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, 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.
Save the Date: April 24th, 2026, 8 am - 6 pm, Main Campus - MVS Hall
Sponsorship opportunities are now available for Startup Day Channel Islands 2026—join us in supporting the next generation of Ventura County innovators.
Reach our to our Director, Dr. Ballesteros-Sola if you would like to get involved.
RSVP form for both students and mentors will open in January.
Community Colleges, CLU and High School students are welcome.
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! .
Our Happy Hour with an Entrepreneur series is back this fall. We heard from Daniel Gamboa, Zentavra’s founder, Sebastian Perrin of Perrin Aviation Services and Efren Canizares from State Farm. We are working on our Spring 2026 schedule so please signup for our newsletter to stay informed.
We are also always adding interested speakers to our list so please reach out to our Director, Dr. Ballesteros-Sola if you would like share your entrepreneurial journey with our students.
StartUp Village in Santa Barbara
StartUp Village is an annual event organized every March by UCSB in Santa Barbara. This is a collection of specially nominated startups from UCSB, Cal Poly, CLU, and CSUCI. Each startup is provided with a table to showcase the company to roughly 250 attendees. We are always looking for students, 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.
Please reach out if you would like to learn more.
Annual Women’s Business Conference
Mark your calendars - On Friday, March 6th, 2026 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 2026.
Calling all CI entrepreneurs!
The largest CSU LaunchPad competition is happening at CSUN in May 2026, and every
CSU campus can send two teams to compete. If you’re interested in being considered,
please reach out to us as soon as possible. We will share full details about the selection
process in January.
Learn more about past editions at CSU Launch site.
Other events
We also collaborate with local organizations and entrepreneurs to provide meaningful, real-world learning opportunities. In Spring 2025, 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.
Looking ahead, we’re excited to co-organize a B Corp Roundtable with the Camarillo Public Library, Russell Fischer Business Collection, scheduled for April 8th 2026 at 5.30 pm, where we’ll explore how purpose-driven businesses can create positive impact in their communities.