The North Coast Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and local partners will open applications Dec. 2 for StartUp Humboldt, a competition and accelerator that offers entrants access to $200,000 in milestone‑based funding, one‑on‑one advising and advanced entrepreneurial coursework at the StartUp Humboldt Innovation Hub in Arcata.

Samantha Edwards, strategic projects specialist for the North Coast SBDC, said the program will pair every competitor with advisors and require winners to meet tailored growth milestones before funds are released. “Once they hit those growth goals, then the funding will be unlocked in stages,” Edwards said. Applications for the competition will be available at startuphumboldt.org/competition and on the hub’s Instagram account @startuphumboldt.

The StartUp Humboldt Innovation Hub, at 876 Seventh Street in Arcata, is a co‑working and training space created by a coalition that includes the North Coast SBDC, Cal Poly Humboldt, College of the Redwoods and Lost Coast Ventures. Will Franklin, director of the North Coast SBDC, described the hub as part of a local ecosystem that connects entrepreneurs, mentors and lenders. “Last year, we helped 45 businesses start. Last year, we helped people get $10,000,000 worth of funding. We helped create 137 jobs,” Franklin said, citing the SBDC’s recent metrics across Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

Program timeline and structure: applications open Dec. 2 and close Jan. 25. Organizers expect to invite roughly 40 teams into the education and advising phase, notify semifinalists in February, run four weekly entrepreneurial courses and one‑on‑one advising in February–March, and select about eight finalists for a final pitch event in late April. The competition will include separate awards for a “micro venture” and a “scale venture,” and winners will enter a post‑competition accelerator of at least 120 days during which milestone criteria must be met to receive staged funding.

Edwards and Franklin emphasized that the initiative is not simple prize money; it is structured to increase accountability and donor protection as well as to improve long‑term outcomes for winners and the wider community. “We’re providing a framework of support for every competitor that goes through the program regardless of whether or not they win,” Edwards said. The judging rubric will place heavy weight on founder and team execution history, leadership and the team’s capacity to scale.

The hub and competition are designed to address what speakers described as talent flight and disinvestment in rural Humboldt communities by increasing deal flow and demonstrating that entrepreneurs can start and scale businesses locally. Organizers cited examples of local companies that scaled from small beginnings, including Cypress Grove (goat cheese) and other food producers, and said the hub’s presence attracts mentors, investors and new opportunities.

Public events connected to the competition include a lightning pitch clinic on Nov. 18 (5:30–7:30 p.m.) and a leadership panel on Dec. 2 (the day applications go live). The StartUp Humboldt Innovation Hub offers co‑working space, a podcast room and other resources; organizers said the hub will also host workshops in geographically remote areas of the North Coast.

How to apply and contact: Applications open Dec. 2 at startuphumboldt.org/competition; organizers also point to northcoastsbdc.org for SBDC services and the hub’s Instagram @startuphumboldt for updates. Sponsors already announced include Blue Lake Rancheria and Rainbow Self Storage; organizers said they are still seeking additional sponsors.

Organizers encouraged entrepreneurs at any stage to participate in advising and events, saying the SBDC works with startups and established businesses alike on planning, financing, marketing and succession. The SBDC clarified that it is an advising nonprofit and not a lender; it partners with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), CalOSBA and local lenders to help clients prepare loan packages and obtain capital.

The program’s organizers say the competition will be a multi‑year effort to build local capacity, retain talent and create jobs in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.