IIE Media and Press

Check out Press and Articles about programming offered by CSULB's Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

April 24, 2024: CSULB No Barriers- "Mother’s survival leads CSULB engineering student to Sunstone Innovation Challenge win." Read more →

  • November 6, 2023: PRESS-TELEGRAM- "The event, organized by CSULB and private capital firm Sunstone Management, featured startups from entrepreneurial programs at each of the 23 Cal State University campuses." Read more →
  • October 26, 2023: BUSINESS WIRE- "It’s called the CSU Demo Day Powered by Sunstone, and this is the second annual event." Read more →
  • Aug 21, 2023: The CSU System- "See how CSU programs bring students’ business ideas from conception to market." Read more →
  • Apr 18, 2023: Wallet Hub- "The journey of an entrepreneur is filled with many successes and failures requiring numerous pivots along the way. This is true whether you are opening one store to serve a local community or developing an app that will have a global market." Read more →
  • February 7, 2023: PublicCEO- "We want to focus on the strengths of Long Beach’s economy. We want startups in aerospace, in shipping and goods movement, in healthcare, in education, in tourism. And with the partnership we’re creating in this room, we can do it.” Read more →
  • January 24, 2023: PRESS-TELEGRAM- "Mayor Rex Richardson began his Grow Long Beach initiative on Monday, Jan. 23, by signing a new partnership that aims to attract and nurture 100 new startup companies in the next five years." Read more →
  • January 23, 2023: Long Beach Business Journal- "As city and business leaders huddled in the offices of architecture firm Studio One-Eleven in Downtown on Monday, preparing to announce a new initiative, guests in attendance were faced with a question: 'Are your seatbelts fastened?'” Read more →

  • November 16, 2022: DLBA Press Release- "Grant winners also gain access to valuable technical assistance and coaching from the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at California State University, Long Beach, and are eligible to receive business development coaching from the Fuller Management Corporation..."
  • October 3, 2022: Long Beach Business Journal- "Not only will up to five recipients receive a portion of $10,000 funded by Farmers & Merchants Bank, but recipients will also participate in a free workshop training provided by California State University Long Beach’s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship."
  • September 7, 2022: Barbados Today- "Dr Ebony A. Utley, Professor of Communication Studies and an Associate Director for the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, who came to Barbados through the programme in 2021..."
  • August 30, 2022: Long Beach Business Journal- "The [institute] is a key resource for students and academics interested in founding their own businesses, and we are pleased to support their expanding efforts."
  • July 05, 2022: dot.la- "The organization's partnership with CSULB enables it to help founders move from idea stage to execution at the institute, and then advance to business growth via the accelerator."
  • May 9, 2022: Long Beach Business Journal- "From apps to turbine blades, entrepreneurs from CSULB pitch ideas at startup contest."
  • April 25, 2022: CSULB News- "From an original field of 22 student teams and a semester of competition, four finalists emerged for the final event. Campus leaders, local entrepreneurs, judges, and student teams convened at The Pointe in the Walter Pyramid for the event’s in-person return." 
  • April 25, 2022: Long Beach Business Journal- "One strong business plan coming out of Cal State Long Beach has taken a major step toward realization."
  • April 25, 2022: Wallet Hub- "Choosing a city to develop your idea may be different than the best place to launch your startup."
  • April 20, 2022: BUSINESS WIRE- "International investment firm Sunstone Management partnered with California State University Long Beach (CSULB) Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship to sponsor the university’s 12th annual campus-wide business plan competition."
  • 2022: Speaker Post- "I invite guest speakers to show my students people who look like them who have achieved."
  • Feb, 27, 2022: Political Hope Podcast Spotify | Political Hope Podcast Apple - "360 degree Entrepreneurship with Dr. Ebony Utley"

  • October 26, 2021: Long Beach Post- "In those conversations, we rarely talk about discriminatory practices in technology. To make sure tech is not overlooked, the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, in conjunction with Cal State Long Beach, is hosting a free online symposium called Behind the Screens: Discriminatory Algorithms on Wednesday, Oct. 27."
  • September 22, 2021: WalletHub- "Opening any new business has risks. An entrepreneur must understand their market and the market potential. Some markets are very saturated and would be difficult for a new business to launch..."
  • August 27, 2021: Press-Telegram "Five business owners will share $10,000 in grants, financed by the Farmers & Merchants Bank. Grant winners also receive technical assistance and coaching from Cal State Long Beach’s Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, with added help from the Fuller Management Corporation."
  • August 24, 2021: Long Beach Post- "Opinion: The Long Beach entrepreneurship ecosystem by Ebony A. Utley, Ph.D."
  • April 20, 2021: WalletHub- "The pandemic has affected small business owners in ways that very few could have anticipated. To provide more insight, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts."
  • April 8, 2021: Business Wire- "The 11th annual Sunstone Innovation Challenge announced the 2021 winners after its final pitch presentations Wednesday, April 7 over livestream."
  • March 17, 2021: Daily Forty-Niner- "CSULB’s new program teaches aspiring students and local entrepreneurs social justice in business..."
  • February 17, 2021: Long Beach Business Journal- "With the help of Wade Martin and the rest of the team at the CSULB Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, the two Long Beach grads were able to narrow down their vision and get started on their project..."
  • February 16, 2021: Business Wire- "The mission of the CSULB Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (IIE) is to provide programming and guidance for innovators and entrepreneurs that leads to success."