"It’s a too well kept a secret that Oakland is a center for very dynamic entrepreneurs," says Nancy Pfund, a managing partner of DBL Investors. "While Silicon Valley might get more press, Oakland is a powerful new entrance in the Bay Area’s entrepreneurship talent pool."

The successful venture capitalist counts BrightSource Energy, Solar City and Pandora as part of her portfolio. Pfund will share her insights as co-keynote on Thursday, June 23, at the Bay Area Capital Connections Conference.

After a three-year hiatus, the conference is back with the goal of linking Bay Area entrepreneurs and investors. The conference also features panels that will equip businesspeople with tools to secure capital and provide tips on running a successful business. Breakout sessions include "Drive Revenue Growth through Social Networks and Strategies" and "Banks are Lending, Are You Ready?"

"It’s a  great opportunity, particularly for the East Bay and Oakland in particular to really connect to the investment community that pretty much stays in San Francisco or Silicon Valley," explained Darlene Crane of Alliance for Community Development.

It's also a chance for current and aspiring key players in Oakland's business landscape to hear from top investors who care about the social impact of startups.

"Our mission really is to show that you can invest in top firms that bring returns to their investors, but at the same time drive socical, economic and environmental change in a positive way," Pfund said. "I love working with these entrepreneurs who are extremely talented, who have world-changing ideas. Being able to make a difference in your community across a lot of dimensions makes it really easy to get up in the morning and go to work."

During her keynote, Pfund will discuss the start of Revolution Foods (the nation’s leading provider of healthy school lunches), why it is Oakland and how the company benefits the city’s community and economy with the Revolution Foods CFO, Kelly Kennedy.

When asked if the keynote will be geared toward women in business, Pfund notes that promoting women in business is not an exclusive focus of hers, but it is something she cares about. "We’re advocates for women in Oakland and in other places. Our firm is women owned and we do support a lot of women entrepreneurs. We have a much higher representation of women entrepreneur CEOs in our fund than is the national average, which I’m sure will come up."

If You Go

When: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday June 23

Where: Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 Ninth St., Ste. 290, Oakland

Discount Code: CBO100

For more information on the Bay Area Capital Connections IV Conference visit: www.allianceforcommunitydevelopment.com.