R&D, startups & STEM around UC Berkeley campus

BERKELEY STARTUP CLUSTER HIGHLIGHTS

Celebrate Careers in STEM with the
Berkeley Startup Cluster and RePicture TODAY

TODAY, Tuesday, May 7th, 3:30-5:00 pm
Bakar BioEnginuity Hub, 2625 Durant Ave, Berkeley, CA

Want to be inspired by visionary young minds? Interested in meeting other Berkeley startup and STEM industry leaders? Curious how the former Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archives space was retrofitted to house Bakar Labs, an award-winning life science incubator? 

Join the Berkeley Startup Cluster and RePicture this afternoon for an exciting showcase of innovative Berkeley-based science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) projects presented by local college students who researched real-world STEM projects in our community in the Spring 2024 RePicture STEM Accelerator. In addition to providing an opportunity to explore the Berkeley STEM landscape, today's networking event will offer free food from Ann's Catering and an opportunity to win one of three $25 Berkeley Bucks gift cards that can be used at more than 115 Berkeley restaurants and stores! 

Register here to attend for free. 

Berkeley government leaders discuss ways to
Keep Innovation in Berkeley

Last week, the Berkeley Planning Commission heard a presentation by the City of Berkeley Office of Economic Development (OED) on recommendations to update city land use policy to Keep Innovation in Berkeley (a City Council referral to update the city's zoning ordinance to more easily accommodate R&D companies and align land-use requirements with those of neighboring jurisdictions). Commissioners gave OED and Planning Department staff great feedback on the staff presentation and an updated set of recommendations will be presented at a Public Hearing at the Planning Commission meeting on July 17 at 6pm.  The story was picked up by the San Francisco Business Times and GlobeSt.com.

To stay informed or give input on this topic, contact OED.

EVENTS

Berkeley TECHVocacy: Emerging Tech Advocacy Summit

Monday, May 13, 9:00 am-5:00 pm Spieker Forum, Chou Hall, Chiet Ln, Berkeley Join Berkeley Law for their inagural TECHVocacy 2024: Emerging Tech Advocacy Summit aimed to reboot the advocacy landscape for emerging technologies. This innovative summit structure throws away the long-winded panels playbook. They will train emerging tech startup founders and the advisors/lawyers who represent them on how to effectively and authentically advocate for themselves to policymakers and the public.   Register here.

Women in Consulting East Bay Area Networking Event

Tuesday, May 14, 12:00-1:30 pm Marugame Udon, 1919 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley Join the Berkeley Chamber and Women Entrepreneurs of Berkeley for Women in Consulting's networking event. Come prepared to meet consulting industry leaders, exchange ideas, and forge partnerships. RSVP here.

Network at the Berkeley Chamber's 'Business After Hours'

Thursday, May 16, 5:00-7:00 pm Teance Fine Teas, 1036 Grayson St, Berkeley Join the Berkeley Chamber at Teance Fine Teas for a cool, fun & inspiring event to unwind after your long workday. Mingle with other members of the business community while enjoying refreshing beverages and delicious food. Register to attend here.

Innovation in Healthcare

Thursday, May 16, 5:30-7:30 pm UCSF-John Muir Health Jean and Ken Hofmann Cancer Center, 177 La Casa Via, Walnut Creek Join East Bay EDA for the first event of their 2024 East Bay Innovation series. They will be bringing together diverse East Bay healthcare company leaders at the UCSF-John Muir Jean and Ken Hofmann Cancer Center at the Behring Pavilion for a discussion on healthcare innovation and the importance of the industry to the region’s workforce and economy.  Register to attend here.

RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES

Intro to Lean Startup: NSF I-Corps Method 

Application deadline: Friday, May 24, 2024
Online course times: June 10, 12 & 17 from 5-8pm PST

Department of Energy Boost Entrepreneur 

Application deadline: Friday, June 14, 2024
Bootcamp: Saturday, Aug 3, 2024
Phase I: Tuesdays, Aug 6 - Oct 2 & Phase II: Tuesdays, Oct 8 - Nov 26
Industry Showcase: Tuesday, Dec 10, 2024

The DOE Boost platform, powered by FedTech, draws existing startups and companies who will investigate and build new ventures around technologies drawn from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories. DOE Boost Platform is funded by DOE’s Technology Commercialization Fund administered by Office of Technology Transitions.

Apply here.

Apply to be a Prototype Machinist at Atomic Machine

Berkeley, CA

Atomic Machines is on Earth to radically advance humanity’s command over matter. Their mission is real-time bits-to-atoms manufacturing of anything at any scale. As a Prototype Machinist, you will be responsible for making parts from start to finish in their machine shop in Berkeley. This includes ordering tooling and materials, process development, CAM programming, fixture design, manufacturing the parts on the machines, metrology / inspection, and coordinating post-processing if necessary. 

If interested, apply today.

BERKELEY INNOVATORS MAKING NEWS

Twelve Wins $28.5M 48C Investment Tax Credit for CO2 Electrolyzer Manufacturing Facility

Berkeley-headquartered Twelve announced $28.5M in tax credits through the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project (48C) Investment Tax Credit (ITC) from the U.S. Department of Treasury Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Energy. These funds will scale manufacturing of their innovative Opus™ CO2 electrolyzer. The Opus system lies at the heart of carbon transformation, enabling a new generation of useful products from just CO2, water, and renewable energy. Read more on their website.

Thintronics is making a crucial chip material and is taking on a Japanese giant

Congrats to Berkeley startup Thintronics for receiving $20M Series A funding to make chip materials with higher insulating properties that will enable faster computing speeds and lower energy costs. Read more in the MIT Technology Review.

Profluent is Using AI to Edit Human DNA

Berkeley startup Profluent says they have used generative AI technologies to edit human DNA. Their goal is to produce gene editors that are more efficient and capable than existing biological mechanisms that allow organisms to, for instance, ward off diseases and other pathogens. Read more on Futurism.

Climax Food Recognized for their Delicious Alternative Blue Cheese Product

Berkeley startup Climax Foods entered their blue cheese product in the Good Food Foundation annual competition. In January, they were announced to be one of the finalists. Subsequently they were disqualified from the competition since they are a plant based cheese.  Read more about this developing story on Bay Area Innovation.

Berkeley officials want to make it easier for biotech and other innovative startups to stay in the city

Zoning changes proposed by City of Berkeley Office of Economic Development and Planning Department staff could make it easier for biotech startups and other types of innovative R&D companies to locate in Downtown Berkeley, Telegraph Ave and other major Berkeley commercial corridors near the University of California, Berkeley campus. 

Read more in the San Francisco Business Times or on GlobeSt.com.

National Science Foundation Debuts Startup Matchmaking Program in Taiwan

Berkeley Startup Cluster Advisor Michelle Kiang, co-founder of Impact Science Ventures, joined the National Science Foundation for their first time sponsoring a series of workshops abroad to help US startups work with their overseas counterparts. The first deep-tech workshop was held in Taiwan, which plays an increasingly pivotal role in chips and the technology supply chain. Read more on Bloomberg.

Keep in Touch

To submit information or questions about Berkeley Startup Cluster contact: oedmailbox@berkeleyca.gov

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