Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center

WHO WE SERVE
Each year Renaissance helps over 1,500 very low-to-moderate income women and men start or grow their businesses. Our clients reflect the social, cultural, and economic diversity of the San Francisco Bay Area: 90% are low-to-moderate income; 72% are women; 75% are people of color; and nearly one in eight have disabilities, including people living with HIV/AIDS.

Our entrepreneurial programs are offered in both English and Spanish at our three locations: South of Market and Bayview/Hunters Point in San Francisco, and East Palo Alto on the mid-peninsula.

MISSION
The mission of Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center is to empower and increase the entrepreneurial capacities of socially and economically diverse women and men, and thereby strengthen our communities through the creation of sustainable new businesses, new jobs, and the promotion of financial self-sufficiency.

1985- Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center launched with business-planning classes, support services, and access to networks and resources to help very low-to-moderate income women and men to start and grow small businesses. We grew steadily and added Introduction to Business and Business Planning classes.

1990- Renaissance launched the first non-profit Small Business Incubator in Northern California, housing 5 businesses.

1995- Renaissance added our Financing Resource Center (FRC) to provide technical assistance and loan packaging services to help entrepreneurs who were otherwise unable to access traditional sources of capital.

1997- Renaissance purchased its own building at 275 Fifth Street, and expanded its Small Business Incubator to 14 emerging businesses and one commercial tenant.

1999- In partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Renaissance opened a Women's Business Center.

2001- Renaissance launched our second location, the Bayview Business Resource Center (Ren/BBRC), to serve emerging and established entrepreneurs in the Bayview/Hunters Point community.

2003- Renaissance expanded our incubator to serve 30 small businesses.

2004- Renaissance expanded our Ren/BBRC to add a Small Business Technology Center.

2005- Renaissance introduced Business Acceleration, a new initiative to provide intensive training to graduate businesses.

2006- Renaissance launched the Techquity Program in partnership with the eBay Foundation and the Association of Enterprise Opportunities (AEO) to provide equity awards to entrepreneurs for use in purchasing business technology. Also, Renaissance formed the Fashion Industry Network (FIN) in partnership with the Los Angeles-based Fashion Business Incubator (FBI) to provide the best of the West Coast's fashion expertise to local businesses in the retail, fashion, apparel, and home product sector.

2007- Renaissance merged with Start Up, an East Palo Alto-based microenterprise organization serving entrepreneurs from under-resourced communities in the Bay Area mid-Peninsula. We operate the new, larger organization as Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center.

Since 1985... Renaissance has served 18,250 very low-to-moderate income women and men who have created and grown over 4,700 sustainable new businesses and over 10,550 new jobs!

Some of the awards and recognitions for Renaissance and its leadership:
San Francisco Small Business Network's Organizational Small Business Advocate Award 2009
Bank of America's Neighborhood Excellence Award 2008
Most recently in 2009, Sharon Miller, CEO, received the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), San Francisco Chapter's Social Entrepreneur Award.

Several Renaissance clients have also received prestigious honors: Renaissance training and Business Incubator graduate Alex Saldarriaga, owner of Home Health Advocates, was named the U.S. SBA Small Business Person of the Year, and as such, was honored by Mayor Gavin Newsom at a gala kick-off event for San Francisco's Small Business Week; Ren/BBRC client Star Partners Security, Inc., owned by sisters Myra Holmes and Jacquie Heard, received recognition by Northern California Supplier Development Council (NCSDC) as one of its four 2007 Suppliers of the Year; and Ren/BBRC client Yvonne Hines, owner of Pralines by Yvonne, was honored by Senator Carole Migden as her Small Business Owner of the Year 2007 for her hard work and dedication to revitalizing and bringing resources to the 3rd Street corridor in San Francisco's Bayview/Hunters Point community.

* Talking about your business idea feasibility: Attend our orientation, use our resources (http://www.rencenter.org) and take our training courses.

* Developing a business plan: Take our training courses and workshops (Start Your Own Business class, Business Planning class, marketing, finance and more)

* Taking your business to the next level with strategic planning, access to capital, specialized assistance (legal/financial/business) and affordable office space

* Getting connected to Renaissance's vibrant network of entrepreneurs and benefit from referrals, information, resources and advice: Business Roundtables, Online Network, Women's Business Support and more

We are a community of established training programs and holistic long-term support. Come join the community!

Main Office Address: 275 Fifth Street
San Francisco, CA 94103,

E-mail: info@rencenter.org
Phone: 415-541-8580
Fax: 415-541-8589
Website: http://www.rencenter.org
for more information about Renaissance, business resources, and our email newsletter sign-ups.