Ventura County raises talented, ambitious people and then loses them to San Francisco and Los Angeles, because building a high-growth company here has meant doing it alone. Startup Ventura exists to change that. Our programming gives local founders the mentorship, capital connections, and community they would otherwise leave town to find, at no cost: no tuition and no equity, funded by the City of Ventura and the community partners behind us.
The program runs in two stages. The workshop series is the open front door: free, practical sessions on starting and growing a business, with the first dates being finalized now. The 7-week accelerator is the flagship: an intensive cohort program launching Spring 2027 with mentorship from operators who have built and scaled real companies, weekly Lunch & Learns, investor introductions, and a Pitch Day in front of 25+ investors. Founders leave with sharper companies, warmer capital paths, and a community that wants them to build here.