Most entrepreneurs want to make money and maximize profits, but some want to make a difference in their endeavors. They desire to make the world a better place by solving various issues. They are dedicated to finding creative solutions for challenges in the community. When we talk about entrepreneurs, John Shen is one of the names that come to our minds. He is the CEO of American Lending Center, a nonbank lending institution specializing in SBA lending and EB-5 Regional Center operator, founder of Sunstone Management, an early-stage investment firm, and strategic accelerator facilitator, and Chairman of the Board of Sunstone Trust Company, one of eight licensed independent licensed trust companies in California, and Chairman of the Board of Partake Collective, an innovative ” virtual kitchen/food hall” developer and operator, and Honorary Board member of the Long Beach Accelerator. He was recently appointed to the city of Irvine’s newly formed Innovation Council.
John Shen – Supporter of Small Businesses
Shen supports small businesses and implies that the secret of success lies in how he and his team operate businesses. The team’s dedication is what makes it admirable for all new startups. Small businesses and business operators, particularly grassroots entrepreneurs, are the true drivers of the American economy because they generate numerous jobs. Shen adores entrepreneurs; he wants to see them succeed and assists them. This is why he founded American Lending Center, with the SBA loan program as the principal operation for the firm.
By January 2015, ALC had assisted many Chinese EB-5 investors in entering the United States and obtaining visas to begin the immigration process. Shen helped some people looking for extra money to invest in non-EB-5 investment options. He saw an opportunity to establish a new private investment firm focused on private equity or credit and venture capital investments. Sunstone Management is the name that Shen gave to his third enterprise. Between 2015 and 2021, he improved the Sunstone Fixed Income Fund’s investment twice, settling on specific “lower middle market” options presented by a fund partner in New York. Sunstone now has an unblemished track record with no losses.
Sunstone Management made the list of “5000 Fastest Growing Private Firms in America” by the INC 5000 in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The Financial Times named it one of the “Fastest Growing Companies in North America” in both 2021 and 2022.
In the first quarter of 2022, Shen brought in John Keisler, former Director of Economic Development of the City of Long Beach, as the CEO and Managing Partner of Sunstone Management. They had known each other since 2018 when they launched a tech accelerator with Professor Wade Martin, Director of California State University Long Beach’s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Their efforts eventually developed the first accelerator program in the US based on a unique three-way “public-private-education” (PPE) partnership to stimulate and assist startups from everywhere. Sunstone Management began creating a few more accelerators following the same strategy in 2022. All of these accelerators are rapidly expanding and financially sound.
Sunstone Management also increased its support of the Cal State Long Beach “Sunstone Innovation Challenge” pitch competition, which John Shen had begun sponsoring in 2018. Sunstone Management launched two new events in collaboration with Professor Wade Martin. The first is the CSU Startup Launch, a pitch competition available to Cal State students from all 23 campuses. The first tournament, held in May 2022, was available to six Cal State campuses. The second event, CSU Demo Day, open to all 23 CSU campuses, was hosted by CSU Long Beach in October 2022. It was a “Demo Day” competition accessible to teams of students, teachers, and alumni from around the CSU system. Participants include many high quality early-stage operational companies that seek venture capital investment.
Shen formerly served on Mayor Robert Garcia’s City of Long Beach Economic Development Commission and serves on Mayor Farrah Khan’s City of Irvine Innovation Council. Shen’s companies have helped create nearly 10,000 full-time employees across the United States and supported over 600 high-net-worth foreign families in their immigration applications since 2010. The US banking sector has acknowledged Shen’s professional accomplishments throughout the years. The Coleman Report named him “SBA 504 Lender of the Year” in 2017.
Shen is an ultimate example of a successful personality who worked hard for people worldwide. He moved to the United States and has since brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign direct investment, which he is reinvesting in American companies. Many obstacles stand in people’s paths while they pursue their ambitions. To be successful like John Shen is not simple, but it is doable with determination and the capacity to push through anybody or anything that stands in the way.