Kultivate Labs

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Kultivate Labs

Kultivate Labs is a community conscious non-profit business accelerator dedicated to creating economic opportunity and developing a vibrant commercial corr

03/25/2026

6 years of .bar — and we’ve been there for the journey.

From their rebrand through our SoMa Business Accelerator in 2021, to watching them grow into the community staple they are today — this milestone means something to us too.

Now they’re taking it to The Lark Rooftop in Oakland with their people. Good music, Uncle Tito bites, ice cream, and the kind of afternoon that reminds you why you build something in the first place.

Come celebrate them. They’ve earned it.

Uncle Tito × G Circle — Merienda & Chillll Saturday, March 28 · 3–9PM The Lark Rooftop, Oakland · All ages
🔗 RSVP link their bio

03/14/2026

🌐 Intelligence at the Frontier — see you today!
Kultivate Labs is heading to Frontier Towers for Funding the Commons 🎙️

Power to the people, we’re presenting: Algorithmic Ancestry: Digital Stewardship in the Shadow of Silicon Valley

📍 Floor 9 — AI & Autonomous Systems Annex 🗓️ Saturday, March 14 · 11:30–12:00 PM

What does it mean to navigate AI when you’re already living in the shadow of Silicon Valley?

We will be talking about SOMA Pilipinas’ history with tech displacement, how we build community resilience at Kultivate Labs, and the real, complicated story behind our AI literacy program — the valid grassroots pushback.
And because Big Tech has long overlooked our traditional heritage, we’ll be demoing custom AI apps built to revitalize pre-Philippine scripts like Baybayin because our culture deserves to shape the digital future, not just be shaped by it.
See you there 🙏🏽

AILiteracy CulturalTech FilipinoCulture SiliconValley DigitalStewardship AIForGood CommunityResilience

03/12/2026

Salamat, Executive Order. 🌺🇵🇭🍾

Over the past few years, this space held so much for our community — afterparties at , sessions, Q***r Jam for Be Free Festival, , and more memories than we can count. gave us a home in SOMA when we needed one.

Thank you and Executive Order fam!

Before the lights go out, they’re turning them all the way up — one last 80s dance party for the community that made it what it was.

Free entry. DJ Illborn on the decks. 80s fits encouraged. 🕺🏽

SALAMAT: One Last 80s Dance Party Saturday, March 21 · 8pm–late 868 Mission St, SF · 21+

02/03/2026

Who do we imagine belongs in the future?

New tools have always shaped history—what gets remembered, how culture evolves, who becomes visible, and where agency lives.This carousel is a reflection on that idea.

The clip of your lola in space is AI-generated creates possibilities of who we imagine can belong in the future

As AI increasingly influences creative work, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations, Kultivate Labs is choosing to approach it the same way we approach everything else—with care, community input, and lived experience.

❗️We’re inviting our community to help shape our AI Literacy Lab as we explore what this work can look like together.
📝 5–7 minute community survey
Link in bio

01/29/2026

is Finally Open! Come visit today at the Saluhall on Market St (next to Ikea, between 5th and 6th St). We’re so excited for their new location.

Our Grand Opening Promo for Thursday 1/29 (starting at 12pm- we will open at 12pm after ribbon cutting at 11:30am).

$3 Lumpia (4 pcs) All Day (while supplies last )

FIRST 50 FREE!

Free Fried Chicken Sando (select from Crispy Mochiko, Tamarind or Scorpion) Inay’s BBQ Chicken Bowl or Adobo Portobello Bowl for our first 50 customers. (Limit 1 item per customer. No substitutions allowed)

This Grand Re-Opening marks a new chapter powered by resilience, culture, and love for the city. More than a reopening, it’s a celebration of Filipino creativity, local entrepreneurship, and the communities that carried this brand forward. There will be live music, arts & crafts, to go with your Tamarind Hot Chicken sandwich and Ube Cookie Butter Shake.

📆Thursday, January 29, 2026
Time 5pm - 7pm
Entry Free to attend | Food available for purchase

Activities:
Featuring
- DJ JP Breganza of Seafood City Fame Live Music Ukulenny & Dos Pogi Boys
Soap Making with Bea Bryne

01/28/2026

Kultivate Labs is developing an AI Literacy Lab—a community-centered learning space focused on real-world workflows for artists, small business owners, and nonprofit workers.

We’re currently gathering input to better understand:

• how people are actually using AI today
• where it feels useful, limited, or misaligned
• what kinds of learning formats would feel worthwhile and accessible

💡 If you work in or alongside creative, civic, or entrepreneurial communities, we’d love your perspective.

⚡️Survey takes ~5–7 minutes:
Link: https://kultivatelabs.typeform.com/to/FgkclHDR

Your responses will directly inform future workshops, labs, and programs. Responses are confidential and will inform Kultivate Labs’ AI Literacy Lab design.

Thank you for helping us build something grounded, ethical, and community-informed.

—
Kultivate Labs Team
🔗Survey link in bio

01/24/2026

This year marks Kultivate Labs’ 10-year anniversary—a real milestone that gives us pause, perspective, and renewed clarity about why this work exists and where it’s headed.

Just a few months ago, heading into the holidays, we were navigating an incredibly uncertain period. Like many community-based nonprofits, we were bracing for difficult decisions, including potential staff time reductions, as public funding tightened and grant timelines shifted. It was a sobering moment—especially for an organization reflecting on a decade of work rooted in community, creativity, and care.

Today, we’re grateful to say: our fortunes have shifted.

Let’s move forward together — Ten years in, we know this work doesn’t happen in isolation.

These wins are the result of collective effort—by artists, entrepreneurs, staff, funders, partners, and neighbors who believed in this vision long before it was proven.

As we mark this milestone, we enter 2026 energized, grounded, and ready to build what comes next—together.

—

Desi Danganan
Executive Director, Kultivate Labs

01/23/2026

🕺🏾🎶 , the Filipino American DJ who spearheaded Seafood City’s popular dance party series is bringing his signature energy to the Grand Re-Opening at next week, Thurs. (01/29)

JP isn’t just a DJ — he’s a cultural catalyst. What started as hand-built sound systems and late-night grooves at a Bay Area Filipino grocery store turned into one of Northern California’s most joyful, community-rooted dance traditions. His sets weave nostalgia, rhythm, and pure celebration — the kind that brings people together across music, heritage, and place.

We’re so excited to have JP on the decks for this special night — pairing Izzy & Wook’s bold flavors, creative culture, and the Bay Area’s vibrant spirit right in downtown San Francisco.

👉 JP Breganza live at Izzy & Wooks Grand Re-Opening
📍 Saluhall Food Court
📅 Thursday, Jan 29 • 5–7pm
🎶 Come for the food, stay for the music!

Let’s eat. Let’s dance. Let’s gather. 🎉

Photo source: Tâm Vũ/KQED

01/15/2026

There’s a new player in the rotating cast of Market Street’s sprawling Saluhall. alumni Izzy & Wooks ( ) is featured in as the Filipino & American burger shop steps into food hall during a pivotal moment for downtown food halls.

The article highlights Izzy & Wooks as the first lease signed in Saluhall’s next chapter—pointing to resilience, cautious optimism, and the power of community-rooted businesses in evolving public spaces.

🔗 Read the full article: https://sf.eater.com/restaurant-news/210554/izzy-and-wooks-opening-saluhall-downtown-san-francisco

Saluhall SmallBusinessStories

12/09/2025

If 2025 had a headline at Kultivate Labs, it would be this: “Contraction with Purpose.”

This year asked a lot of us. We made difficult decisions, said goodbye to spaces we loved, and rebuilt our operations around a leaner reality. And still—through all of it—our community showed up. Not just to attend events, but to carry culture forward when conditions made it harder than ever.❤️

Because of this — because of you — we didn’t just survive. We learned, pivoted, and nurtured the roots of what matters. We protected our collective future when times got tough.

And now? We’re stepping into 2026 with steady hope, clear clarity, and a deeper commitment to community, care, and cultural equity.

👉 Dive into our full 2025 retrospect — see what we lost, what we held on to, and the vision that’s carrying us forward. Read the full post at kultivatelabs.org/blog

11/29/2025

have friends & family visiting for the holidays?🧣🦃 bundle up and take the self guided tour through the 3rd x South Park emerging corridor in SOMA Pilipinas, the City and State recognized Filipino Cultural Heritage District in San Francisco, California.

Get tasty food from eateries The Sarap Shop, Mestiza, Little Skillet, South Beach Food Collective (Love Burn, Ocean Malasada, more TBA), and Victory Hall and Parlor— each with their own unique takes on food and drinks with a Filipino twist. “Tasty Trails” will lead you through historical sites, art, and parks in the neighborhood too.

Enjoy the South Park playground, one of the oldest parks in San Francisco, then walk over to Filipino American historical sites the Gran Oriente Filipino Masonic Temple and the Gran Oriente Filipino Hotel. From there, head over for libations and vibes at Victory Hall and Parlor, where a regular calendar of live music and DJs can be found.

Connect with the murals and cultural markers you find along the way, and most importantly, the people in the neighborhood. Mabuhay!

(*Tasty Trails is a one mile route, estimated to be 18 minutes long walking, without stops.)

Address

Oakland, CA
94601–94615, 94617–94624, 94649, 94659–94662, 94666

Website

http://kultivatelabs.org/

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