CSUB SBDC webinar at noon Aug. 19 will examine AI and access to capital
The weekly Webinar Wednesday from CSU Bakersfield’s SBDC takes up how AI intersects with loan applications and local capital programs for small firms.
CSUB SBDC webinar at noon Aug. 19 will examine AI and access to capital
Key Takeaways
- A free webinar starts at 12 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, hosted by CSUB’s Small Business Development Center.
- The session focuses on how AI touches access to capital, including what lenders evaluate and how to prepare applications.
- Organizers plan updates on local capital programs and resources for small businesses.
- Registration is required but there is no fee.
Noon Wednesday, Aug. 19, the CSUB Small Business Development Center’s weekly webinar turns to a money question that keeps coming up with owners: where AI fits in getting funded, and what it changes in how lenders review an application. It matters for Bakersfield firms because the credit markets are tight on price and documentation, and anything that improves loan readiness or clarity on cash flow can move a file forward on the Highway 99 corridor.
What the hour covers
Director Kelly Bearden will open with a small-business update and a look at capital resources, then move into how lenders view AI in the process. Expect a plain read on the basics lenders still lean on, like debt service coverage, margins, and bank statements, plus where an owner’s use of AI tools can help with projections, industry comps, and narrative clarity in the package. Good timing for owners tightening cash flow before Q4.
Past SBDC installments have framed this as practical work: no one is offering an "AI loan," but lenders do ask for cleaner financials and a path to efficiency that AI-driven workflows can document. That includes faster expense categorization, steadier cash forecasting, and fewer errors in the owner’s numbers.
Why this matters for Bakersfield owners
Local owners who depend on SBA 7(a), 504, or CDFI debt know the hurdles, and those haven’t gone away. What’s shifting is the expectation that an applicant can present data that’s consistent and auditable. If you can show improved productivity and steadier pipeline math backed by tools you actually use, it shortens questions later. For firms in Oildale or along Buck Owens Boulevard that need to refinance equipment or add a line of credit, shaving a week off underwriting can be the difference between making payroll and not.
The SBDC also tends to flag nonbank options and grant programs that pop up midyear. Bakersfield owners who haven’t checked those boxes in a while often leave money on the table, and the center’s advisors will usually walk you through eligibility without charge.
How to join
The session is online and free with registration, which the center lists on its calendar. Plan on a lunch-hour run time. Bring basic numbers if you want to follow along: last year’s revenue, current headcount, cash on hand, and any quotes you’ve received from lenders. Registration is free. And if you haven’t sat with an advisor, the SBDC offers one-on-one consults that can help translate your AI experiments into lender-ready documents.
At noon the forecast puts Bakersfield at 92 degrees, which is about what the asphalt outside the Truxtun Avenue offices looks like at lunch.
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