A large crowd of community leaders came together recently to celebrate creation of the Irvine Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and we at American Lending Center are honored to be a major part of it.
Our founder, John Shen, had the opportunity to explain why the center is a dream come true for him, his business partner and wife, Stella Zhang, and innovators from all over the Greater Irvine area. The City of Innovation will now have a physical space to assist, promote and nurture the people whose businesses will drive the future.
“I want to congratulate the community,” John said. “We finally have a home!”
Earlier this month, Irvine’s City Council approved a 10-year lease on 25,000 square feet of office space at 510 Technology Drive. The Center, described as Irvine’s front door for innovators and small business owners in need of assistance, is scheduled to open by next summer.
A $3.9 million commitment from the Stella and John Foundation, created by ALC founders Stella Zhang and John Shen, was the key piece to financing the center, according to Irvine Mayor Larry Agran. Moreover, the Center’s first fulltime tenant will be ALC with the establishment of the Capital Corner to connect innovators, founders and small business owners with capital lenders and investors.
Stella and John created their foundation to advance innovation, entrepreneurship, education, and community by investing in transformative ideas, strategic partnerships, and sustainable initiatives that create lasting social impact. That’s exactly what is happening at the Irvine Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, John said at the celebration.
Once fully developed, the Center will include a business accelerator, an office of the Small Business Development Center and a connection with the Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce to help shepherd founders and small business owners through the maze of government permits required to open while connecting them with government grants, support organizations, educational institutions and industry partners.
Personal Progression
John has been an entrepreneur and innovator for most of his life – from the time he migrated to the USA to study at Duke University, for sure. He has founded multiple companies and, along with Stella, continues to lead several. The story of his parallel entrepreneurship is told in his book “Crossing the Swamp.”
John and Stella began supporting innovators and founders early in their lives. That commitment was demonstrated when they helped launch the Long Beach Accelerator in 2019, using both their expertise and their ability to invest to help many.
Through the Stella and John Foundation, Sunstone Community Fund, and their work with organizations including UCI, CSU campuses, local governments, and nonprofit partners, John and Stella have consistently supported initiatives that expand access to entrepreneurship, education, and economic opportunity throughout California.
Why?
Giving back to the community long has been a core belief in John and Stella’s lives. Supporting efforts to help young founders find their footing is a win-win, John said.
“We have a most extraordinary community, where we believe innovation can improve our lives,” he said. “Our City Council has had the vision and courage to follow through on that… Innovators make a more positive contribution to the community, and we’re investing in a stronger community.”
John and Stella know how hard it is to innovate and start something new – they’ve done it themselves multiple times. In addition to ALC, they founded Sunstone Management (now Sunstone Investment Group, LLC), Sunstone Bank & Trust, and Partake Collective, among other endeavors.
Even while doing the hard work of building their own businesses, John and Stella have taken every opportunity to support organizations and programs designed to lend a helping hand for entrepreneurs and students. Clearly, the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship is the next step in that journey.
All In Irvine
Since relocating ALC’s headquarters to Irvine in 2021, the organization has steadily expanded its investment in the city’s innovation ecosystem – from supporting Irvine Tech Week and community programming to helping bring the Irvine Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship to life. The new Center reflects years of collaboration between public, private, and nonprofit partners working toward a shared vision for the city’s future. In short, John and Stella have embraced Irvine as their business home. It is not an exaggeration to say that John has been working toward the Irvine Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship since he joined the Irvine Innovation Council.
Irvine is John and Stella’s community. Irvine is ALC’s community. And John and Stella have a passion for making their community a better place to live and work for everyone.
A tentative opening date of June 2027 has been set for the Irvine Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Please join us there.
Details about the Center can be found on the city’s website, here.
About the Stella and John Foundation:
The Stella and John Foundation is a charitable organization founded by John Shen and Stella Zhang dedicated to advancing innovation, entrepreneurship, education, and community by investing in transformative ideas, strategic partnerships, and sustainable initiatives that create lasting social impact. Stella and John are also the founders of American Lending Center Holdings Inc. (ALC) – a mission-driven, private, non-bank lender committed to expanding access to capital, creating jobs, and driving sustainable economic growth across the United States – and Sunstone Investment Group – a diversified investment firm that specializes in public-private partnerships.
