Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University)
The Asian Pacific Student Alliance is a student-run cultural organization at San Diego State University, founded in 1972, serving SDSU students through API cultural events, mentorship programs, arts auxiliaries, and a family grouping system, funded primarily via low-priced merchandise sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) does
The Asian Pacific Student Alliance (APSA) is a student-run cultural organization at San Diego State University, established in 1972, that serves SDSU students interested in Asian-Pacific Islander culture and communities. Membership is open to any SDSU student regardless of prior cultural background, and the organization operates as the campus's primary vehicle for API cultural education, community building, and student leadership development. APSA is not a corporate entity; it operates autonomously under SDSU's Associated Students umbrella with no external parent company, no venture funding, and no disclosed institutional budget.
APSA's programming centers on five recurring flagship events — the Fashion Talent Show (FTS), Night Market, High School Conference, Field Day, and weekly Friday General Body Meetings — supplemented by a Family grouping system for social bonding, a Mentor/Mentee academic program, and APSArts Auxiliaries spanning dance, music, media, and visual arts. Governance is handled by an annually elected 12-position Executive Board led by President Kristina Lam, with functional roles including Executive Vice President, VPs of Internal and External Affairs, Finance and Fundraising Directors, and coordinators for cultural, academic, political, and membership affairs. An Extended Executive Board (E^2) provides additional capacity. The organization's digital infrastructure spans Instagram, TikTok, Discord, YouTube, LinkedIn, Spotify, and Flickr, supported by a Mailchimp newsletter.
The only disclosed revenue stream is direct merchandise sales — branded t-shirts ($15-$20), hats, drawstring bags, lanyards, and stickers — transacted in person during office hours at the APIDA Center with Cash or Venmo (@apsasdsu). There is no membership fee, no paid tier, no sponsorship revenue disclosed, and no transactional data available. The value proposition is intangible: cultural exposure, community belonging, leadership credentialing, and a multi-decade alumni network rather than monetizable product.
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University)
- Legal name
- Asian Pacific Student Alliance
- Website
- https://apsasdsu.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Asian Pacific Student Alliance is a student-run cultural organization at San Diego State University, founded in 1972, serving SDSU students through API cultural events, mentorship programs, arts auxiliaries, and a family grouping system, funded primarily via low-priced merchandise sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Student Cultural Organization
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro industry
- Student Organizations & Club AdministrationCultural, Identity & Inclusion Programs
Keywords
Where Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Personnel
Revenue model
- Merchandise Sales: APSA sells branded merchandise including t-shirts, hats, drawstring bags, lanyards, and stickers. Orders are placed during office hours with payment accepted via Cash or Venmo (@apsasdsu).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | T-shirts range from $15-$20 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) product offering
Product offeringCore offering
APSA SDSU is a student-run cultural organization at San Diego State University that fosters appreciation for Asian-Pacific Islander culture among its members. It runs General Body Meetings, the Fashion Talent Show, Night Market, High School Conference, Field Day, auxiliaries (dance, music, media, visual arts), and a mentor/mentee program. The organization also sells branded merchandise such as t-shirts, hats, drawstring bags, lanyards, and stickers.
Product overview
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (APSA SDSU) is a student-led cultural organization at San Diego State University established in 1972. It is not a technology company or product-based organization. APSA offers a mentorship program, fashion talent show, family grouping system, general body meetings, and various cultural events for its members. The organization also operates a merchandise store selling t-shirts and accessories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- APSA Branded Merchandise
Companies that use Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University)
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Korean American Student Association at UCLA: UCLA's Korean-American cultural student org running cultural nights, mentorship, and GBM programming. Comparable as a university-level API sub-community organization with overlapping member pool and event format.
Regional players
- Chinese Student Association at UC Davis: UC Davis pan-Asian cultural student org with similar programming model (GBMs, cultural nights, mentorship, family systems). Comparable as a UC-system API cultural org, though at a different campus and slightly different demographic focus.
Direct peers
- Asian Pacific Student Alliance at UC San Diego: UC San Diego's pan-API student alliance located in the same metropolitan area as SDSU. Comparable cultural-org structure serving a similar student population in Southern California.
- Asian Pacific American Student Coalition (APASC) at UCLA: UCLA's pan-API cultural student coalition with a similar mission of representing and educating about Asian-Pacific Islander communities. Directly comparable as a peer university API cultural org offering events, mentorship, and community programming.
- Asian American Student Union at USC: USC's umbrella organization for API student groups, running cultural programming, advocacy, and community events. Directly comparable as a peer private university pan-API organization.
- Asian American Student Association (AASA) at UC Berkeley: UC Berkeley's pan-API student organization running cultural programming, community service, and identity-based events. Closely comparable to APSA in mission, structure, and target member demographic.
- Pilipino American Student Association (PASA) at SDSU: SDSU's Pilipino cultural student org sharing the same campus, Associated Students umbrella, and target demographic. Closely comparable in scope, governance model, and event portfolio to APSA.
Broad incumbents
- Vietnamese Student Association (national network): National network of Vietnamese (and broader API) student associations across universities. Comparable because chapters operate similarly to APSA — cultural programming, GBMs, mentorship — and members frequently overlap with the API cultural-org ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) social profiles
Digital presenceAsian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University)
What does Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) do?
APSA SDSU is a student-run cultural organization at San Diego State University that fosters appreciation for Asian-Pacific Islander culture among its members. It runs General Body Meetings, the Fashion Talent Show, Night Market, High School Conference, Field Day, auxiliaries (dance, music, media, visual arts), and a mentor/mentee program. The organization also sells branded merchandise such as t-shirts, hats, drawstring bags, lanyards, and stickers.
Is Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) a public or private company?
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) founded?
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) was founded in 1972. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) based?
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) make money?
One revenue line is on record: merchandise Sales.
Who are Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University)'s main competitors?
Korean American Student Association at UCLA is listed as an emerging player. Chinese Student Association at UC Davis is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Asian Pacific Student Alliance at UC San Diego, Asian Pacific American Student Coalition (APASC) at UCLA, Asian American Student Union at USC, Asian American Student Association (AASA) at UC Berkeley and Pilipino American Student Association (PASA) at SDSU. Vietnamese Student Association (national network) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) have an API?
No public API is recorded for Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University).
What industry is Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University) in?
Asian Pacific Student Alliance (San Diego State University)'s product category is Student Cultural Organization. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAHAB, Student Organizations & Club Administration, with a secondary code of EDALAHAF, Cultural, Identity & Inclusion Programs. Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8600.