Photo via Access Plus Capital | Local stakeholders celebrate the launch, in May, of SCALE Fresno, backed by a $1 million investment and convened by Access Plus Capital.

In May, a group of over 20 community and business-serving partners officially launched Scale Fresno, a regional initiative aimed at increasing small business ownership in Fresno County by 30% by the end of the decade.

Scale Fresno is backed by a $1 million investment from The James Irvine Foundation. The initiative has been in development since early 2024 and is now entering its complete implementation phase.

“Originally the planning phase was getting the right stakeholders in the room and seeing who can actually make the commitment,” said Ushan Samarakone, vice president of impact at Access Plus Capital, the convener of Scale Fresno. “It has been, at this point, solely the investment of the James Irvine Foundation that has funded the initiative.”

Access Plus Capital helped organize the various partners so they could collaborate to support small businesses. They primarily provide flexible financing, expert support and customized resources to help entrepreneurs across Central California launch, expand and scale their businesses.

The goal for Scale Fresno is to help launch nearly 7,000 new businesses in Fresno County by 2030 through capital access, technical assistance and outreach to underserved entrepreneurs.

According to Samarakone, the initiative is guided by an investable plan that helps lay out a series of projects currently underway. The plan includes providing 180 microloans annually, totaling $9 million over three years and supporting a 30% increase in the number of businesses served annually through technical assistance.

Scale Fresno notes a ten-figure capital gap faced by small businesses in the region, primarily among underserved groups.

“Based on a study that was done by the Urban Institute two years ago, the understanding was that there’s a $3 billion gap in the small businesses in Fresno County,” Samarakone said. “This specific program’s focus was to scale up the small businesses and then get the support needed for that.”

The support ranges from business planning and financial projections to marketing and legal assistance.

“Even after getting funding, how would you handle marketing? How would you get legal support?” he added about some of the questions brought up during discussions. “Most of those concerns were taken into account when Scale Fresno was created.”

While Scale Fresno is open to all industries, there is a strategic focus on entrepreneurs of color, women, immigrants and first-time founders.

According to a news release, only 20% of businesses in Fresno County are currently owned by women or people of color.

“Scale Fresno is exactly the kind of community-rooted, systems-level approach California needs to unlock inclusive economic opportunity,” said Jessica Kaczmarek, priority communities initiative director at The James Irvine Foundation.

More than 20 organizations — many with years of experience in the area — are now working together as one team to support small businesses.

“What sets Scale Fresno apart is that it’s not just a program — it’s a coordinated ecosystem built by the organizations that have supported Fresno County’s small businesses for decades,” said Tate Hill, CEO of
Access Plus Capital.

The collaborative is also attempting to address a longtime frustration among local businesses, fragmented resources and lack of awareness.

“There are many organizations that already exist and provide much-needed support and services to the small businesses, which weren’t really known to the small business community,” Samarakone said.

Fresno was chosen as a launchpad for Scale due to its diverse population, variety of industries and manageable size, which makes it ideal for leading a model that could be replicated in the future.

“It’s not too big a metro, like Los Angeles. It’s a focused small group, which you can use as an incubator and then see how year-on-year this support would drive the businesses’ growth,” Samarakone said.

In the coming years, Scale Fresno’s success will be measured by the number of microloans disbursed, technical assistance provided, businesses launched and participation across rural and underrepresented communities.

Statewide economic leaders are closely monitoring the initiative.

“This model shows what’s possible when we align around community-driven, coordinated approaches to grow inclusive economic opportunity,” said Tara Lynn Gray, Director of the California Office of the Small Business Advocate.

Looking ahead, Samarakone said the goal is not only to help individual businesses but to strengthen the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem in Fresno County and eventually beyond.

“We are still working towards optimizing how these networks function, but so far, we’ve done well,” he said. “Everyone has a common mission of supporting this community and the small businesses. So that has been very encouraging and positive.”