A pitch competition like no other

BERKELEY STARTUP CLUSTER HIGHLIGHTS

Berkeley Ventures, Berkeley Values Learning Lab & Pitch Competition Kickoff

Tuesday, May 18, 4-5pm PT

Berkeley startups have an opportunity to lead, not only through product design and development, but also by paving the way for a more equitable society. The Berkeley Ventures, Berkeley Values Learning Lab and Pitch Competition event series will enable Berkeley startups (& other innovation companies) to inform, cultivate, and pitch their ideas for diversity, equity and inclusion. 

On May 18 at 4pm, join a virtual panel of changemakers who will share business tips and strategies for advancing social, racial, and economic equity. Moderated by Jill Finlayson, Director of the EDGE in Tech Initiative at UC Berkeley, the conversation will include:

• Lili Gangas, Chief Technology Community Officer at the Kapor Center
• Lawrence Humphrey, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Tech Can [Do] Better
• Antonia Ford, Diversity and Belonging Partner at Blend

Register now to attend the kickoff event. Startup founders and STEM industry business leaders who wish to participate in the Learning Lab & Pitch Competition should apply here. 

Opus 12 Takes a "Ground Up" Approach to Tackling Environmental Issues

Berkeley-based engineering company Opus 12 combines commerce and science to tackle environmental issues, proving they are a leader by not only greening their own business practices, but making it easier for others to reduce their environmental footprint without having to forgo mobility.

The chemists and researchers who founded the company created an electrode that, when inserted into a reactor, breaks down carbon dioxide and water and recombines the molecular pieces to form chemical building blocks for lots of other things. The firm has already partnered with firms such as Mercedes Benz and the U.S. Air Force to implement their green solutions.

Read Berkeleyside's Earth Day article about Opus 12 and other Berkeley companies taking an environmental approach to business on the DiscoveredinBerkeley website.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SCET’s Collider Cup VIII

Friday, May 7th from 10:00am – 12:00pm (via Zoom)

At the Sutardja Center’s Collider Cup VIII, student teams will pitch to a panel of investors and industry experts as they vie to win the grand prize from Pear VC fund! Check out this all-star showcase of the best student teams from the Spring 2021 semester.

Register to watch the event.

Berkeley SkyDeck Summer Intern Fair

Friday, May 7th from 9:00am – 12:00pm (via Zoom)

SkyDeck’s Virtual Intern Fair will provide SkyDeck startups with necessary talent and Summer 2021 internships to Berkeley students.

Sign up through Eventbrite.

Berkeley Business Networking & Women Entrepreneurs of Berkeley Fireside Chat Series May 18 12-1pm (Lunch-n-Learn w/ Sarah Placella, Founder of Root Applied Sciences) June 15 4-5pm (Happy Hour w/ Diana Gordon, Founder of Keter Salon) Network with fellow Berkeley business owners through 10-minute online breakout sessions and 20-minute fireside chats with the above Berkeley women in business. Register through the Berkeley Chamber website to join all three -- or just one.

RESOURCES & DEADLINES

Nominate Berkeley Innovators for the 2021 East Bay Innovation Awards

Submission deadline: Friday, May 28, 5:00pm

The East Bay is a world-class leader when it comes to innovation and entrepreneurship. Often referred to as the “Academy Awards of the East Bay,” the East Bay Innovation Awards is the premier program of its kind that celebrates and honors the extraordinary companies and organizations that contribute to the region’s legacy of innovation. This year's prizes will fall in ten competitive categories: Advanced Manufacturing, Arts & Culture, Built Environment, Community Impact, Education, Engineering & Design, Food, Life Sciences, Clean Tech, and Technology.

Please nominate Berkeley companies, organizations and individuals that should be recognized for their innovative work at the virtual ceremony on October 14.

Have a startup idea? Bay Area I-Corps can turn this idea into a reality

Application deadline: Friday, May 28
Online classes are June 14, 16, and 21 from 6:00-9:00pm PT

The Bay Area Regional I-Corps Node offers a one-week course based on Steve Blank's Lean LaunchPad (Business Model Canvas + Customer Discovery). The three evening sessions will teach you to identify and refine your Value Propositions and Customer Segments, which are essential to de-risking your idea and achieving product-market fit. Outside of class, you'll do at least 15 interviews with potential customers as part of the customer discovery process. Teams that complete this course with instructor endorsement may qualify for the National I-Corps program which includes a $30k or $50k grant for customer discovery. 

Apply now. If you have any questions, contact wdavid@berkeley.edu.

Help serve US national security and economic competitiveness interests 

The Department of Defense (DoD)'s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in Silicon Valley, specifically under the National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC) initiative, is actively looking to invest in U.S. startups that are developing dual-use hardware technologies with both commercial and defense applications. Specific areas of interest for NSIC are emerging technologies related to Autonomy, Communications, Power, Sensors, and Space. Right now, they are mainly focused on funding early stage startups, ranging from proof of concept to pre-production.

See the FAQ page on the NSIC website for more information. If you think your company or technology is a good fit, submit your pitch deck online for a chance to be invited to pitch virtually or contact Salvador Badillo-Rios.

LOCAL BUSINESSES MAKING NEWS

The Batchery Announces "Batch 12," A New Cohort of Startups

Eleven early-stage startups have joined the Batchery's three-month Deep Dive program for entrepreneurs. The program focuses on helping startups get over their first set of growth hurdles. Each company will experience a three-pronged approach, which combines high-touch mentorship from the Batchery's Investor Advisor community, a twelve-week class that covers all aspects of "Startup 101," and a rotation of roundtables and partnerships to strategically catalyze their growth.

Read more on the Cision PR Newswire website.

Biotech 2050 Podcast hosts Caribou Bio CEO Rachel Haurwitz

Dr. Rachel Haurwitz is a co-founder of Berkeley-based Caribou Biosciences and has been President and CEO since its inception in 2011. An inventor on several patents and patent applications and the co-author of scientific papers in high impact journals characterizing CRISPR-Cas systems, she joins the Biotech 2050 Podcast to discuss CRISPR as a cancer treatment.

Listen to this episode on SoundCloud.

UC Berkeley inspires entrepreneurship...in Denmark 

26 companies have spun out of the ‘Open Entrepreneurship’ project in Denmark where experienced entrepreneurs are paired with researchers from Denmark’s universities. The project leader, Jes Broeng, was inspired by UC Berkeley’s Sutardja Centre for Entrepreneurship & Technology. He notes, “There is evidence that universities like MIT, Stanford, and Berkeley are better at innovation and entrepreneurship than other universities. The key difference is that they have an ecosystem of entrepreneurs who return to the universities and serve as mentors, participate in the teaching, and discuss new technological opportunities with the researchers.”

Read more in Mirage.

Keep in Touch

To submit information or questions about Berkeley Startup Cluster contact: oedmailbox@cityofberkeley.info

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