Small Business Resources
Starting, growing, hiring, funding, or navigating a challenge?
The SV Chamber connects local entrepreneurs and small business owners with trusted public, nonprofit, and chamber resources across Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area.
Start Here: Free Business Advising
Silicon Valley Small Business Development Center
No-cost, confidential advising for Santa Clara County entrepreneurs and small businesses, hosted at San José State University and supported by the SBA and GO-Biz. Advising can cover business planning, capital, marketing, operations, compliance, and growth. (Silicon Valley SBDC)
SCORE Silicon Valley / SCORE
Free volunteer business mentoring, workshops, and educational resources for entrepreneurs starting, growing, buying, or selling a business. (Score)
NorCal SBDC Network
Find the right SBDC center by location and access no-fee advising, trainings, and regional events across Northern California. (Norcal SBDC)
Local City & County Business Help
City of San José Small Business Resources
Support for San José businesses, including financial resources, free legal services, safety/blight help, and multilingual information. (sjeconomy.com)
Santa Clara County Business Resources
County resources and links for businesses, including labor standards and state small-business portals. (desj.santaclaracounty.gov)
City of Sunnyvale — Start and Grow Your Business
Step-by-step guidance for starting or changing a business, including zoning reminders before signing a lease or buying property. (Sunnyvale)
City of Mountain View Economic Development
Business tools, support services, funding information, expert advice, and a small-business social media toolkit created with the Mountain View Chamber. (econdev.mountainview.gov)
City of Cupertino Business & Development
Business development, licenses, permits, bids, proposals, and economic development information. (cupertino.gov)
Funding, Loans & Capital Readiness
U.S. Small Business Administration — San Francisco District
SBA help with funding programs, counseling, federal contracting certifications, disaster recovery, lenders, and partner organizations. The district serves Bay Area counties including Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, San Francisco, and more. (Small Business Administration)
California Office of the Small Business Advocate — CalOSBA
Statewide small-business support, technical assistance centers, funding opportunities, and help navigating programs and regulations. (CalOSBA)
GO-Biz California Business Investment Services
State business assistance, incentives, grants, financing resources, and business investment guides. (GO-Biz)
Working Solutions CDFI
California small-business loans, generally $5,000–$100,000, paired with free business consulting. (Working Solutions CDFI)
Main Street Launch
California small-business loans up to $350,000, plus technical assistance and business advising. (Main Street Launch.org)
Kiva U.S. Loans
Crowdfunded 0% interest loans for U.S. small businesses, with no fees, collateral, or minimum credit score listed by Kiva. (Kiva)
Hiring, Workforce & Training
NOVAworks
Workforce services for Silicon Valley and San Mateo County, including employer hiring support, workforce transition services, HR consulting, employee training, and labor-market information at no cost. (NOVAworks)
work2future
No-cost career and workforce services in the San José region, supporting residents, job seekers, and employers. (work2future)
EASTBAY Works
Public workforce network serving Alameda and Contra Costa counties, with employer services including talent recruitment, upskilling, tax credits, wage subsidies, labor-market intelligence, and business planning support. (East Bay Works)
Legal, Permits & Compliance
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area — Legal Services for Entrepreneurs
Free business legal services for qualifying low-income entrepreneurs, community-serving businesses, and “mom and pop” shops facing displacement pressures. (LCCRSF)
Bay Area Legal Aid
Free civil legal help for qualifying low-income Bay Area residents, including advice, clinics, and representation. (baylegal.org)
USPTO Patent Pro Bono Program
Free patent legal assistance for eligible financially under-resourced inventors and small businesses. (USPTO)
California Inventors Assistance Program
California’s patent pro bono referral program for financially under-resourced independent inventors and small businesses. (California Lawyers for The Arts)
Entrepreneurship Training & Inclusive Business Support
Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center
Bay Area nonprofit providing small-business training, counseling, access to capital and markets, and programs for entrepreneurs at different stages. (Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center)
AnewAmerica Women’s Business Center / AnewAmerica
Business training and one-on-one support focused on women, immigrants, minorities, and underserved entrepreneurs. (anewamerica.org)
Need help finding the right resource?
Contact the SV Chamber and we’ll help point you toward the right local, regional, state, or federal small-business support partner.
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Neighboring Chamber & Local Resource Models Reviewed
Nearby chambers and city partners commonly offer a mix of networking, advocacy, business directories, SBA/SBDC referrals, toolkits, workshops, job resources, and city-specific “doing business” guides. Examples reviewed include San José Chamber small-business programming, Los Gatos Chamber free advising partners, Mountain View Chamber toolkits, Sunnyvale Chamber SBA resources, Palo Alto Chamber business tools, and Cupertino Chamber startup steps. (San Jose Chamber of Commerce)