Our events, organized all year round, are open to all CI students and community members.
Startup Day Channel Islands
Ignite Your Startup Journey! Startup Day Channel Islands is the premier campus event for aspiring entrepreneurs of all ages who are eager to launch a business or explore the startup world. Over 10 exciting hours in late April, students collaborate with top mentors, connect with potential co-founders, and gain valuable insights from industry leaders. With hands-on guidance and a dynamic environment, students learn how to accelerate their progress—and they might even consider launching their ventures by the end of the day! The event is free of charge for CI students and open to students from other institutions. The winner of our Startup Day represents our campus at Cal Lutheran University's annual New Venture Fair (NVF). Community Colleges, CLU, and High School students are welcome.
We are already planning our 2027 Startup Day Channel Islands, so please reach out if you would like to get involved in any capacity (sponsors, mentors, participants, and volunteers are welcome). The sooner, the better.
Students can learn more about the event in this video.
Sponsorship opportunities are also already available for Startup Day Channel Islands 2027.
Happy Hour with an Entrepreneur
A lively and inspiring series of online interviews run by our ESBI students, where we dive deep into the entrepreneurial journeys of local or distant innovators. Each session offers a unique opportunity to hear firsthand the stories, challenges, and successes of entrepreneurs who are making waves in our community and beyond. Whether you're a student, an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned business owner, or simply curious about the world of entrepreneurship and small business, this free event is the place to gain insights and connect with like-minded individuals. Don't miss out on these engaging conversations, which are open to everyone. Grab your favorite drink, get comfortable, and get ready to be inspired!
Please reach out to our Director, Dr. Ballesteros-Sola, if you would like to share your entrepreneurial journey with our students during the 2026/2027 Academic Year.
StartUp Village in Santa Barbara
StartUp Village is an annual event organized by UCSB in Santa Barbara every March. This is a collection of specially nominated startups from UCSB, Cal Poly SLO, CLU, and CSUCI. Each startup is provided with a table to showcase the company to roughly 250 attendees. We are always looking for student-, alumni-, faculty-, and staff-related startups to represent CI. Startup Village participants are usually listed in the Pacific Coast Business Times Innovation Awards special report, issued digitally across the Central Coast and in print.
In Spring 2026, eight teams represented Cal State Channel Islands. Please reach out if you would like to learn more. Learn more about our teams in this Pacific Coast Business Times special edition.
Annual Women’s Business Conference
Mark your calendars - On Friday, March 5th, 2027 to mark International Women's Day, WVCBA and CSU Channel Islands, MVS, and ESBI are once again partnering to host Ventura County's only Women's Business Conference, an inspirational three-quarter-day event with guest speakers and networking opportunities.
Throughout the conference, we're dedicated to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment where all voices are heard and valued. All individuals aged 18+ and businesses are invited to attend, exchange ideas, and show their support for women in the business community.
We have a limited number of sponsored tickets for CI students, so please reach out to ESBI's Director if you are interested in joining us in 2027.
Calling all CI entrepreneurs, students, and alumni!
Sunstone CSU Startup LaunchPad competition is the premier CSU-wide startup competition, open exclusively to participants affiliated with the 23 California State University campuses. In May 2026, for the first time, CSUCI was represented with startups Politician Trade Tracker and BiomeScope. We are excited to report that BiomeScope brought home the 2nd-place award ($10,000) on the Health & Wellness Track. Congrats to both teams!
Please reach out if you would like to be considered for the 2027 competition. The internal selection will start in late March.
Our student founders also participate in the Cal Lutheran University New Venture Fair every year. For the second year in a row, CI teams were recognized with awards. In May 2026, both Legal Aid and Politician Trade Trackers won Best Marketing Campaign and Best Team awards. Congrats!
Thanks, Mike Panesis, Kristing Bell, and all CLU team, for the continuous partnership.
Other events
We also collaborate with local organizations and entrepreneurs to provide meaningful, real-world learning opportunities. In the last year, we partnered with Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) to offer a Mindful Budgeting workshop, equipping participants with essential financial skills. We also hosted a dynamic How to Pitch session, led by James Chan, to help students understand the structure of a winning pitch and strengthen their communication and presentation skills.