CSU Bakersfield Small Business Development Center

What CSU Bakersfield Small Business Development Center does

The CSU Bakersfield Small Business Development Center (CSUB SBDC) is a non-profit, university-affiliated advisory organization that delivers free one-on-one business consulting, educational programming, and capital access support to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs across Kern, Inyo, and Mono Counties in California. The center is part of the Central California SBDC Network — a six-center, 14-county regional network whose lead office sits at the University of California, Merced — and is nationally accredited by America's SBDC. Its services cover business planning, digital marketing and e-commerce, operations, manufacturing, scaling, and capital readiness, delivered through experienced Business Advisors, a recurring Webinar Wednesday training series, in-person events, and online sign-up. There is no proprietary technology platform; the operating stack consists of a WordPress website, standard webinar delivery, Constant Contact email, and social media channels.

The organization does not sell products or generate commercial revenue. All services are provided at no cost to qualified small business owners, funded through cooperative agreements with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA/GO-Biz). In 2024, the CSUB SBDC reported helping clients unlock approximately $9.9 million in capital investments, create 134 new jobs, launch 40 new ventures, and serve 484 clients. The center is led by Director Kelly Bearden, with a Business Advisor team of roughly 36 staff and advisors. Strategic positioning centers on being the trusted, federally backed entry point for SMB capital access and advisory services in an underserved rural region of California.

Name

CSU Bakersfield Small Business Development Center

Legal name

Central California Small Business Development Center Regional Network

Website

https://csubsbdc.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The CSUB SBDC is a federally funded, university-affiliated non-profit providing free one-on-one business advising, capital access assistance, and training to small business owners and entrepreneurs throughout Kern, Inyo, and Mono Counties in California as part of the Central California SBDC Network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

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), Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN), SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI)

Keywords

• Small business advising
• Business development services
• Capital access assistance
• Entrepreneurship training
• Economic development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bakersfield, California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. SBDC Services (Free): All SBDC services are provided at no cost to qualified small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs throughout Kern, Inyo, and Mono Counties. The organization is funded through cooperative agreements with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The CSU Bakersfield Small Business Development Center provides free, confidential one-on-one business advising, group training webinars, and capital access assistance to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs throughout Kern, Inyo, and Mono Counties in California. Core services cover business planning, funding and loan application support, digital marketing and e-commerce guidance, operational streamlining, and management coaching, delivered by experienced Business Advisors as part of the nationally accredited America's SBDC Network.

Product overview

CSU Bakersfield SBDC is a non-profit Small Business Development Center that provides free one-on-one business advising and educational services to entrepreneurs and small business owners throughout Kern, Inyo, and Mono Counties in California. The organization operates as part of the Central California SBDC Network and is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the California Office of the Small Business Advocate. Core offerings include confidential business consulting (covering strategic planning, digital marketing, e-commerce, operations, and scaling), a Capital Access Initiative for financing assistance, and regular Webinar Wednesday training sessions. The SBDC does not operate as a software product but provides advisory services, with economic impact of $9.9 million in capital infusion and 40 new ventures launched in 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One-on-One Business Advising

Quantifiable outcome

• 134 new local jobs created in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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.

• America's SBDCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Central California SBDC Network is an accredited member of America's SBDC. Accreditation is critical for continuing to partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration and is essential for recognition as a high quality small business assistance and economic development organization. The accrediting committee examines SBDCs against comprehensive standards.
• University of California, MercedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of California, Merced serves as the headquarters of the Central CA Network SBDC. The Lead Center Office, which is part of UC Merced, owns and manages the Central CA SBDC Network website and oversees the network's operations.
• Central California SBDC NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CSUB SBDC is part of the Central California SBDC Network which serves 14 counties in Central California with six dedicated SBDC Centers working with entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized businesses.
• CSU BakersfieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CSU Bakersfield Small Business Development Center is a center within the CSU Bakersfield campus, serving Kern, Inyo, and Mono Counties. The SBDC promotes the development, growth and success of small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Orange County SBDC: Another regional SBDC within the California SBDC network that delivers free one-on-one advising, training, and capital access support to small businesses. Direct peer within the same America's SBDC accredited system, comparable in service mix and funding model.
• SCORE: National nonprofit providing free mentoring, workshops, and educational resources to small business owners and entrepreneurs. Closest direct competitor to SBDCs in the no-cost small business advisory space, with overlapping service offerings across business planning, funding access, and mentorship.
• Los Angeles Regional SBDC Network: Regional SBDC network serving Los Angeles County with the same free advising, training, and capital access service stack. Operates under the same SBA/CalOSBA cooperative-agreement funding model and provides a benchmark for a larger-scale SBDC footprint.
• Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce: Local business membership organization serving Kern County businesses with networking, education, and advocacy. Provides overlapping community-development and small-business support services in the same geography as the CSUB SBDC.
• Women's Business Centers (WBC) - SBA: SBA-funded resource partners providing business training, mentoring, and access to capital for women entrepreneurs. Operates an overlapping free-advisory model with similar target outcomes (capital unlock, growth, jobs).
• Central California SBDC Network (Lead - UC Merced): Parent network of which CSUB SBDC is a member; serves 14 counties through six centers. Provides shared infrastructure, marketing, and accreditation, and offers a direct internal peer for performance and service-mix comparison.

Emerging players

• Bunker Labs: National nonprofit supporting veteran and military-spouse entrepreneurs through education, mentorship, and community. Overlaps with SBDC in target population (early-stage founders) and free advisory model, though narrower in segment.
• Finderbinder (formerly FreeUp): Small business resource and service marketplace aggregating funding, advisory, and back-office tools for SMBs. Adjacent to SBDC's mission of connecting small businesses with capital and expert services, though delivered through a digital marketplace model.

Regional players

• Local First Arizona (LFA): Statewide nonprofit supporting locally owned businesses through education, networking, and advocacy. Comparable free-advisory and community-development mission, but operates in a different geography (Arizona) and does not directly compete.

Broad incumbents

• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses: National no-cost business education and capital access program for small businesses, focused on growth-stage entrepreneurs. Operates at a broader scale and provides a comparable free-business-education model with measurable outcomes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/csubsbdc
• Facebookfacebook.com/CSUBakersfieldSBDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csu-bakersfield-small-business-development-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/csub_sbdc

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 CSU Bakersfield Small Business Development Center