Powering the Innovation Ecosystem in the Monterey Bay Region
About
What We Do
Startup Monterey Bay supports entrepreneurs, innovators and the startup community in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties with training, workshops, events, competitions, information about local resources, and opportunities to connect and network. This is a great region to live and work and we want to enable local entrepreneurs, innovators and startups to be able to succeed in this region.
Startup Monterey Bay is a program of the CSU Monterey Bay Institute for Innovation and Economic Development. The Institute is housed within the College of Business, and serves the university and its surrounding community.
The iiED prepares highly motivated students and community members for success as entrepreneurs. We educate, incubate, and launch new enterprises. We seek out and serve underserved communities and actively promote inclusion and diversity.
The iiED is committed to the Central Coast region being an economically and environmentally rich and resilient region offering economic opportunity balanced with maintaining a rich ecology. The Central Coast is home to a vibrant entrepreneurial community creating innovative companies both large and small. This community is renowned for being an inclusive and sustainable community that offers encouragement and opportunity for all. It is a place where there are rich career opportunities for graduates of CSUMB and other institutions of higher education.
Meet Our Team
Leadership Team
Brad Barbeau, PhD.
Executive Director
Brad Barbeau, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at the CSU Monterey Bay College of Business and Executive Director of the CSUMB Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (iiED). As a faculty member, he teaches courses in entrepreneurship and new venture formation and finance, and is faculty lead for the entrepreneurship concentration for the College of Business. As Executive Director for the iiED, he devotes his efforts to building the entrepreneurial ecosystem and developing and accelerating entrepreneurial ventures in the Monterey Bay region.
Jennifer Kuan, PhD.
Deputy Director of Innovation and Research
Dr. Kuan is a member of the CSUMB entrepreneurship and economics faculty with a PhD from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She is currently studying the commercialization of publicly funded R&D and the history of venture capital. Prior to CSUMB, Jenny was a researcher at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research for over a decade. She also has a background in technology, with a decade of experience as an engineer in manufacturing at Apple and Solectron. In addition to her PhD from Berkeley, Jenny holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University.
Dan Ripke
Director, Economic Development, Funding & Grants
Over the past 30 years, Dan Ripke has designed and implemented innovative projects, programs, and services designed to improve the economies of California communities. Dan was the director of an EDA regional University Center program for 30 years and the director of a regional small business development center network (Northeastern California) for 14 years serving 23 of California's 58 counties. He has secured over $50 million in grant funding for economic development.
Mary Jo Zenk, MBA
Program Manager
As Program Manager of the Institute for Innovation & Economic Development (iiED) at CSUMB, she coordinates workshops, speaker series, competitions, and conferences that foster innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development on campus and in the local region. She also teaches graduate and undergraduate level courses in public and non-profit finance and management and consults in the areas of government budgeting and community, housing and economic development programs.
Lynnette Lathrop
Program Coordinator
Before moving to the central coast of California, Lynnette obtained associate degrees in Social and Behavioral Sciences, Humanities, and Business Administration from Pasadena City College. Her background includes academic research, hospitality management, revenue management, events management, and project management. Lynnette has worked with the iiED team in the past as a student assistant in 2016 and has returned to work as iiED's Program Coordinator in 2020.
Student Interns
Kate Boyle
Marketing Intern
Kate is a junior at CSUMB pursuing a Sustainable Hospitality Management degree with a concentration in Sustainable Hotel, Resort, and Event Management. She is thrilled to be joining the team and is looking forward to pursuing a career in sales or marketing in the golf industry with a sustainability purpose. Kate’s recent experience assisting in planning, operating, and marketing weddings has taught her that she values both teamwork and creativity in her work. She is excited to build her professional skills and will assist with Startup Monterey Bay’s social media and email marketing.
Christie Cullen
GetVirtual Project Lead
Christie Cullen is a fourth year Marketing
student at the College of Business. She
loves watching true crime documentaries
in her spare time and going on walks
with her dogs! She loves the ability to be
creative in her marketing designs, as well
as reviewing success through analytics
reports! Christie hopes to enter a career in
digital marketing where she can focus on
creating content and managing digital
marketing campaigns.
Chelsea Ferolino
Data Management Intern
Chelsea is currently a senior at CSUMB
majoring in Collaborative Health and
Human Services, and will soon be
graduating in the fall. Chelsea’s had
previous work experience in social media
marketing, so she decided to pursue a
role in the iiED’s GetVirtual program.
Although Chelsea initially interned under
the GetVirtual program, she became
more acquainted with other roles and
switched to data. When she graduates
she plans on getting her Master’s in
Public Health and becoming an
Epidemiologist.
Mirna Gonzalez
Print & Web Design Intern
Mirna Gonzalez is currently a Senior at CSUMB studying Communication Design. Originally coming to CSUMB as a Visual and Public arts major, she changed majors to CD after discovering her passion for graphic design. The change combined her interest in art with new elements and technologies while continually providing her with new challenges. She has been doing design for over three years and aspires to continue working in design after graduation as a branding and marketing specialist.
Asher Handy
Management Intern
Asher Handy is a business administration student at CSUMB, with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. During his internship, he has been helping fellow aspiring entrepreneurs get access to valuable tools to help them turn their ideas into a business. He is always looking for new business opportunities!
Kayla Lee
Print & Web Design Intern
Kayla is currently a junior at CSUMB majoring in Communication Design with a minor in Business. She is delighted to be the new Print and Web Design Intern at iiED, and she looks forward to working with fellow interns like herself. After graduating from CSUMB next spring, Kayla hopes to work with a skincare company as their Brand Designer and eventually Art Director after building up more experience as a budding designer. She also has plans to possibly start her own brand in the future.
Rachel Martinez
Event Coordination Intern
Rachel Martinez is a junior at CSUMB,
majoring in Business Administration with
a concentration in Accounting. She is
excited to be developing new skills through
her internship, As well as creating
meaningful relationships and memories
through coordinating Monterey Startup
events. She has always been interested in
getting involved with her community and
nonprofit organizations.
Hannah Norby
Video Production Intern
Hannah Norby is a cinematic arts student at CSUMB
Vighnesh Prabhu
GetVirtual Project Lead
Vighnesh Prabhu is from India learning
computer science and business
administration at CSUMB.
Alex Wooddy
Web Development Intern
Hello, my name is Alex Wooddy. I am
currently studying for my Bachelors of
Communication Design at CSUMB with
an emphasis on Web Design. I also work
with Student Disability resources at my
campus, I strongly believe in advocacy for
those with vision or hearing conditions
and their need to also be able to use any
and all spaces within the web and out of it.
I will be graduating this December, and I
am excited about my journey with IIED.
Advisory Council
Associated Professors and Researchers
• Angie Nariswari, PhD, College of Business
• Dante DiGregorio, PhD, College of Business
• Eric Tao, PhD, School of Computing and Design
• Heiko Wieland, PhD, College of Business
• Jenny Lin, PhD, College of Business
• Joel Ryman, PhD, College of Business
• Joshua Gross, School of Computing and Design
• Miguel Lara, PhD, School of Computing and Design
• Paige Viren, PhD, College of Business
• Rosalyn Sandoval, PhD, College of Business
• Shwadhin Sharma, PhD, College of Business
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Thank You to Our Marketing Partners
