Welcome back to the Sunstone Way.
As Sunstone winds down its 10th year in business, it seems fitting to review our first decade, and look forward to the coming year. The past is quite a story, and the future is shining brightly.
This is also the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac, and we have done more than our fair share of shedding our skin for a fresh new approach to helping our communities be better places. I’m anxious to share that with you, but let’s look how we got here first.
In the Beginning
John Shen launched Sunstone Management in 2015 in part to build on the foundation of his first business, American Lending Center (ALC, founded in 2009). The visionary Shen became a parallel entrepreneur with Sunstone’s formation, acting as president and CEO of both companies – with the help of his partner, Stella Zhang, and others.
Both companies started with headquarters in the World Trade Center in downtown Long Beach. While ALC was a non-bank lending institution helping investors come to the United States, Sunstone Management was formed as a diversified private capital management firm focused on early-stage innovation and community-oriented investment.
That origin quickly evolved into providing early-stage venture capital, real estate and fixed-income funds to qualified and accredited investors. In all endeavors, John Shen’s concept of using the Sunstone as a navigational tool to guide entrepreneurs through uncertain waters to success remained paramount. (The Sunstone was used by Vikings as a way to be able to see the sun on cloudy days and chart a true course on the open ocean.)
Support for Startups
In April 2019, John Shen realized another dream by launching a new form of start-up accelerator in partnership with the city of Long Beach Economic Development Department and the Cal State Long Beach Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. It was – and is – called the Long Beach Accelerator. The blend of academia, public government support and Sunstone’s expertise and capital brought the concept of public-private partnerships to a new arena – training up entrepreneurs to succeed.
John Shen lent his expertise as a parallel entrepreneur to help design a four-month curriculum for cohorts of eight or nine start-up founders. The other founding partners were Dr. Wade Martin, the director of the Institute for Innovation & Partnership, and me (John Keisler) in my capacity as the director of the city’s Economic Development Department. Dr. Martin continues to lead the LBA’s direction and has also taken on leadership of the Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition.
To date, 46 cohort companies have graduated from LBA. Several have gained traction, helped in part from Sunstone investment of mentorship and guidance as well as capital. While instruction has paused as the curriculum is restructured, the LBA remains active under the amazing Vivian Shimoyama, with forums and organizing the first Long Beach Tech Week.
Making a Move
In 2021, John Shen decided to move both ALC and Sunstone headquarters to the fast-growing city of Irvine in Orange County. Many ALC partners lived in the area, and Irvine’s growth included a booming technology and innovation ecosystem.
Far from being abandoned, Long Beach continued to be a Sunstone focus, including the Long Beach Accelerator and a growing number of university-based programs centered at California State University, Long Beach. In 2024, we re-established an office at the Long Beach World Trade Center, as well.
We now call the Airport Tower near John Wayne International Airport our home. Sunstone occupies nearly an entire floor, which includes the activity and presentation space we call the Sunstone Stage. ALC continues to grow, filling another floor in the same tower.
Leadership Shuffle
By February 2022, John Shen and I had been working together for several years. He had served on the Economic Development Commission that helped me create Long Beach’s first strategic plan for economic development. And we spent a lot of time together trying to get the Long Beach Accelerator off the ground.
It still came as a bit of a surprise when he asked me if I’d be interested in joining him in business. The idea took some thought – I had spent my entire career in the public sector – first as a teacher, then 20 years working for the city.
But it was a great opportunity, in particular to see if we could take our concepts of public-private partnerships and the core values of investment, entrepreneurship and community to the next level. As hard as it was to leave my city of Long Beach family, I decided to come help the Sunstone family grow.
It grew quickly. Mike Stone, an amazingly experienced CFA, joined us in May that year as our Chief Investment Officer and partner. In 2024 we brought on Heather Lewis as our first in-house Chief Compliance Officer.
That same year, we created Sunstone Cities, an offshoot designed to offer municipalities consulting services primarily in economic development and provide Public Infrastructure Financing Solutions. It was in part created after the success of the Sunstone Economic Development Challenge @ USC Price, which pairs teams of graduate students with municipalities to develop economic development plans.
All About Community
Remember how I said Community is a Sunstone core value? Well John Shen and Stella Zhang walk the talk. They established the Sunstone Community Fund in 2022.
A donor-advised fund, the SCF has supported early-stage entrepreneur programs at universities and nonprofits along with myriad donations and sponsorships of community-based charities. Total grants since the fund’s inception is $2,193,975.
That’s making a lot of difference in many communities.
Looking Ahead
We still have a few weeks left in 2025, and the Year of the Snake technically doesn’t end until mid-February. But we’re already excited to begin a second decade with the Year of the Horse and a gallop towards making an even bigger difference in several ways.
Our legacy line of business, the diversified private capital management firm, will shed the old skin for a new, vibrant identity. We have matured in our first decade and are ready to offer more in a unique Southern California style.
Sunstone Cities has found its footing in 2025, and also is ready to deliver. We have plans to assist several municipalities already, and expect to find more seeking our services soon. Using our fully developed public-private partnership (P3) approach, the Public Infrastructure Financing Solutions (PIFS) program will be a go-to solution for many communities in the coming year.
One thing that will not change is our core values. We believe in Investment in our Community through Entrepreneurship to foster growth and well-being for all.
It is, after all, the Sunstone Way.
And remember, always be a Sunstone!
John Keisler
CEO & Managing Partner
Sunstone Management, Inc.
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©Sunstone Management, Inc. 2025