Just before the holidays, I drove to Stockton for a discussion with local businesses on access to capital. When I posted on Twitter earlier in the year about a similar roundtable we held in Venice, Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs was quick to reach out: “Central California — Stockton next?”

In 2012, Stockton became the first U.S. municipality with a population over 100,000 to file for bankruptcy after years of mismanagement gave way to financial collapse in the aftermath of the housing crisis. Stockton exited bankruptcy in 2015. In recent years, Stockton has received national attention with innovative programs such as an experimental rollout of Universal Basic Income as Tubbs seeks to revitalize the city.

Stockton is exactly the type of community the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development’s California Entrepreneurship Task Force was launched to help. It’s part of the sprawling third of the state long ignored by neighboring Silicon Valley. ETF, a first ever initiative that brings together private sector leaders to promote entrepreneurship, has held listening sessions across the state. Each community I have met as chair is unique: they range from tech startups to main street service providers and family-owned firms; and they vary in the scale they have achieved, or even desire to achieve.

I took Mayor Tubbs up on his offer to convene in Stockton. The room was packed with small businesses and capital providers. An air of anticipation that would beat any gathering of startups lining up in front of Silicon Valley venture capitalists (if you could get them convened in one place). Isabel Guzman, who is California’s Small Business Advocate and my state government partner, kicked it off and passed it to me to moderate. No amount of preparation can fully equip one to facilitate a dialogue with a community whose entrepreneurial journey and aspirations are as diverse as this. I asked roundtable participants to tell us about their business and experience raising capital.

“I just don’t like borrowing money. It’s hard to find the right kind of lending,” said the founder of a 4-year-old hair salon. I was struck by her calm, confident demeanor as she spoke about predatory lending and lack of transparency.

Next, co-founders of an event company, who both returned to their native Stockton after college, shared how they won grants to grow, but with little guidance.

Then we heard from a chef who started his downtown restaurant four years ago. “I borrowed $5,000; I had to return $9,500.”

Capital remains a concern as the owner looks to meet growing demand.

A few participants later, a software company founder, incubated by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, shared her story and focus on bringing Latinx mom-and-pop caterers online.

While Stockton is only two hours from Lumiata, my company based in San Mateo, Silicon Valley and Central Valley are worlds apart. The stories I heard from founders recounting the basic challenges they faced, and the absence of an entrepreneurial ecosystem, are not dissimilar to a developing country.

Beyond geography, there are socioeconomic barriers that limit people of color and women. In the Venice roundtable, diverse entrepreneurs spoke passionately about how they found it impossible to access venture capital as they lacked connections in an industry that relies heavily on networking to source deals.

While the odds may be against them, entrepreneurs I have met in California’s heartland are taking charge of their destinies, and their communities’ as well. Stockton’s rebound is, in part, being led by small businesses that have emerged to revitalize the city. Some 70,000 Stockton residents commute to work in Silicon Valley. As these startups grow, this local talent pool will be a major asset for scaling.

In Fresno, leaders have developed a 10-year plan that includes a downtown AgTech innovation center with Fresno State and UC Merced. High-speed rail connecting Merced to Bakersfield will pass through Fresno and transform the region’s economy and its connections to the Bay Area and Southern California.

It’s time Silicon Valley takes notice. Its own future is tied to the Central Valley given the severe talent crunch and lack of affordable housing in the Bay Area. The Central Valley, with a steady supply of local college graduates, low cost of living and, above all, diverse talent base passionate and rooted in their communities, can be a major competitive advantage for Silicon Valley. Regions rise together. The rise of the Central Valley, partnering with Silicon Valley, will ensure California’s continued leadership as a global innovator.

The future is being scripted in the Central Valley.

Dilawar Syed is president and CEO at Lumiata, an AI for Healthcare company based in San Mateo. He serves as founding chair of California Entrepreneurship Task Force, an initiative of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.