSUMB's newer-CSU, mobility-focused profile and is one of the closest like-for-like comparables.
• CSU Bakersfield: CSU Bakersfield is a regional CSU with a comparable focus on first-generation students, Hispanic-serving status, and upward mobility; it competes with CSUMB for similar student demographics and access-oriented positioning.

Others

• California State University, Office of the Chancellor: The CSU Chancellor's Office governs CSUMB and 22 sister campuses, setting systemwide policy on tuition, funding, Graduation Initiative targets, and shared programs; it is the parent governing body and the single most relevant ecosystem actor for IIIED/CSUMB.

Broad incumbents

• San Jose State University: San Jose State is a large, established CSU with strong industry partnerships in Silicon Valley; while broader and more research-intensive, it competes with CSUMB for transfer students from similar community colleges and for STEM employer relationships in Northern/Central California.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iiEDCSUMB
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgds89PGe1OLf_n10bCyLrQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/152900368061350
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csu-monterey-bay
• Instagraminstagram.com/csumb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute for Innovation and Economic Development