By Dianne Anderson

San Bernardino may not be home to the long-running hit series where small businesses compete for high-stakes money, but it’s beginning to feel a lot like Shark Tank at the BBOP Center, a 10,000-square-foot innovation hub where big ideas level up.

There, entrepreneurs from all types of industry get Beyond Ideation, a program where budding entrepreneurs learn more than how to craft a convincing pitch.

“You feel the innovation, you’re really able to see their vision as they speak to it. I would definitely say it felt like Shark Tank in the room, especially because everyone supported one another and everyone was super excited to see who was able to get that non-dilutive capital,” said Leslie Galvan, who interviews entrepreneurs at BBOP, the Black & Brown Opportunities for Profit Center.

So far, over 40 participants have received $420,000 in non-dilutive funding, meaning they can access the capital they need without having to pay it back or give up any business ownership.

The competition gets energized when those final moments break out.

Watching the action of high-energy pitchers is exciting, but it’s not brutal. Everyone knows that everyone deserves it.

One success story is Pachet Bryant, founder of MINE Maternity, who started refining her big business at the Beyond Ideation Cohort.

“After completing the program, she went on to win first place and a $5,000 non-dilutive grant at our Big Ideas Pitch Competition. Her company is now building a digital Maternity Insurance Navigation Engine that helps maternity and postpartum patients understand what their insurance already covers, simplifying care access and addressing disparities in maternal health,” Galvan said.

Other entrepreneurs like T. Francis W from New York, creator of In Podcast Mode, a conversational card game, is designed to spark meaningful dialogue and connection.

“She joined Beyond Ideation to develop her product strategy, build a distribution plan, and connect with mentors who understood the early-stage challenges of bringing a creative concept to market,” Galvan said.

Beyond Ideation applications are now open, with their next cohort starting December 1. Final deadline to apply is November 25 at 11:59 p.m. Apply at https://bbopcenter.com/beyond-ideation.

Since its inception, the program has pulled in all types of businesses, from accounting to consulting services, digital agencies, and product-based brands in apparel, beauty, and games. Tech founders also are using AI tools and digital solutions to grow innovative ideas.

Participants get what they need, training, mentorship, networks, and a supportive community to move from concept to launch. It’s designed for all entrepreneurs and open to anyone with a strong idea that needs guidance or resources to get started.

The program launched over the summer, structured to take participants from early concepts in the free 12-week program, which helps founders execute their vision through workshops, learn their customers, and more tools that culminate in the BIG IDEAS Pitch Competition.

A lot is covered in 10 weeks of instruction, and participants have two weeks to prepare for the big competition. In the last round, after semifinals and finals, two entrepreneurs received non-dilutive funding to help them launch or grow their businesses.

From there, BBOP membership is $275 a year, giving full access to a state-of-the-art space and resources, including access to capital, education, mentorship, networks, and technology.

“It’s not only funding but access to entrepreneurial education, super important getting that mindset ready, then they are able to go into the exploration and validation stage of their entrepreneurship,” she said.

It can be intense, but she said everyone enjoys the process, which also serves as a path to the BBOP incubator with six to eight months of continuous curriculum with tailored support. Unlike many resource hubs in the IE and across southern California, their model meets each entrepreneur exactly where they are at in their growth process.

It’s about empowering businesses to the next level.

One case in point, their Entrepreneur in Residence has personally faced similar barriers and can guide new entrepreneurs based on real-life experience. She said their model is built to guide people through every phase of growth, from that early spark to running a full-scale business.

Originally, the program goals started with founder Dr. Kim Carter-Tillman, who fundraised to help secure their 10,000-square-foot center located at 599 N Arrowhead Avenue, in the heart of San Bernardino.

Along with the free training and direct funding, on-site childcare has been another major draw for working moms, helping to close the racial and economic wealth gap for women of color in the Inland Empire.

Most of all, she said the BBOP Center began as a safe space for women of color entrepreneurs to ideate and innovate. The building has very secure facilities with access to a wealth of mentorship, education, funding, networks, and technology to help grow and scale.

Being part of the BBOP family is more than just the membership or our business academy or Beyond Ideation flagship program, she said.

It’s a safe place to grow.

“It’s about revitalizing our community, making sure that we all are supported and given access to the resources that we need to continue to build generational impact throughout our lives, but throughout the IE especially during these times,” she said.

For more information on programs, see https://bbopcenter.com/beyond-ideation/