San Diego & Imperial Women’s Business Center

What San Diego & Imperial Women’s Business Center does

The San Diego & Imperial Women's Business Center (WBC) is a private nonprofit founded in 2018 that provides free business counseling, training, and access-to-capital support to women entrepreneurs across San Diego and Imperial counties in California. Operated as a resource partner of the US Small Business Administration and hosted by Southwestern College at the Center for Business Advancement in National City, California (880 National City Blvd.), the center offers one-on-one advising, live and on-demand workshops, structured accelerator programs (an 8-week childcare launch program, a 6-week Kauffman FastTrac Business Accelerator, and a 14-week scaling program), and networking events. All services are available in English and Spanish and are delivered free of charge to legal US residents, with limited nominal fees (e.g., $20 for a specialized childcare licensing course co-offered with the Chicano Federation). The center employs a small team led by Regional Director Katty Ibarra, with advisors including Esther Carrillo and Brenda Figueroa, supported by a marketing/communications associate.

The organization's technology stack is deliberately non-proprietary: a content website, Eventbrite for event registration, eCenter Direct for client management and training delivery, and Constant Contact for email marketing. There are no custom software products, APIs, or mobile applications. Distribution is direct, via in-person and virtual advising, partner referrals, and community co-marketing with organizations such as Southwestern College, Chicano Federation, Kauffman FastTrac, Union Bank, Accessity, and the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through grants rather than commercial fees. For Federal Fiscal Year 2025, total program funding is $450,000, composed of 33% from the SBA ($150,000), 22% from the California Office of the Small Business Advocate/CalOSBA ($100,000), and 45% from local public and private sources ($200,000), supplemented by a two-year $500,000 Union Bank Foundation WE CAN Initiative grant at the state level. Southwestern College Foundation serves as the agreement and grant holder. The center received the SBA's 2025 WBC of Excellence award. No venture capital, private equity, or commercial revenue is involved.

Name

San Diego & Imperial Women’s Business Center

Legal name

San Diego & Imperial Women's Business Center

Website

https://sandiegowbc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The San Diego & Imperial Women's Business Center is a SBA-affiliated nonprofit founded in 2018 that provides free bilingual (English/Spanish) business counseling, training, and accelerator programs to women entrepreneurs across San Diego and Imperial counties, funded primarily by federal, state, and local grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Development Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSANAHAC

Corporate Venture Studios & Incubators (Build/launch ventures)

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Corporate Venture Capital (CVC)

Keywords

• Women business assistance
• Small business counseling
• Entrepreneurship training
• Business accelerator programs
• Access to capital

Headquarters

HQ city

National City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Federal SBA Funding: The San Diego & Imperial WBC receives 33% of total program funding ($150,000 for FFY 2025) through a cooperative agreement with the US Small Business Administration. This is the primary federal funding source.
2. California State Funding (CalOSBA): Receives $100,000 (22%) through a grant with the California Office of the Small Business Advocate for program support.
3. Local Public and Private Funding: Receives $200,000 (45%) from local public and private sources, including Union Bank's WE CAN initiative ($500,000 two-year grant), Southwestern College Foundation support, and other local partners.
4. Training Course Fees: Some specialized programs charge nominal fees; for example, the childcare business licensing course with Chicano Federation is $20, while most other services are provided at no cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The San Diego & Imperial Women's Business Center (WBC) provides free one-on-one business counseling, live and on-demand training, business accelerator programs, signature programs (including childcare business licensing), and networking events to women entrepreneurs throughout San Diego and Imperial counties. All services are offered in English and Spanish, primarily at no cost to clients, with the goal of supporting the start, operation, and growth of women-owned small businesses.

Product overview

The San Diego & Imperial Women's Business Center provides a unified suite of business support services for women entrepreneurs, combining free one-on-one business counseling with structured training programs. The core offerings include Business Counseling, Business Training (both live and on-demand), Access to Capital guidance, Business Accelerator programs, Signature Programs, and Networking Events. Key signature programs include the Kauffman FastTrac Business Accelerator (6-week virtual program) for new business launch and the Childcare Business Program (8-week course with Chicano Federation partnership) for family childcare providers. All services are available in English and Spanish and are provided at no cost to clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Counseling Free one-on-one business consulting with expert advisors covering licenses and permits, marketing strategies, social media, email marketing, business plans, pricing, financial projections, and recovery strategies for women entrepreneurs.
• Live Business Training Workshops and live training sessions in English and Spanish covering business plans, marketing fundamentals, strategic planning, and industry-specific topics, designed for women entrepreneurs.
• On-Demand Trainings
• Kauffman FastTrac Business Accelerator A virtual 6-week accelerator program that guides entrepreneurs through business licensing, permits, bookkeeping, marketing, and legal operations, providing cohort access to experienced instructors, peer networks, and the FastTrac online portal.
• Childcare Business Program An 8-week intensive course developed with the Chicano Federation offering certification preparation for state licensing, business operations training, and personalized advising for starting home-based childcare businesses. The course costs $20 and includes two required certifications for state licensing.
• 14-Week Business Scaling Program Intensive expansion program helping established childcare providers grow their businesses and obtain large-scale licensing to accommodate more children, such as moving from home-based to Large Licensed facility operations.
• Access to Capital Guidance Resources and guidance for navigating access to capital, including assistance with the loan process and cash flow management, provided in partnership with lenders like Accessity.
• Networking Events Opportunities for women entrepreneurs to meet and learn from like-minded business owners through organized networking events in the San Diego and Imperial counties region.

Quantifiable outcome

• Client sales increases from $20K to $70K+ (tripling)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Southwestern CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe San Diego & Imperial WBC is hosted by Southwestern College at the Center for Business Advancement in National City, California. Southwestern College Foundation serves as the agreement and grant holder for the WBC, providing significant organizational support and infrastructure.
• Chicano Federation of San DiegomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner collaborating on childcare business development programs. The WBC and Chicano Federation co-offer a $20 virtual/in-person course for childcare home licensing, with Federation providing startup cost assistance and pre-inspection support.
• Association of Women's Business CentersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association connecting California's WBC network of 16 centers. The statewide network served 12,300 clients in 2020, leveraging $50 million in capital and fostering 9,000 businesses.
• Kauffman FastTracmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WBC offers the Kauffman FastTrac Business Accelerator, a 6-week virtual program providing entrepreneurs with business skills, tools, resources, and peer networks. Participants gain access to the FastTrac online portal with additional training materials.
• Verizon Small Business Digital ReadyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership promoting the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Program, which offers a marketplace of business tools, solutions, and services. Participants can apply for $10,000 grants after completing courses or live coaching events.
• AccessityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing capital access workshops and training sessions through the WBC's event programming. Helps entrepreneurs learn how to access capital for small business growth.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Plaza Bonita Community (Chicano Federation Programs): San Diego community organization co-developing the childcare business licensing program with the WBC. Comparable in serving low-income Hispanic entrepreneurs with bilingual programming and wraparound services.

Broad incumbents

• SCORE: National SBA resource partner providing free mentoring, workshops, and business templates to entrepreneurs. Operates at much larger scale and broader scope, but directly competes for the same audience of early-stage and growth-stage entrepreneurs.
• Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) - San Diego: Co-located SBA resource partner under Southwestern College serving government contracting-focused entrepreneurs; shares marketing/comms staff with the WBC and serves an overlapping San Diego small-business population.
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses: National small-business support program offering education, capital access, and networking to growth-oriented entrepreneurs. Comparable in offering tuition-free, cohort-based business education with a different funder and broader target audience.
• Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network: National SBA resource partner network providing no-cost advising and training to small businesses. Operates the South San Diego SBDC that shares the same marketing/communications staffing as the SD&I WBC under Southwestern College, making it the closest operational overlap.

Direct peers

• Orange County/Inland Empire Women's Business Center: Sibling WBC in the California network serving similar women-entrepreneur cohorts with free advising, training, and accelerators; directly comparable business model, funding structure, and SBA resource-partner status.
• Accessity: San Diego-based nonprofit small business lender and partner of the WBC delivering capital access workshops to the same entrepreneur base. Directly overlaps on the access-to-capital value proposition and target geography.

Emerging players

• Accion Opportunity Fund: Mission-focused small business lender providing capital and advising to underserved entrepreneurs, including women and minority-owned businesses. Strong overlap with the WBC's target segment on the access-to-capital side.

Others

• Kauffman FastTrac: Curriculum provider whose 6-week Business Accelerator is delivered through the WBC. Comparable as a content/enablement layer for nonprofit business-support programs, though it is a foundation rather than a service operator.
• Association of Women's Business Centers (AWBC): National industry association of which the SD&I WBC is a member. Provides the broader network context (16 California WBCs, national resource partner relationships) that defines the WBC's competitive positioning and funding pathway.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sandiegowbc
• Facebookfacebook.com/SanDiegoWBC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-diego-wbc
• Instagraminstagram.com/sandiegowbc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 San Diego & Imperial Women’s Business Center