Economic Development Through Entrepreneurship
FRESNO, CA – Adrian Rodriguez, a graduate of the Central Valley Business Incubator’s Entrepreneurial Training Process, has launched LateUpdate.com, an interactive news Web site that features local news and daily community updates.
LateUpdate.com fully integrates staff reports, community contributions and news releases in a single source. Many of the stories feature interactive Web tools, including interactive maps and charts, photos and video.
Following an open news gathering process, LateUpdate.com publicly posts reporters' schedules and upcoming assignments. Editorial meetings will be available to the public in the future as well.
"There is so much happening in Fresno that the need for an independent news source seemed like a necessity," Rodriguez said. "People may not be aware just how much Fresno is changing, and so I started Late Update to provide a completely local way for Fresno to keep up-to-date on what's happening in the region. I hope that by keeping the site's content open to contributions by members and freely available, that a new way to stay informed will emerge in this region."
Prior to launching his business, Rodriguez successfully completed CVBI’s Entrepreneurial Training Process course, in which he compiled a business plan. He was also a recipient of the Glenn Patch Scholarship which paid his tuition for the course. The scholarship is awarded to an entrepreneur whose venture is focused on improving the quality of life in the Central Valley.
"Before I launched the site, I wanted to make sure that I was on the right path and that I would give myself the best chance to become successful," Rodriguez said. "I joined the Central Valley Business Incubator as a virtual member and attended its Entrepreneurial Training Process courses, and the results have been invaluable. Some people don't realize that taking the class itself is probably a great step, but joining CVBI also gives you access to professional help and a network of like-minded entrepreneurs as well, which is so important in the startup process."
LateUpdate.com is published by Rodriguez, who has been a reporter for more than six years. After serving as chief editor at Edison High and Fresno City College’s newspapers, he served as editor-in-chief of California State University, Fresno’s The Collegian – a publication that received 17 statewide awards during his time there.
Rodriguez graduated from Fresno State in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and journalism. He has also worked as a reporter at The Fresno Bee and The (San Luis Obispo) Tribune.
About the Central Valley Business Incubator
The Central Valley Business Incubator is a public/private partnership fueled by community resources. CVBI helps startup companies launch successfully by creating an entrepreneurial community where people learn how to balance their passion and ideas with the structure of running a successful business. CVBI offers business development classes and houses five on-site members at each of its two facilities – the Launching Pad for mixed-use incubation and the Claude Laval Water and Energy Technology (WET) Incubator.
Founded in 1996, CVBI is a nonprofit organization that fosters economic development through entrepreneurship and job creation. It has worked with more than 3,400 entrepreneurs who have obtained more than $14.5 million in capital and created 2,030 direct, verifiable new jobs for Central Californians.
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