Past Events

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) rarely struggle because they lack software. More often, the challenge is managing numerous unconnected tools. This "tool sprawl" can lead to significant inefficiencies and increased operating costs.

At its core, every business must manage sales, customers, service delivery, payments, and its web presence. We will discuss how a lack of cohesion between physical operations and the digital ecosystem creates bottlenecks. We will also explore best practices for adopting streamlined processes to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve profit margins.

This session is relevant to various sectors, including manufacturing, supply chain, real estate, professional services (wealth management, insurance, accounting, etc.), healthcare clinics (community, mental, dental, ophthalmology, ENT or any specialized service), restaurants, and salons.

Explore advanced cybersecurity tactics to strengthen your business against ever-evolving threats. In this no-fee webinar, we will guide you beyond the Cybersecurity Basics trainings into a deeper exploration of essential topics for building cyber resilience.

Join us for this webinar hosted by the NorCal Small Business Development Center. Zack Barton will lead a discussion with renowned cybersecurity specialist, Jacob Blacksten, to highlight the importance of password management, multi-factor authentication, emergency response plans, and staff training within today's digital space.

NTIA will convene a hybrid industry listening session on the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (“Innovation Fund”). The session will discuss Innovation Fund progress to date and solicit industry input to help inform a future funding opportunity.

NTIA will convene the public listening session on Monday, March 23, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Please refer to NTIA's website, www.ntia.gov/​program/​innovation-fund for the most current information.

This listening session will focus on advancing AI-native telecommunications networks through the Innovation Fund. This effort is aligned with the Administration's July 2025 AI Action Plan and the Executive Order on Promoting the Export of the American AI Technology Stack with the goal of establishing U.S. leadership in secure AI technologies.

The meeting is open to the public and the press on a first-come, first-serve basis. The hybrid meeting is accessible to people with disabilities and/or individuals requiring accommodations such as real-time captioning. Those individuals who need other ancillary aids should notify the Department at [email protected] at least seven (7) business days prior to the listening session. Access details for the meeting are subject to change. Please refer to NTIA's website, https://www.ntia.gov/​program/​innovation-fund for the most current information.

As announced in the Federal Register on February 13, 2026, CISA is holding a series of virtual town hall meetings to allow external stakeholders a limited additional opportunity to provide input on refining the scope and burden of the CIRCIA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published in the Federal Register on April 4, 2024. You may view the announcement in the Federal Register announcement. 

Registration is required to attend a town hall meeting. Registration for each town hall meeting will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time two business days before the meeting.

This presentation will walk small business owners through the basics of (i) why cybersecurity is important; (ii) high level cybersecurity and privacy obligations a business owner might have; (iii) steps business owners can take to help protect their business and their customers; and (iv) what to do in the case of a cybersecurity incident.

Recent disruptions—from pandemics to infrastructure failures to (rapidly) changing trade policies —have exposed critical vulnerabilities in the U.S. supply chain. These challenges demand coordinated, data-informed responses that bridge the gap between siloed operations and system-wide visibility, and yet be privacy preserving. This workshop will convene experts from academia, industry, and government to address the vision laid out in the OKN Roadmap: an Open Knowledge Network (OKN) to enable real-time visibility and resilience across the national supply chain.

The workshop will be structured around three concrete supply chain scenarios: water supply, manufacturing contracts and freight transportation. For each of these scenarios, we will assess the state of practice and emerging challenges. We will use that information to formulate concrete project proposals to accelerate their solutions.

Registration fee is $215. Fee includes: AM Break and Snacks, Lunch on both days, PM Break and Snack and Dinner on March 9. Registration will close by COB March 3, 2026.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just for large tech companies — it’s a powerful, practical tool that small businesses can use today. This engaging and accessible webinar demystifies AI and shows entrepreneurs how it can serve as a true “force multiplier,” helping small teams operate like much larger organizations.

From machine learning and computer vision to generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, you’ll explore how AI is transforming industries, including retail, healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation. More importantly, you’ll discover how these technologies can be applied to customer service, marketing, operations, data analysis, and workflow automation within your own business.

This session also addresses real-world concerns around AI bias, security, ethics, and data privacy — equipping you to adopt AI responsibly and strategically. Whether you’re an AI novice or ready to experiment with advanced tools, you’ll walk away with practical knowledge and clear next steps.

What You’ll Learn:

• The difference between AI and automation — and why it matters
• How machine learning, deep learning, and generative AI work in simple terms
• Real-world business use cases for AI across multiple industries
• How to use prompt engineering to get better results from tools like ChatGPT
• The role of data in AI accuracy, fairness, and performance
• How to evaluate AI tools (no-code vs. code-based solutions)
• Key risks including bias, hallucinations, and security concerns — and how to mitigate them
• How to start small and implement AI for immediate business impact

Project Spectrum is a U.S. Department of War (DoW) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) initiative that provides a free, online cybersecurity education + readiness platform—aimed mainly at small and mid-sized businesses in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB)

This webinar will showcase Project Spectrum’s impact and provide a vision for the future.

You will learn:

• What are the cybersecurity expectations for DoW contractors
• Use training, tools, and practical resources to help you build “cyber hygiene” and get ready for compliance expectations.
• Use self-assessments / risk assessments so you can see where you stand and what gaps to fix
• Prepare for CMMC-related requirements (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification)

Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue—it’s a business survival issue. This webinar introduces the core cybersecurity risks impacting small businesses in 2026 and what owners can do today to protect their operations.

Key topics include:

1. Common cyber-attacks affecting small businesses
2. Financial and operational impacts of cyber incidents
3. Data protection and privacy basics
4. Managing vendor and partner risk
5. Simple cybersecurity best practices that work

Designed for non-technical audiences, this session emphasizes clarity, confidence, and practical next steps.

This essential webinar will guide you through the complex strategic and legal challenges facing employee-owned businesses today. Learn to master critical areas, including effective Intellectual Property (IP) documentation tied to business management and navigating the IP concerns of owner-employees. We will also provide crucial strategies for integrating new hires, mitigating Artificial Intelligence (AI) risks, and balancing the demands of scaleability versus saleability to ensure your company maintains its competitive advantage.