Bay Area Chambers Convene to Strengthen Regional Collaboration

The San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber, in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, hosted Congressman Sam Liccardo and local small business leaders for a timely conversation on how artificial intelligence is changing the way businesses operate and grow. Participants shared firsthand experiences using AI to improve productivity, customer engagement and efficiency, as well as the challenges and uncertainties they are navigating. The discussion explored how federal policy can support continued innovation and responsible AI adoption while ensuring small businesses have the flexibility and certainty they need to compete and grow.

Bay Area Chambers Convene to Strengthen Regional Collaboration

The San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber recently hosted Chamber executives from across the Bay Area for a regional convening focused on strengthening partnerships and tackling issues impacting businesses throughout the region. Joined by the CalChamber and Bay Area Council, the group had a robust conversation on state-wide ballot measures, regional transportation, and the future of the Bay Area economy, while exploring opportunities for Chambers to collaborate on shared priorities.

Thank you to CalChamber and the Bay Area Council for bringing their expertise to the discussion, and to Bay FC for enabling our delegation’s attendance at the evening’s match—a great way to cap off a productive day of regional collaboration.

Just One Week To Go!

Celebrate summer with the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber's Annual BBQ on Thursday, August 20 at History San Jose Park. Enjoy an evening of great food, live entertainment, and networking with business and community leaders as we celebrate the Chamber's 140th anniversary.

Don't miss out; tickets are still available.

Last Call: How Did the World Cup Affect Your Business?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup brought visitors, excitement, and global attention to San Jose. The Chamber is gathering feedback from businesses to understand the event's economic, operational, and community impacts.

Whether your business saw increased sales, hosted team celebrations, experienced operational challenges, or simply enjoyed the energy the tournament brought to our region, we'd love to hear from you.

The survey takes less than 2.5 minutes to complete, and your input will help shape future events and support continued investment in Downtown San Jose.

Leadership San Jose 2026/27 Applications Close August 17

Leadership San Jose is one of the longest-running civic leadership programs serving Silicon Valley’s largest city, San Jose. Established over 30 years ago, Leadership San Jose identifies emerging leaders within San Jose and exposes them to a broad range of issues that impact the city’s economic prosperity and quality of life through a rigorous 10-part program.

“Leadership San Jose helped me build meaningful connections with leaders across our community while giving me a greater appreciation for how our region works together. The relationships and insights I gained continue to make an impact both personally and professionally.” - Robert Lindo, Board Member and LSJ class of 2017

Applications for the 2026-2027 cohort are open now through August 17, 2026. Click the link below to learn more and apply.

For questions, reach out to Program Director Janikke Klem at jklememail@gmail.com.

NorCal SBDC Partnership Opportunities

NorCal SBDC is seeking partners to help deliver no-cost advising, training, and technical assistance to small businesses across Northern California.

Partnership opportunities include:

• Area Host – Manage SBDC services across a multi-county territory.
• Neighborhood Branch Host – Expand local access to no-cost business advising and training within your community.
• Business Advisor – Join NorCal SBDC's network of expert consultants supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Letters of Intent are due August 18. Learn more and apply below.

What Every Small Business Needs to Know This Quarter

Whether you're planning for growth or navigating uncertainty, key findings from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Q2 2026 Small Business Index can help inform your next steps:

• Inflation remains the #1 challenge for small businesses, with 57% of owners citing it as their biggest concern.
• Consumers are becoming more selective with their spending, making every customer interaction count.
• 66% of small businesses expect revenue to grow over the next year, even as many scale back investment plans.
• AI adoption is on the rise, with small businesses reporting improved productivity, higher-quality work, and the ability for employees to focus on more strategic tasks.

What do these trends mean for your business? Click the link below to explore the latest Small Business Index for insights on inflation, shifting consumer spending, hiring, AI adoption and the outlook for small businesses across the West.

Free Series: Work Smarter with AI

Join SCORE Silicon Valley for a free three-part workshop series designed to help small business owners use AI to better understand customer needs, automate everyday processes, and measure results. Whether you're new to AI or ready to build smarter workflows, these hands-on sessions offer practical strategies you can put to work right away. Explore the series and other free SCORE workshops below.

8/18 Session 1: What Your Customers Actually Want

8/25 Session 2: Making It Repeatable Every Time

9/1 Session 3: Knowing If It's Working

In Our Community

Celebrate South San José at Village Fest

Support District 2's vibrant business community at Village Fest on Saturday, Sept 19, a celebration of South San José's local businesses, diverse cultures, and neighborhoods. Enjoy live entertainment, food, art, family activities, and discover everything that makes South San José unique.

Learn more about attending, participating, or sponsoring at Village Fest below.

Not on our mailing list? Subscribe below to receive these updates straight to your inbox.