The UC Irvine ANTrepreneur Center is proud to announce its newest Corporate Circle Member: Sunstone Management—a key supporter of early-stage startups and a growing force in building Irvine’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. This collaboration highlights a shared commitment to helping UC Irvine students discover, explore, and engage in entrepreneurship.
Sunstone is already active on campus through its ongoing support of the Stella Zhang New Venture Competition, one of UC Irvine’s largest startup pitch competitions. The ANTrepreneur Center plays a year-round role in preparing students for this competition by helping teams refine their business ideas, improve their pitches, and access mentorship. Beyond competitions, Sunstone has also funded startups launched by UC Irvine alumni, which are now part of their active investment portfolio.
Their efforts to strengthen the entrepreneurial pipeline extend into the local community through the Sunstone Community Fund, which raises support for founders and startups based in Irvine and across Southern California. Their sister company, American Lending Center, brings complementary expertise by offering flexible capital to small businesses nationwide.
“Sunstone makes for a great Corporate Circle Member because they are involved at all stages of entrepreneurship,” said Ryan Foland, Director of the ANTrepreneur Center. “Their focus on community building helps expose our student entrepreneurs to events, resources, and continued support from a network that’s already making waves.”
“We love supporting UC Irvine, and the ANTrepreneur Center has the kind of entrepreneurial energy that we want to be associated with. An investment in undergraduate students is an investment in all of our futures,” said John Shen, Founding Partner of Sunstone Management.
What is the Corporate Circle?
The ANTrepreneur Center Corporate Circle is a collaborative network of companies that recognize the value of entrepreneurial education and actively contribute to a thriving innovation ecosystem. Members participate in programming, provide mentorship, support funding opportunities, and engage directly with students, helping to shape a new generation of entrepreneurial thinkers and doers.
Through this membership, Sunstone will work closely with the ANTrepreneur Center to enhance student experiences and connect them with real-world opportunities.
First Collaboration Already Underway
One of the first activations of this new relationship is the 3K Fun Run on April 26, organized by the Sunstone Community Fund. Sunstone is sponsoring entries for UC Irvine students, staff, and alumni to participate in this celebration of first-generation college students. Over 50 members of the UC Irvine community are already signed up.
Interested in participating?
Apply for a sponsored ticket here.
What’s Next?
As part of this collaboration, Sunstone will:
- Engage directly with students through a dedicated space inside the ANTrepreneur Center, where students can learn more about their work, explore startup funding pathways, and access resources—including copies of Crossing the Swamp: My Path to Innovating as a Parallel Entrepreneur by Sunstone founder John Shen.
- Support student experience through Micro-Internships, connecting startups in their portfolio with UC Irvine students for short-term, paid gigs via the Self-Starter Micro-Internship Program. Learn more about these Micro-Internships.
- Host special networking and leadership events, like the First-Gen Fun run and other unique networking opportunities, including a proposed gathering aboard Sunstone’s 60-foot catamaran, where students and community leaders will connect over discussions about leaderSHIP and entrepreneurSHIP on an actual ship.
“The ANTrepreneur Center is a place where students go to explore their entrepreneurial journey, and we want to be a part of that,” said Jayro Sandoval, Economic Development Officer at Sunstone Management. “Students are a big part of our community because they will soon be building companies and entering the workforce. Supporting them now is a way for us to support the foundations of their success.”
About the ANTrepreneur Center
The ANTrepreneur Center is UC Irvine’s home for undergraduate entrepreneurship. Open to students of all majors, the Center provides one-on-one support, hands-on workshops, startup funding, innovation challenges, and access to a wide network of mentors and partners. Whether students are launching startups, exploring side hustles, or just testing ideas, the Center helps them turn their passions into ventures.
Interested in becoming a Corporate Circle Member?
Companies interested in supporting student entrepreneurs and connecting with UC Irvine’s innovation community can learn more on our partnership webpage or by contacting Ryan Foland at rfoland@uci.edu.