Investor profile
Long Beach Accelerator
Micro-fund
See how your deck fits this investor's thesis, stage, and ticket size.
Analyse your fitInvestment thesis
The Long Beach Accelerator is a public-private-academic partnership between the City of Long Beach, California State University Long Beach (CSULB), and Sunstone Management, designed to provide emerging technology companies with the resources and runway they need to flourish. Each startup receives between $75,000 and $150,000 in equity funding (in exchange for ~7% equity) alongside a tailored 4-month program covering product-market fit, sales and marketing, business operations, and demo-day preparation. The LBA is focused on providing exceptional vision and value to its ecosystem, and in seeking out and supporting companies founded by diverse entrepreneurs — giving them real government access, university resources, key industry partnerships, and introductions to follow-on investors.
Notable quotes
“This investment demonstrates our accelerator's unique and significant value to startups looking for a pathway to explosive growth and allows us to compete with more established Silicon Valley institutions.”
“Sunstone and American Lending Center are committed to investing in America's innovative ecosystem and creating a diverse, unique competitive startup culture. This new funding opportunity will allow us to exponentially accelerate startups and create jobs for Americans across the country.”
“Our meeting was synergistic, with perfect timing. We agreed to work together to fulfill both our goals. I told John that we needed to involve an academic partner to provide the educational support and mentoring for startups.”
Team
Ragan Robertson, PhD
Director of Operations
John Keisler
Board Member / Co-Founder
Wade Martin
Board Member / Co-Founder
Brenda Wunsch
Co-Chair of the Board
Sue Malone
Co-Chair of the Board
Recent investments
| Company | Round | Size | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delphire | Accelerator | — | 2021-02 |
| Sensegrass | Accelerator | — | 2022 |
| Evolectric | Accelerator | — | 2021-02 |
| 123 Baby Box | Accelerator | — | 2021 |
| Aircada | Accelerator | — | 2022 |
| At Their Side | Accelerator | — | 2022 |
| Closed Loop Plastics | Accelerator | — | 2021 |
| Sesame | Accelerator | — | 2023 |
| Flute | Accelerator | — | 2023-07-20 |
| Businesswise | Accelerator | — | 2023 |
Frequent co-investors
| VC firm | Deals together |
|---|---|
| Sunstone Management | 25 |
| Imprint Venture Lab | 2 |
| American Lending Center | 2 |
| GoAhead Ventures | 1 |
| Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) | 1 |
| Anamika Ventures | 1 |
Fit check
Is Long Beach Accelerator a match for your startup?
Upload your deck and get an instant AI-powered fit analysis — see exactly how your startup aligns with this investor's thesis, stage focus, and ticket size.
Analyse your fit