Bay Area

San Francisco Named Host City for 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit

Asian Americans account for about a third of San Francisco’s total population, and San Francisco has Sister City relationships with cities throughout the region, including Osaka, Seoul, Ho Chi Minh, Manila, Sydney, and Shanghai. San Francisco’s Chinatown is the first in North America and one of the largest Chinese communities outside of Asia. Additionally, the city currently hosts over 75 consulates, representing the government interests of virtually all major countries around the world. Additionally, many trade commissions have established offices in and around the city.

Published

3 years ago

November 26, 2022

Oakland Post

San Francisco is a major destination for business and tourism and leads the world in technology innovation. The city has a long history as a top destination for travel, conferences and seminars.

The summit will be held at Moscone Center and is expected to draw thousands of attendees from around the world with an estimated $36.5 million in total economic impact

By S.F. Mayor’s Office

Mayor London N. Breed celebrated news that San Francisco has been named the host city for the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit, or APEC, in November of next year.

The announcement was made on Nov. 18 at APEC where Vice President Kamala Harris is attending the Summit in Bangkok, Thailand. San Francisco will welcome President Biden, various chiefs of states, heads of government, and other officials from around the world.

In a letter sent to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in August, Breed made the request for the City and County of San Francisco to host the 2023 APEC Leaders’ Summit. U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla also submitted letters in support of the City winning the bid to host the five-day event.

Breed highlighted San Francisco’s extensive economic, cultural and academic connections to the Asia-Pacific Region, including the City’s recognition as the gateway to the Asia Pacific, which has positioned San Francisco as the primary destination for foreign direct investment from Asia.

Established in 1989, APEC is an intergovernmental forum for 21-member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The countries that will be represented in next year’s APEC Leaders’ Summit include the United States, Canada, China, the Philippines, Japan, Singapore and Thailand.

“We are honored to be named as next year’s host and ready to welcome leaders from around the world to our beautiful city,” said Breed. “I want to thank President Biden and Vice President Harris for selecting San Francisco to host next year, as well as Speaker Pelosi and Senators Feinstein and Padilla for their unwavering support in this process.”

“San Francisco has the infrastructure already in place to accommodate an event on the scale and scope of the APEC Leaders’ Summit,” said Breed. “Our economic recovery is ongoing, but our footprint is strong with over 34,000 hotel rooms, a newly renovated Moscone Center, iconic sites and cultural experiences, and a world-class culinary scene. This is an exciting opportunity for our City, its residents, workers, and visitors.”

“San Francisco has long been recognized as a gateway to the Asia-Pacific — and thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris, we are proud to host the Leaders’ Meeting of the 2023 APEC Summit,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. “With San Francisco’s deep economic, cultural and academic connections to the region, I was proud to join the chorus in advocating for our city as the perfect host for this critical gathering of Asia-Pacific leaders.”

Each year, the San Francisco Customs District logs $100 billion from two-way shipping with APEC members. Northern California firms sell an estimated $60 billion of goods and services to APEC buyers. The region continues to be a source and destination for massive investment flows.

“I’m thrilled that San Francisco was selected to host APEC next November. As one of the most significant cultural, commercial, and financial hubs in the United States, San Francisco is a great choice for a gathering of economic leaders from throughout the Asia-Pacific region,” stated Dominic Ng, chairman and CEO of East West Bank and President Biden’s appointee as 2023 Chair of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) stated. “As ABAC Chair, I look forward to working closely with the Biden Administration, the State of California, and the City of San Francisco on a successful APEC in 2023.”

“As the nation’s shining gateway to the Asia-Pacific region, San Francisco and the Bay Area are the ideal choice to host this important leadership summit,” said Jim Wunderman, Bay Area Council President and CEO. “This selection represents a ringing endorsement of San Francisco as a place of unmatched global connections, dynamic economic activity and rich cultural vibrancy. I want to applaud San Francisco Mayor London Breed and her entire Administration for their great work in securing the APEC Summit.”

San Francisco is a major destination for business and tourism and leads the world in technology innovation. The city has a long history as a top destination for travel, conferences and seminars. In October, Salesforce brought Dreamforce back to San Francisco in person, attracting more than 40,000 people. The APEC Leaders’ Summit is estimated to generate nearly $37 million in economic benefit to San Francisco.

“This is a big win for San Francisco,” said Joe D’Alessandro, president & CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association. “APEC will bring global attention to the city, as well as thousands of international visitors that will help support our economic recovery and the hundreds of small businesses that depend on visitor dollars.”

This month Travel and Leisure magazine featured San Francisco as one of the 50 best places to travel in 2023 and the Wall Street Journal named San Francisco International Airport (SFO) the best large airport of 2022 thanks in part to the upgrade of its Harvey Milk Terminal 1, reliable flights and top-notch amenities. Virtually every major APEC city has direct or one-stop flights to SFO.

The San Francisco Bay Area has hosted major events in the past including the United Conference of Mayors in 2015, Superbowl 50 in 2016, and the Global Climate Action Summit in 2019. The last time the U.S. hosted APEC was in 2011. Additional details about the 2023 APEC Leaders’ Summit are forthcoming and will be released at a later date.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

5 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.