Oakland Small Business Week — Networking Mixer

Oakland is using Small Business Week as a very practical kind of support package. Not a big grant announcement, not a flashy ribbon cutting — more like a weeklong set of tools for people trying to start, steady, or grow a business in a city where the basics can feel hard. The city’s 2026 program runs from Sunday, May 3 through Saturday, May 9, and it mixes free Zoom workshops with one big in-person networking event on Thursday, May 7. (oaklandca.gov) ### What’s actually happening this week? The City of Oakland’s Economic and Workforce Development Department is running Small Business Week 2026 under the theme “This Is Town Business.” The lineup includes free workshops, panels, and networking events aimed at business owners and entrepreneurs at different stages — from people still figuring out how to launch to operators trying to access capital or market more effectively. (oaklandca.gov) ### What are the workshops about? The workshop side is pretty concrete. Oakland partnered with the East Bay Small Business Development Center on seven free virtual sessions, and the topics are the kinds of things owners usually need help with right away: starting a business, business planning, financing, marketing, permits and (oaklandca.gov)he friction for people who can’t step away from work for half a day. (oaklandside.org) ### Why is the mixer the focal point? Because workshops teach, but mixers connect. The in-person centerpiece is Oakland’s Multicultural Chamber Mixer on Thursday, May 7, from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. The event is designed to bring together business owners, entrepreneurs, community organizations, and Oakland’s multicu(oaklandside.org)ture customers or partners. (business.oaklandchamber.com) ### Where is the mixer? The mixer is scheduled at Scott’s Seafood on the waterfront in Jack London Square. That matters more than it sounds like it should. A recognizable, central venue makes the event feel less like a bureaucratic meeting and more like a real gathering where people might actually stay, talk, and trade ideas instead of just checking in and leaving. (legalesedecoder.com) ### Who is this for? Mostly small business owners and would-be owners in Oakland, but not just the polished version of that group. The city is pitching the week to entrepreneurs “at every stage,” which is important — someone exploring a first business plan needs different help than someone already operating and tryin(legalesedecoder.com)eeds the same thing. (oaklandca.gov) ### Why bundle Zoom classes with an in-person event? Because those solve different problems. A Zoom workshop helps with know-how — permits, planning, loans, marketing. A mixer helps with trust and access — the stuff that often moves through conversations, introductions, and local networks. Basically, Oakland is trying to cover (oaklandca.gov)design than treating small business support as just information or just networking. (oaklandside.org) ### Is this new, or part of a bigger push? It looks like part of a broader city effort. The official Small Business Week page says the 2026 program also includes a “This is Town Business” campaign launch and a year-round digital billboard initiative meant to spotlight local businesses. So the week is not just a calendar of classes — it’s also a branding push for Oakland’s small-business ecosystem. (oaklandca.gov) ### Bottom line If you run a business in Oakland — or want to — this week is built to be useful, not ceremonial. The immediate draw is free training and a May 7 mixer. The bigger idea is that Oakland is trying to make support feel more connected: skills, visibility, and real-world relationships in the same package. (oaklandca.gov)