Everyone is invited to check out a selection of businesses emerging in the Central Valley at Start-Up Fest, organized by the Fresno Pacific University Center for Community Transformation.
The event will be from 3:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday, June 13, 2024, in the FPU Warkentine Culture and Arts Center, 4838 E. Butler Ave., Fresno, part of the university’s main campus. Food trucks will offer their wares onsite. Admission is free, but registration is urged: https://Start-Up-Fest.eventbrite.com
Start-Up Fest is an expo for growing Valley businesses. “This event seeks to provide space for those who are starting their businesses to be showcased to the greater community,” said Carlos Huerta, CCT executive director. “We believe that small businesses cannot do it alone and that we are better together when we help one another grow.”
This year, CCT invited choice community organizations—Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, Central Valley Women's Entrepreneur Center and the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative—to bring the best entrepreneurs who have gone through their programs. A leader from each small business will be there to talk about their product or service, and there will be financial awards and a plaque given to one start-up from each organization.
Roots of the Start-Up Fest are in the Spark Tank Pitch Fest, a signature program of the Fresno Pacific University Center for Community Transformation. Begun in 2013, Spark Tank invested more than $100,000 and helped catalyze more than 50 social businesses addressing issues in the community. The Valley’s only social enterprise pitch fest, Spark Tank boasted a start-up success rate double the national average.