California ETEC • For Immediate Release
California ETEC Awarded $307,530 State Grant to Expand Entrepreneurship, Digital & AI Business Skills and International Market Access
“Pathways to Prosperity” will provide free multilingual training, coaching, technical assistance and access to micro-grants for immigrant, refugee and limited-English entrepreneurs in Orange County and Long Beach.
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — October 1, 2026 — California ETEC has been awarded a $307,530 SEED 3 grant from the California Employment Training Panel to launch Pathways to Prosperity, a two-year initiative serving immigrant, refugee and limited-English-speaking entrepreneurs in Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Stanton and Long Beach.
The program will offer free business training in Vietnamese, Khmer and Spanish; personalized coaching and technical assistance; and access for eligible participants to non-repayable micro-grants of $2,500 to $5,000. Grants may support approved business expenses such as licenses, insurance, bonding, tools, equipment and digital systems that help owners formalize and grow businesses serving community needs.
Vietnamese and Cambodian/Khmer entrepreneurs will receive practical support in business management, bookkeeping and compliance, digital tools, AI-enabled business practices, online presence and customer development. California ETEC will also help entrepreneurs understand how diaspora relationships can become pathways to customers, distributors, suppliers and cross-border opportunities.
International market development will be a core growth theme across all three communities. Participants will receive information about export resources, market-development programs and government-supported services that can help small businesses evaluate international opportunities and leverage family, professional and commercial connections abroad for export growth and cross-border business.
For Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs, a specialized Construction & Trades track will focus on licensing, insurance, estimating, bidding, contracts, worker safety, business documentation and compliance. Qualified construction, building-products and related businesses will also be encouraged to explore international opportunities where diaspora and cross-border relationships may support growth.
“We want to help entrepreneurs build stronger companies, use technology and AI more effectively, and see their diaspora connections as a real business asset. Those relationships can become pathways to customers, distributors, suppliers and international markets.”
— Mark Matsumoto, Managing Director, California ETEC
About California ETEC. Founded in 2003, California ETEC is a California-based nonprofit with more than two decades of experience in entrepreneurship, international trade development, workforce-aligned training and community economic development.
Media / Program Contact: Mark Matsumoto · (714) 624-7001 · mark@californiaetec.com · www.californiaetec.com
Free Training • Business Coaching • Micro-Grants • Digital & AI Business Tools • International Market Access
Funded by a $307,530 SEED 3 grant from the California Employment Training Panel. Program term: October 1, 2026 – August 31, 2028.
Ready to Grow Your Business?
Contact California ETEC to learn more about Pathways to Prosperity — free training, coaching and micro-grants.