Solano businesses can take advantage of these low-cost funding solutions. Contact EDC President/CEO, Chris Rico (chris@solanoedc.org) or (707) 864-1855 for more information and help in accessing these programs for your business. If you are starting a new business, one good place to begin is the Small Business Development Center. Additional entrepreneurial programs are described under Business Assistance.

Local Programs

Recycling Market Development Zone (RMDZ)

Call: (707) 784-3172 or e-mail: nuntal@solanocounty.com

The RMDZ incentive is available to businesses that use recycled or recovered materials as raw materials in their manufacturing processes or reduce the creation of solid waste. Incentive benefits include low interest micro-loans up to $2 million; development and permitting assistance; a waiver or reduction of development/permit fees. Read more in Incentives. Learn more about RMDZ here. 

Industrial Development Bond (IDB) Financing Program

Call Solano EDC: (707) 864-1855  

Industrial Development Bonds (IDB) provide manufacturing and processing companies with low-cost, low-interest financing for capital expenditures, including land acquisition, building construction or renovation, equipment and machinery purchases. Contact the Solano EDC for more information on eligibility and the application process. Learn more here. 

California Capital Access Program (CalCAP)

Call: (916) 653-2995  

Through the CalCAP program, a type of loan portfolio insurance, banks and other financial institutions may be more likely to make loans to small businesses that do not meet their conventional underwriting standards. CalCAP loans can be used for startup, expansion, working capital, and more. Learn more here.

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

Contact Bay Area Development Company: (925) 926-1020  or Contact SBA: (800) 827-5722

Through your local banks and other lending institutions, SBA offers a variety of loan programs for startups, expanding businesses and businesses recovering from a disaster. Loans can be used for the purchase of real estate or equipment, building construction or renovation, and major assets. Learn more here. 

California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank)

Call: (916) 341-6600

The IBank issues tax-exempt and taxable revenue bonds, provides loans to state and local governments for public infrastructure and economic expansion projects and loan guarantees to help small businesses. Learn more here. 

Northern California Community Loan Fund

Call: (415) 392-8215  

Loans are available to ventures in Solano County and the 46 northernmost counties of California that produce jobs, income, wealth and economic stability, including worker-owned cooperative business. Loans range from $10,000 to $2 million or more through loan participations. Loan terms span sixty days to ten years. Interest rates generally range from 7 to 9 percent. Learn more here.

SAFE-BIDCO

Call: (707) 577-8621

Similar to the SBA program, the State Assistance Fund for Enterprise, Business and Industrial Development Corporation (SAFE-BIDCO) works with local lenders to provide guarantees for business loans for working capital, equipment purchases, commercial property, and more. Learn more here. 

Valley EDC

Call the San Francisco office: (800) 304-1755

Valley EDC is a national nonprofit small business lender, a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). VEDC provides loans and micro-financing to small businesses, particularly those owned by women and minorities, that don’t qualify for traditional bank financing. Learn more here. 

Working Solutions

Call: (415) 655-5473 

Working Solutions offers microloans to qualified micro-entrepreneurs located within Solano county and all nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. This program is for entrepreneurs who have limited or no access to a bank loan. Loans range from $5,000 to $25,000 for startup and existing businesses; and $25,001 to $50,000 for businesses in existence at least two years. Learn more here. 

Prosper

Call: (866) 615-6319 

Prosper serves the US with peer-to-peer lending, a popular alternative to traditional loans and investing options. Personal Loans for Business are geared toward entrepreneurs whose business does not yet have a proven track record. Prosper loans are not traditional small business loans and are based on credit score. Loans are available up to $25,000. Learn more here.

DCA Capital Partners

Call: (916) 960-5350

DCA Capital Partners makes direct investments in promising businesses located in underserved and rural communities in California where growth capital is typically unavailable or difficult to access. DCA will also partner with businesses to accelerate revenue growth, increase market share, enhance margins, and position the company for a high-value, strategic sale. Industry focus includes: business services, light manufacturing and distribution, healthcare, retail and consumer products, media and publishing, technology, construction services, sustainable technologies, food and beverage, and agri-business. Learn more here. 

Forerunner Ventures

Call:  (415) 677-1441

Forerunner Ventures invests seed funds and early-stage companies (post launch) that are after big markets with new products and services for retail and e-commerce. Learn more here. 

Golden Seeds

Call:  eliot@goldenseeds.com (Silicon Valley Chapter)

Golden Seeds, based in New York and with a Silicon Valley Chapter, provides funding and mentoring services to female entrepreneurs and women-led companies (at least one woman in a C-level position). Typical investments are in companies within the B2B and B2C technology, healthcare, and consumer products industries. Learn more here. 

North Bay Angels

Call:  (707) 431-4201

NBA is a nonprofit group that provides a forum for its member investors to meet entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs present their business plans at organized meetings; members who have an interest in investing and mentoring, do so individually. Typical capital infusion is between $250,000 and $1Million. Priority industries are healthcare, biotech, energy and cleantech, information technology, web-based businesses, business services, communications technology, and software. Learn more here. 

Sacramento Angels

The Sacramento Angels is a group of individuals who invest in and mentor early-stage companies located in Northern California. Entrepreneurs can apply to present their plans to investors at monthly dinner meetings. Members make their own individual investment decisions. Learn more here. 

ARCH Venture Partners

Call:  (408) 973-7832

ARCH Venture Partners is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology firms in the life sciences, physical sciences, information technology, and convergence technology. ARCH prefers to tap into underserved markets that contain centers of research, like Solano County. Learn more here. 

Astia

Call:  (415) 421-5500

Astia considers companies at any growth stage beyond concept within these industry sectors: high tech, life sciences, clean tech, consumer tech, and high growth consumer products and services. Astia invests in companies that are led by both women and men; at a minimum, startups must have at least one women in a position of equity and influence. Learn more here. 

Crosslink Capital

Call:  (415) 617-1800

Crosslink Capital works with companies in every stage, providing seed funding, investing in business expansion and IPOs. Industry focus is business products and services, software, cloud infrastructure, security infrastructure, digital media and entertainment, e-commerce, software, semiconductors, telecommunications, financial technologies, and more. Learn more here. 

Angel Capital Association

Call:  (913) 894-4700

ACA is a collective of accredited angel investors. While ACA itself is not a source of capital, its members are. ACA is a resource for entrepreneurs, providing guidelines on fees for applications and presentations, and links to many other business resources and information. Learn more here.