About the Entrepreneurship Center
Purpose
To help students explore their entrepreneurial dreams and turn them into reality.
Located in CHE 126, the E-Center is a place where students can get mentorship, network, and attend learning experiences around starting their own business. It is open to students of all majors/departments.
Contact wv.ecenterFREEWEST_VALLEY for more information.
Upcoming Events
| Event | Date and Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Women Small Business Owner & Entrepreneur Panel Join us for an inspiring panel featuring esteemed local women small business owners and entrepreneurs from a variety of industries. They will share the challenges of being business-owners as well as valuable insights and practical advice for anyone interested in embarking on their own entrepreneurial path. The event will include 50 minutes of panel, 30 minutes of networking, and light refreshments. Panelist information to be announced shortly. |
Thursday, March 26, 2026 |
CHE 122/124 |
| Small Business Budgeting & Finance Workshop This workshop will help explain the numerical and written verbal task of creating a budget proposal for a business or non-profit/charitable organization. Whether to use a budget 鈥渢emplate鈥� from one of the spreadsheet, word processing, or accounting software programs, or create your own budget spreadsheet or both will be discussed. Hosted by Gary Smith, LC, MBA . |
Monday, April 6, 2026 |
CHE 122/124 |
|
Business Model Canvas Working Session & Coaching Turn your idea into a functioning business plan. Do you have a business idea and want some help thinking through it? Get feedback and coaching from mentors on your business plan and business model canvases. This is a great session for those applying to the pitch competition as the business model canvas will be a part of the application process. However, you do not need to be a part of the pitch competition to attend. |
Monday, April 13, 2026 |
CHE 122/124 |
| Art & Design Entrepreneur Panel Join us for an inspiring panel featuring esteemed local business owners and entrepreneurs in the art and design industries 鈥� from photography, to music, to film and more. They will share how they turned their artistic passion into a business. They will discuss the challenges of being business-owners as well as valuable insights and practical advice for anyone interested in embarking on their own entrepreneurial path. The event will include 50 minutes of panel, 30 minutes of networking, and light refreshments. Panelist information to be announced shortly. |
Thursday, April 16, 2026 |
CILKER 128 |
|
Selling the Dream Workshop: Pitching Your Start-up or Small Business Learn how to clearly describe and position the value of your business using simple techniques that hook your audience. You leave the workshop ready to deliver a compelling micro-pitch that can open the door to support, partnership, and funding. Open to all students. Great for students who are preparing for the pitch competition! Workshop facilitator: Rick Huebsch, educator and entrepreneur. |
Monday, April 20, 2026 |
CHE 122/124 |
| Practice Pitch & Feedback Session Prepare for the business pitch competition with run-throughs and feedback from mentors. This event is also open to students who do not want to participate in the final competition but want to practice and get some feedback on their ideas. |
Monday, April 27, 2026 |
CHE 122/124 |
| Pitch Competition Do you have a business idea or an early-stage small business that needs funding? Apply for the opportunity to pitch for funding to start or support your small business! Present a pitch for up to a $5,000 grant for your small business. by April 15, 2026. Learn more about the Pitch Competition. |
Monday, May 4, 2026 2-5 p.m. |
CHE 122/124 |
Signup for Our Mailing List
Receive bi-monthly emails throughout the semester on upcoming events and opportunities with the E-Center.
Frequently Asked Questions
Entrepreneurship is the process of starting a business and usually involves; forming the idea for the business, securing funding, and running the ongoing operations of the new organization.
It is a space on campus where students can gather with like-minded students to network, hear from industry guest speakers, and connect with mentors.
The E-Center is here to help students with their entrepreneurial pursuits and it strives to help students in becoming impactful and resilient entrepreneurs through thought-provoking curricula, inspiring speakers, and supportive mentors.
There is no minimum number of hours or events required. Simply join for any events that are of interest to you. Please check our website or Instagram to see if an advance reservation is needed for specific events.
No! All students and majors are welcome.
Check us out on:
- Web | westvalley.edu/e-center
- Instagram | @west_valley_e_center
- Dream It! Make It! Workshop Series (featuring local business owner guest speakers)
- Cohort entrepreneurship program
- Business plan competitions
- Field trips
- Student mixers
Download E-Center FAQ flyer.
- 鈥淪tart with Why鈥� by Simon Sinek
- 鈥淪martcuts: How Hackers, Innovators, And Icons Accelerate Success鈥� by Shane Snow
- 鈥淭he Lean Startup鈥� by Eric Ries
- 10-Minute Entrepreneur鈥� with Sean Castrina
- 鈥�2BOBS鈥� with David C. Baker & Blair Enns
Graphic Design student, Mia Shafer, created the Entrepreneurship Center鈥檚 new logo. Mia has been at 汤头条 since 2022 and is currently working toward a certificate in Graphic Design. She loves seeing her ideas become a part of the final design and has long been interested in art and design. Her first classes at West Valley included beginning drawing and watercolors. Some of the classes she has enjoyed the most are her counseling classes where she gets to learn about all the different career options available that incorporate art.
In terms of her design of this logo, Mia knew she wanted to incorporate the 鈥淓鈥� for the Entrepreneurship Center (called the E-Center for short) into the design and ended up making it the base of the lightbulb. The lightbulb concept came to her right away as it has long signified ideas and learning. And she said, 鈥渋f it was a West Valley program, then it must contain parts of the West Valley logo鈥�. This is why she decided to prominently display the college鈥檚 well known oak leaf into the final design. After some initial sketching, Mia used the graphic design program Adobe Illustrator to create the logo that was eventually, and overwhelmingly, selected by a vote of fellow students, staff, and college faculty.
Thank you Mia!
The E-Center works with the Democracy Institute. Come visit Professors Kea and Gutierrez in the E-Center to learn more.
The More You Know
Generally, if you make more than 3 sales in a 12-month period, you are required to register for a California's seller's permit and pay taxes on your taxable sales.
For more information, visit the .
Check out all the online training sessions available from the of Northern California. They range from Legal Issues for Small Businesses, Marketing Through Video and Image, and Raising Capital for Small Businesses. Many of these workshops are available for free and are offered in a live, online format.