Economic Development
Building networks that support early-stage entrepreneurs and accelerate existing neighborhood businesses through training and mentorships, connections to regional partnerships, job opportunities and increased access to financial resources.
In 1988, the Jacobs Family set up the Jacobs Family Foundation after Joe Jacobs company, Jacobs Engineering Group went public. The intention of the foundation was to give all the foundations assets within the children’s lifetime.
Over time, as grants continued to be given, the family noticed giving grants was not providing a significant impact. The family decided to fund smaller, grassroots organizations but then soon realized these organizations struggled with the management side of their operations. With that the organization began to offer technical assistance directly to the grantees. With this shift, the family decided in 1995 to create Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation (JCNI) as a structured operating foundation. This provided greater flexibility to support communities through direct services and programs and later works with residents to develop property.
Although, grants and technical assistance was given that alone did not help neighborhoods work. Loans and grants can’t revitalize a neighborhood when robbery and theft is happening right outside the doors. With this new approach the family decided to look at microscopic geography and focus on a limited neighborhood and with that moving the offices into the same neighborhood.
JCNI decided to move into the Diamond Neighborhoods of southeastern San Diego, made up of the ten most culturally diverse communities in San Diego.
THE JACOBS CENTER’S MEDIA SPACE
Jacobs Center’s media space, opened in May 2023. It is currently not available for use.
THE JACOBS CENTER’S BUSINESS ACCELERATOR
The Jacobs Center’s Business Accelerator program (formerly CONNECT ALL @ the Jacobs Center) is the region’s first low to moderate-income and diversity-focused business accelerator program, guiding startups that want to grow rapidly with all the support they need to be successful. A partnership between the City of San Diego, CONNECT w/ San Diego Venture Group, and the Jacobs Center, the Business Accelerator was founded to provide participants with mentors, free co-working space, and guidance on how to scale their businesses.
In the course of 6 years, the Accelerator Program and Business Resource Center helped hundreds of entrepreneurs. See All Time Program Highlights and Demographic Data.
ALL TIME PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

INCOME DATA

TESTIMONIALS
OUR COHORTS
Each Cohort in San Diego’s only business accelerator program focused on low-to-moderate income and diverse founders, begins their journey with a ribbon cutting welcome and wrapped up with Entrepreneur Pitch Day, presented by Union Bank, which awarded five business grants to the pitch competition’s winners. To learn more about these thriving San Diego businesses, visit the websites below.
Learn more about each participant by clicking on their images below.

Rafael Platas

Carlos McCray, Tayari Shorter, Nancy Vallejo and Kristina Ler

Maxine Chapman and Nicollette Remmel

Rachel Eva and Shawn Michael

Kelvin Crosby

Roza Adams

Jamar Williams

Linda St. Julian and Janine Boleda

Brad Keiller

Xavier Rodriguez

Imani Robinson

Kelly Twichel

Geannie Hyacinthe

Kate Raiford

Victor Morales

James Lutau

Alexis Piotrowski

Evona Niewiadomska

Andrea St. Julian

Jacques Stroud

Anayo Nworjih

Gitta Pazar

Arash Adami and Joseph Villapando

Rashidah Abdul-Khaliq

Anahi Abe-Brower

Steven Moyo

Jasmine Sadler

Shelley Winn

Andrea “Dree” Berry

Padraig MacGabann

Angelica Orduno and Nancy Mendiola

Meri Birhane and Gebriela Birhane

Jamell Sanders

Marco Vera and Manuel Mendoza

Elizabeth Brost

Stephanie Kessl

Brian Ware

Paola Cruz

Jayton Harps and Adonni Harps-Jones

Natasha Nichols

Carol Stewart

Sonia Cervantes

Syncletica Maestas and Aida Soria

Oscar Corral

Talena Handley

Jonathan Burgos

Danielle Anderson

Lucien Eloundou

Ritika Sehgal

Darnell Forde

Daniel Ibilola

Michelle DeJohnette

Lamicka Cottingham

Fransico Peralta

Amaya Ford

Demi Adeniran

Melanie van de Water and Elyse Locatelli

Jaclyn Sarnese

Soely Sanchez

Angelica Tolentino

Kimberly King

Kyle Mitchell

Anita Lopez

Jason Cabildo, Cristina Romanillos

Christine Olory

Khong Xiong

Nayeli Gutierrez

Pedro Rivas

Tiara Green

Monal Parmar

Angel Zepeda

Derynet Williams

Edwin Cruz

Marcus Burton

Olivia Quintanilla

Carrin Johnson (CJ)

Dawn Hendon

Mo Cissé & Javan Reyes

Latoya McKelvin

Blanca Osorio

Chris Guerrero

Shacole Hamlett

Viet Mai and Sean Uriarte

Nechel Best

Rosa Maria Hernandez

Marisela Abasta

Melina Aguirre

Brenda Figueroa

Filipe Britto

Nicolas Del Guidice-Piña

Denice Whittaker

Daniel Ehrlich

Quincy Brown & Mansa Musa IV

Ebonique “Pynk” Briggs

Marissa Mitchell

Carmella Bailey

Ronaldo Berring

Sheena Shelton

Cecily Coleman

Celeste Martinez De Luna

Elisa Summiel-Bay

Miguel Tilis

TJ Harris

Kitty Harris

Graciela Cervantes

William Marrs

Bee Alvarado

Erika Rodriguez

Candice Miles

Litisha Franklin

Jennifer & Jocelyn Miranda
Carlos McCray, Tayari Shorter, Nancy Vallejo and Kristina Ler
The Dojo Cafe is a social enterprise: a for-profit business with a social mission. Its goal is to create a sustainable model and use its revenue streams to provide free community programs and events. These events take place at a coffee shop in the heart of City Heights.
Kelvin Crosby
Smart Guider™ builds low-technology to high-technology tools that make traveling the physical world easier for blind and deafblind individuals. Beginning with the low-technology navigation solution of a lighted blind cane to a full-robotic technology navigation solution that autonomously guides a blind person, Smart Guider™ is building the steppingstones to a more accessible world for all people.
Imani Robinson
The salon offers various price points for quality beauty products and services based on customer’s needs. The salon also hosts a boutique for exclusive products and one-of-a-kind accessories.
Kelly Twichel
Access Trax is an innovative startup proud to introduce the only foldable portable pathway that empowers pedestrians with all abilities. Beach Trax provides access to wheelchair users, pedestrians, carts and strollers. It is the only portable, lightweight, foldable pathway for accessibility over uneven terrain.
Evona Niewiadomska
Gifting Made specializes in premium client gifts and gifting strategies to take your most important relationships to the next level. Founder Evona Niewiadomska is passionate about giving away the secret to impactful gifting and creating gifts that clients will keep, use and enjoy for at the least the next decade!
Arash Adami and Joseph Villapando
Alpha Fiber is the only real-time solution for detecting potential concussions in athletes – in the gym, field, or arena – utilizing computer vision and AI without requiring any sensors or special equipment on the athlete.
Shelley Winn
San Diego International Birthing Project is a community-based organization that provides support and advocacy for obtaining prenatal care. The organization serves mothers, babies, fathers and their families.
Padraig MacGabann
Nakamura builds solutions that save lives – from supporting processes that triage emergency requests and allocate limited resources in the most efficient way possible, to ensuring that life-saving medical supplies are there when needed.
Meri Birhane and Gebriela Birhane
As a 100% Black owned and woman led business, Meri Consulting Services provides proven sales, social media marketing and lead generation strategy to businesses. Moreover, Meri Consulting Services hosts speaking events through its community service arm, MCS Empowerment Coalition of Leaders of Color, as well as startup consulting services specifically geared towards founders who have been historically underfunded.
Marco Vera and Manuel Mendoza
Los Brothers provides an authentic Mexican experience through made-to-order food with a splash of Mexican wine from el Valle de Guadalupe.
Industry Type:Food & Beverage
Elizabeth Brost
Blue Robin Kitchen builds kitchen confidence by providing easier ways to nourish yourself. The company creates shelf-stable pie kits that allow customers to bake single-serving pies in their own kitchen by only adding one ingredient and requiring no special utensils or culinary skills.
Brian Ware
Best Way Construction Services is a construction management, project management and consulting firm for commercial and residential clients. Projects range from building tenant and capital improvements, as well as public works projects. The company offers well-rounded construction knowledge with an emphasis in electrical construction.
Paola Cruz
ALine Design + Drafting offers architectural design and interior design services for single family homes and small multi-family housing (including affordable housing) in San Diego County.
Industry Type:Architecture and Design
Michelle DeJohnette
Village Kids Early Childhood Community is a high-quality child care environment, grounded in principles of social justice and inclusion, focused on the child care needs of Southeast San Diego.
Fransico Peralta
Shift Micromobility Compliance provides an affordable option to remove abandoned electric scooters from your property or business.
Industry Type:Professional Services - Transportation
Melanie van de Water and Elyse Locatelli
Interactive Play sells product developed by IKC (International Kids Concepts) based in The Netherlands, that provides kid play areas in commercial spaces. A play corner results in higher revenues, more visitors, customers, retention visits, and a more memorable experience.
Industry Type:Consumer Goods
Jaclyn Sarnese
elevatEd Classrooms provides educational consulting and professional development services to K-12 schools, districts, and other youth-serving organizations. Our professional development services empower educators to create happier classrooms that thrive by grounding in practical models and elevating existing strengths.
Soely Sanchez
Braid Street LLC provides protective hairstyle services, such as box braids and twists, hair care courses, and styling products for the Afro-mixed population in San Diego. We use hairstyling to intentionally facilitate conversations on mental wellness and personal development, as we are passionate about serving marginalized communities in a safe place where people feel welcomed.
Kimberly King
A Caramel Affaire is a boutique company headquartered in San Diego, California featuring artisan caramel sauce. We offer four delectably smooth sauce flavors. We want you to be hooked so that your caramel dreams are like no other.
Kyle Mitchell
The Underground Supermarket is a specialty market featuring African-American made products sold in areas that lack this shopping privilege.
Anita Lopez
My Vibrant Notary provides notary and estate planning services that helps families during times of intergenerational transition. MVN specializes in protecting family assets and avoiding medical debt due long-term care costs.
Industry Type:Professional Services
Khong Xiong
People Onward is an HR company that offers consulting, professional training, speaking opportunities, and recruiting services to large and small companies to connect top talent to the best employers.
Derynet Williams
DDHW Business services and consulting provides book keeping and business consulting services to small business owners that don’t have the time or knowhow to manage day to day operations.
Industry Type:Professional Services – HR/Accounting
Olivia Quintanilla
Harmony Grove Village is a unique community center retreat space focused on intergenerational public ethnic studies, arts and humanities programming.
Industry Type:Education
Blanca Osorio
Purrfashion provides handmade cat harnesses made from upcycled clothes or fabric scraps that would otherwise end up in landfills.
Industry Type:Pet Products
Viet Mai and Sean Uriarte
Vincii is an online platform that facilitates in-person learning experiences. While Vincii can be used by everyone, the company is dedicated to designing an innovative education model that is attractive to and meets the needs of “Opportunity Learners” – those who desire personal and professional growth, but may be disconnected from the traditional education system.
Rosa Maria Hernandez
The Vida Effect empowers organizations to shift power dynamics to create balance and equity in communities.
Industry Type:Professional Services - Consulting
Melina Aguirre
The Office Brows & Beauty (Studio 22) provides beauty services and one-on-one certifications
Industry Type:Professional Services - Beauty
Brenda Figueroa
Sparkess Agency is a digital marketing agency specializing in personalized social media management services. We create engaging content and strategies to help businesses succeed in the digital world by aligning with their goals, values, and target audience.
Quincy Brown & Mansa Musa IV
Imhotep Automotive is setting out to disrupt the auto industry by mass producing Hydrogen Fuel Cell electric vehicles in
an effort to expedite the transition from fossil fuel to sustainable energy alternatives.
Industry Type:Automotive Manufacturing
Sheena Shelton
Helping women change their lives in the simplest and most realistic way possible with fitness & nutrition.
Industry:Professional Services - Fitness
Cecily Coleman
CC’s Tax Time we provide tax preparation services for client’s.
Industry:Professional Services - Tax Preparation
Celeste Martinez De Luna
Celuna supports historically and systemically disempowered communities in accessing well-being, social equity, and autonomy. Celuna gently guides folks going through transitions, especially career and passion projects, to feel empowered in their next move.
Elisa Summiel-Bay
Illustrated Melanin is rooted in the principles of wellness and self-love. Our stationery products, ranging from greeting cards to guided journals, are designed to equip Black and Brown women with intentional practices of purpose.
Kitty Harris
Lifestyle and business public relations agency.
Industry:Professional Services - PR
Graciela Cervantes
La Boocha Kombucha brews and sells small batch Kombucha in San Diego.
Industry:Food/Beverage
Bee Alvarado
Mother Earths Learning Center provides a nature based childcare environment for children to learn, play, and grow through hands-on experiences.
Industry:Education (Learning Center/School)
Jennifer & Jocelyn Miranda
At World’s Whisper, we are deeply concerned about the devastating impact of plastic pollution in our oceans and landfills. It’s time for us to raise awareness and take decisive action to protect these precious ecosystems.
Industry:Consumer Goods
EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
The San Diego Promise Zone (SDPZ) is a geographic area comprising three City of San Diego Community Plan Areas: Barrio Logan, Southeastern, and Encanto Neighborhoods. Historically disadvantaged and suffering from a lack of economic investment, these SDPZ neighborhoods have long been characterized by their relatively high unemployment, high poverty, and low educational attainment rates. With a higher share of minorities and immigrants, the culturally-rich communities within the SDPZ also possess
unique barriers to economic growth.
Read the report “San Diego Small Business Lending Collaborative Equitable Development Plan for the San Diego Promise Zone (pdf).“
STAY UP-TO-DATE
To learn more or get involved, contact the program staff at economicdevelopment@jacobscenter.org
Together, we’re able to make an impact in and around the Southeastern San Diego community, thanks to the generosity, support and dedication of our partners.
Let’s stay connected – we’d love to send you updates on new projects, happenings, ways to pay it forward, community events and resources.