​(Santa Ana) - Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Digital Media Center (DMC) Business Incubator has announced the addition of consulting services to its offerings.

“Thanks to ongoing interest in the DMC Business Incubator, many companies connect with us that are not quite ready for incubation,” said Gustavo Chamorro, Ed.D., DMC director. “Some of these join our Affiliate Program designed for early-stage entrepreneurial technology companies. Yet others are even earlier in their development as digital media enterprises and ask for some direction. Our new consulting services allow us to provide the help that entrepreneurs truly need.”

The DMC offers the following consulting services to digital media and technology entrepreneurs free of charge:

• Information Technology (IT) Business Development Strategy
  - Jack Bicer, CEO of Septium, a Microsoft Partner and a hybrid-offshore custom software development company, offers companies down-to-earth advice on building e-commerce sites, hardware and software needs, app development, search engine optimization, and more.
   
• Programming and Cloud Services
  - Alejandro Espinoza, CEO and founder of Structum, a technology company specializing in cloud computing and Web technologies, helps companies with software architecture and engineering, and cloud infrastructure and management.
   
• Intellectual Property and Patents
  - Norm Carte, patent agent in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the Orange County office of Haynes and Boone, helps companies determine if they need a patent, how to secure a patent, and how to fight larger companies should they infringe on their patents.
   
• Capital Fundraising
  - Steve Sjostrom, a 20-year information technology veteran and Tech Shark investor, and Stephen Silver, MAVN Funding Advisors partner, advise companies on how to raise business capital when they do not qualify for Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, including how to access private equity funds.
   
• Marketing
  - Megan Lynch, president of Sublime Designs Media, works with companies to create branding, marketing, public relations, and social media strategies so they can prosper and expand into new markets.
   
• CFO Services
  - Joe Kibbe, managing director of Joe Kibbe & Associates, helps businesses strategically increase revenues while at the same time reducing costs and systematically improving the bottom line.
   
• CPA Services
  - Robert Miranda, managing director of Miranda & Associates with 35 years of experience in auditing, accounting, business turnaround, forensic accounting, mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, and internal controls with private and public companies, advises start-ups about bookkeeping, how to maintain their funds, and how to incorporate their business.

The new consulting services are available at no cost to technology companies that focus on e-commerce, digital media, social media, software and hardware development, as well as other online enterprises. Interested companies are invited to call (714) 241-5836.

The DMC Business Incubator, an economic development program of Rancho Santiago Community College District, is a dynamic workspace for emerging digital media companies offering a full range of amenities and business support services, including CPA services and access to business consulting and mentoring from legal experts, strategic information technology specialists, strategic marketing authorities, social media strategists, strategic IT business development leaders, and investor groups; discounted memberships and free access to networking organizations; monthly CEO roundtables; and on-site educational opportunities. The DMC currently houses 14 resident businesses and assists five affiliate companies.

For more information, call (714) 241-5836 or visit www.dmc-works.com.

About the Digital Media Center
The Digital Media Center (DMC), an economic development program of Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) and a Santa Ana College (SAC) instructional center, joins technology, business and education under one roof. The DMC was made possible through a $1.6 million U.S. Department of Commerce grant facilitated by the WRJ Group, land donated by the City of Santa Ana and Measure E funds. The DMC features a RSCCD-hosted business incubator nurturing digital media companies and college programs and seminars in the digital media arts, TV/video and business.

About the Rancho Santiago Community College District
The mission of the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) is to respond to the educational needs of an ever-changing community and to provide programs and services that reflect academic excellence. Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College are public community colleges of RSCCD, which serve the residents of Anaheim Hills, East Garden Grove, Irvine, Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and Villa Park. Both colleges provide education for academic transfer and careers, courses for personal and professional development, customized training for business and industry, and programs to train nurses, firefighters and law enforcement personnel.

# # #