Loading organizations...
Berkeley SkyDeck is a university-affiliated startup accelerator and incubator based in Berkeley, California, that provides early-stage companies with funding, mentorship, and workspace. The organization operates the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, which invests $200,000 into each cohort company in exchange for equity and shares half of its profits with the university. To date, the accelerator has supported more than 1,500 startups whose alumni have collectively raised over $1.7 billion in subsequent funding. The entity expanded its operations by launching a European program in Milan, Italy, and closed its second investment vehicle at $60 million. Its portfolio includes notable technology companies such as Lime, Xendit, Deepcell, and MindsDB. Berkeley SkyDeck was founded in 2012 as a joint venture between UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, College of Engineering, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.
Berkeley SkyDeck has raised $32.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at Berkeley SkyDeck.
Berkeley SkyDeck was founded in 2012 by Gopakumar Balakrishnan (Top Startup Founder (Cohort 15)).
Berkeley SkyDeck has raised $32.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Berkeley SkyDeck was founded in 2012 by Gopakumar Balakrishnan (Top Startup Founder (Cohort 15)).
Berkeley SkyDeck has raised $32.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Berkeley SkyDeck's investors include Flint Capital, OpenOcean, Point Nine Capital, SPARX Group.
Key people at Berkeley SkyDeck.
Berkeley SkyDeck has raised $32.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $32.0M SkyDeck Berkeley - Seed in June 2020.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 2020 | $32M Seed | — | Flint Capital, OpenOcean, Point Nine Capital, Sparx Group | Announced |
Berkeley SkyDeck is UC Berkeley's official startup accelerator and incubator, a joint venture between the Haas School of Business and the College of Engineering, designed to accelerate early-stage companies through funding, mentorship, and resources.[1][2][6] Its mission centers on fostering entrepreneurship by commercializing university research and supporting global moonshot startups, particularly in deep tech like AI, biotech, quantum computing, spacetech, and climate tech, with a focus on non-US founders relocating to Silicon Valley.[1][3][6] SkyDeck invests $200,000 per cohort startup (typically 20-25 every six months) via SAFE notes at a 7.5% equity stake or $2.5-2.6M valuation cap, backed by funds like its $24M Fund I (2018) and $60M Fund II (2022), enabling follow-on investments up to $2M.[1][2][5][7] It impacts the startup ecosystem as one of the Bay Area's most active seed investors, with over 130 portfolio companies raising $1.7B total, including unicorns like Lime, and 50-75% securing funding post-Demo Day.[3][5]
Founded in 2012, Berkeley SkyDeck emerged as a partnership between UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and College of Engineering to bridge academia and Silicon Valley entrepreneurship, promoting research commercialization.[1][2] It evolved from a basic accelerator offering $100K in phased investments for 5% equity into a robust program with dedicated funds; in 2018, it raised an oversubscribed $24M Fund I from backers like Sequoia Capital, followed by $60M Fund II in 2022.[1][2] Key milestones include expanding to global tracks like SkyDeck Europe and the Global Founders Program for non-US startups, specialized cohorts (e.g., Bio Track, Chip Track), and incubator options like Pad-13, while maintaining a focus on university-affiliated innovation.[3][4]
Berkeley SkyDeck rides the wave of university-driven deep tech innovation, capitalizing on trends like AI, biotech, quantum, and climate tech amid rising demand for research commercialization in Silicon Valley.[1][3][6] Its timing aligns with global founder mobility needs, helping non-US startups (two-thirds of cohorts) navigate US visas and VC access via the Global Founders Program, amid a post-pandemic surge in international deep tech funding.[3][4][6] Market forces favoring it include Berkeley's research prowess and alumni network, bridging academia-industry gaps where traditional VCs hesitate on pre-revenue prototypes; it influences the ecosystem by producing unicorns like Lime, channeling $1.7B in follow-on capital, and democratizing access for underrepresented global founders.[1][3][5]
SkyDeck is poised to scale its global footprint, potentially launching more region-specific tracks beyond Europe while deepening deep tech bets amid AI and climate booms, with Fund III likely amplifying deal flow.[1][3] Trends like sovereign AI funds and university IP spinouts will propel it, evolving its influence from accelerator to full-stack ecosystem builder via alumni networks and enterprise partnerships. As Berkeley's innovation engine, it remains a prime launchpad for the next wave of unicorns, correcting the user's view—SkyDeck accelerates startups, not operates as one itself.[1][6]
