Own Your Future
Get started on owning your future with our entrepreneurship education and advising services in Oakland.
Link to: Our Bootcamps
Bootcamps
Short courses to support freelancers, independent artists, and small business owners in developing their business model, defining their social impact, and laying the foundation to thrive.
Link to: Our Academy
Academy
Year-long entrepreneurship certificate program to support small business owners in creating plans, improving operations, accessing capital, and developing leadership capabilities to build resilient businesses with social impact.
Link to: Our Advising
Business Advising
Long-term business advising provided in collaboration with mission-aligned partners to support small business owners in growing and keeping their businesses in their communities.
Meet Our Oakland Team
We are a team of seasoned entrepreneurs and educators passionate about providing more entrepreneurial education and advising to support diverse entrepreneurs in creating thriving businesses in service to their communities.
Rani Langer-Croager
Co-Founder, CEO & Lead Instructor, Mentor
Manage Your Numbers Course (Online), Leading a Business Course (Oakland)
Rani Langer-Croager founded Uptima Business Bootcamp to address the challenges of traditional entrepreneurship progra...
Cairo Person
Enrollment Advisor
A San Francisco native, Cairo Person is the Co-Founder of We Re-Member, a non-profit that provides education about th...
Mike Gabriel
Instructor & Mentor
Building Operational Capacity Course (Oakland)
Mike Gabriel is an experienced investment and strategy professional with over 10 years in the social enterprise secto...
Lesa Hammond, Ph.D.
Instructor & Mentor
Create Good Jobs Course (Online)
Lesa Hammond, Ph.D., is co-founder and CEO of ProfHire, a technology platform that connects higher education and trai...
Wendy Martinez Marroquin
Lead Instructor & Mentor
Freelancer Course (Oakland)
Wendy Martinez Marroquin is a racial education trainer and visual artist with over five years of experience facilitat...
Naima McQueen
Instructor
Financial Forecasting Course (Online), Funding a Business Course (Boston)
Naima McQueen has over 5 years of experience advising mission-driven organizations. She focuses on outreach to the sm...
Ivellisse Morales
Instructor
Brand Your Business Course (Online)
Ivellisse Morales is an Uptima Bootcamp alum, instructor and mentor. She’s also the founder of bombilla, an Oak...
Fyodor Ovchinnikov
Instructor & Mentor
Explore Your Idea Course (Oakland), Go to Market Strategy Course (Oakland)
Fyodor Ovchinnikov is co-founder and managing partner of the Institute for Evolutionary Leadership – a California-bas...
Thomas Rosenberg
Instructor & Mentor
Creating a Business Roadmap Course (Oakland)
Since 1994, Thomas Rosenberg has been working on change leadership and transformation around environmental initiative...
Jeem Sirivar
Mentor
Pricing Strategies Course (Online), Creating a Business Roadmap Course (Oakland)
Jeem Sirivar is an independent business strategy and marketing consultant working with companies to develop growth st...
Oakland Business Partner Network
As an entrepreneur in our Oakland programs, you will gain access to our business partnership network. This network of trusted partners provides you with valuable opportunities for growing your network and resources to support the growth of your business.
Member of
Business Support Providers
Funding Resources
Banking Resources
Legal Resources
Find Us in Oakland
We are located at Evolve Oakland, an entrepreneurial coworking community to create and prototype solutions for a world that works for all.
