State Awards $4.36 Million to Fresno State for Startup Hub

Fresno State will receive $4.36 million in state funding to launch The Forge, a new hub designed to help Central Valley entrepreneurs and emerging companies build and grow their businesses without leaving the region.

Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Jobs First Council announced the investment August 26 as part of $48.5 million awarded across eight economic regions and 33 counties.

The Forge will support startups in advanced manufacturing, robotics, automation, ag-tech, and biotech. It will give entrepreneurs access to specialized facilities, technical expertise, and connections to industry partners and investors — resources that Central Valley founders have historically had to seek elsewhere.

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“For too long, entrepreneurs and emerging companies from our region have had to look elsewhere for the specialized facilities, technical support and connections they need to grow,” said Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval. “The Forge will help change that. We want innovators to start here, build here, manufacture here and create jobs here.”

The Forge investment is part of more than $10.4 million awarded to a coordinated portfolio of Central Valley manufacturing projects developed with the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance and other regional partners.

Dr. Ram Nunna, special assistant to the president for strategic partnerships and dean of the Lyles College of Engineering, led the development of The Forge and the effort to secure funding. Fresno State’s Water, Energy and Technology Center will become part of The Forge, expanding the university’s existing startup support.

Partners include the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance, Plug and Play, F3i, Fresno County Economic Development Corporation, the cities of Fresno and Clovis, and Central Valley Community Foundation.

The Breakdown

• Fresno State receives $4.36 million through California Jobs First, a state economic development initiative.
• The funding creates The Forge, an innovation and commercialization hub for entrepreneurs and emerging companies in the Central Valley.
• The hub will support startups in advanced manufacturing, robotics, automation, ag-tech, biotech, and related fields — including ventures launched by Fresno State faculty, staff, and students.
• The Forge is part of a larger $10.4 million award supporting Central Valley manufacturing projects coordinated by the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance.

What This Means for You

This funding reflects a state policy decision to direct public dollars toward regional economic development through California Jobs First. As a voter, this is a chance to see how state leadership chooses to invest in local economies. The question isn’t just whether The Forge opens, but whether it becomes the kind of resource that keeps Valley talent and innovation here.

What to Watch

The material doesn’t state how much of the $4.36 million is direct public spending versus private or institutional match, so it’s unclear what the full public cost is.

A hub like this can genuinely strengthen a region’s economy. The material frames this as filling a gap for entrepreneurs who’ve had to leave the Valley for resources, which is a real problem. But public funding for business development often raises the question: Why is taxpayer money subsidizing private ventures, and who actually benefits when those ventures succeed?

Worth watching: whether The Forge tracks and reports publicly how many startups it supports, how many jobs those startups create, and how many of those jobs stay in the Valley long-term. That’s the accountability measure that will show whether this investment delivered what was promised.