History of the CCVF

The California Coast Venture Forum (CCVF), formerly the Central Coast Venture Forum, is a non-profit organization organized under IRS Section 501(c)(6), (Federal taxpayer ID# 77-0498717), whose mission has been to mentor, advise and promote growing companies in markets in California. Launched in 1996 by Joe Nida and a group of Santa Barbara executives, California Coast Venture Forum is now in its 15th year of operations. We select companies with sound business plans and help them in their search for funding to grow through education, training and assistance with venture capital acquisition. For many years CCVF has focused on a technology corridor, encompassing the counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and northern Los Angeles.

2005 marked a growth in our organization in that we have expanded our mission beyond the boundaries of the Central Coast. Previous to 2005, all presenting companies were based in this corridor -- now, the best companies available will present to investors who rely on CCVF to select fresh ideas and golden opportunities. Santa Barbara's CCVF promises to become a destination event that attracts and serves the best companies, sponsors and investors from California and across the United States. In 2008, the California Coast Venture Forum (CCVF) created Clean BusinessTM as its operational element and will conduct business through (1) the Clean Business Investment SummitTM (CBIS) and (2) the Clean Business CertificationTM (CBC) program. Clean BusinessTM aligns the power of capital and clean business principles to build viable, attractive, clean tech, green, socially responsible, sustainable enterprises Clean BusinessTMTM (CBIS) where Responsible Entrpreneurs and their companies representing the 11 Clean Business industy segments will share their opportunities with Socially Responsible Investors.To date, the CCVF has achieved broad success in its community support role with the following milestones being reached in the first twelve years of operation:

• Over 1,350 business plans have been reviewed and processed to meet venture capital standards through a team of experienced business executives and entrepreneurs who annually select the most promising companies to make presentations to potential investors
• In a series of annual conferences, CCVF has attracted over 1,000 investors who have invested over $110,000,000 in CCVF Companies
• Some 200 different business and professional organizations have sponsored and supported CCVF activities with cash and in-kind services that now total over $600,000.

Supporters of CCVF include: