updates, events and news for Berkeley startups

On Dec. 3, 2024, Berkeley City Council voted unanimously  to update the City's zoning rules to Keep Innovation in Berkeley. The new rules will make it possible for businesses to get over-the-counter zoning approvals for R&D uses under 20K square feet in key commercial corridors near campus and decrease the restrictions on where labs using Bio Safety Level-2 organisms can locate.

The new zoning rules will go into effect next Wednesday, January 29th. Learn about the different types of land-use permits, when you need them, and what it takes to obtain them or contact the City of Berkeley Planning Department with questions.

TODAY, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, 4:30-8:00pm
Splet Theater 2600 Tenth St. Berkeley CA 94710

The Women Entrepreneurs of Berkeley, Berkeley SkyDeck, Wareham Development and the Berkeley Startup Cluster will host a screening of Show Her the Money, a film that demystifies venture capital and addresses how women are getting less than 2% of venture capital funding, tonight. The film will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by General Manager of Berkeley SkyDeck Sibyl Chen, including Squishy Robotics Founder & CEO Alice Agogino, Activate Berkeley Managing Director Jill Fuss, Wealth Builder Bridgette Smith, and Samay CEO Dr. Maria Artunduaga.   

The event is currently at capacity and SOLD OUT. If you would like to be put on the waitlist or notified about future screenings or events of this type, please send an email to info@berkeleychamber.com.

Saturday, March 8th 6:00-9:00 pm
UC Berkeley Faculty Club, Berkeley, CA

Join Scientific Adventures for Girls for a sit-down dinner and night of celebration, reflection, and excitement about the future of girls in STEM. Your ticket helps fund life-changing STEM education programs for girls at Title 1 Schools in the East Bay. NBC Newscaster Vianey Arana will be the emcee for the evening.

Purchase tickets to join the celebration.

Thursday, March 27th 5:00 pm
Oakland Scottish Rite Center, 1547 Lakeside Drive Oakland, CA

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 East Bay’s legacy of innovation. For over a decade, the annual awards ceremony has showcased outstanding organizations that embrace innovation in their manufacturing, products, services, design, and information.

Congrats to Berkeley companies Activate Berkeley, Rebuilding Together East Bay Network and AsparaGlue for getting selected as finalists for a 2025 East Bay Innovation Award!

Purchase tickets to join the celebration.

Application deadline: TOMORROW, Friday, January 24, 2025

Do you want to launch a biotech startup at UC Berkeley? The LSEC Venture Grant Program offers funding and resources assembled from the best of Berkeley, brought to you by UC Berkeley's Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center.

Learn more and apply by Friday’s deadline.

Applications due: Friday, February 14, 2025

Are you a visionary startup founder ready to elevate your game?  Berkeley SkyDeck is a game-changing accelerator where you can immerse your startup in a stellar network of industry execs, top-notch advisors, and top-tier Silicon Valley VCs, all while supported by UC Berkeley’s great network of alumni, faculty, and advisors.

Startups accepted to the highly competitive cohort program receive $200K in funding, pitch at Demo Day and gain access to $750K worth of invaluable resources.

 Apply for Batch 20 by February 14.

Deadline: Monday, February 24, 2025

Do you know a business, nonprofit or institution that has innovative ideas to prevent waste? StopWaste is offering grants with a total of $1.1 million available in funding for projects in six categories. The focus is on innovative approaches to preventing waste in Alameda County and supporting local communities.

Apply here.

24 biotech startups with UC Berkeley connections were featured at the Berkeley Bio Startup Showcase during the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, the largest and most informative health care investment symposium in the industry. One example of a company based in the Bakar Labs incubator was Editpep, which secured $8.4 million of seed financing last month to take on pediatric brain cancer and other brain diseases.

Read more in the San Francisco Business Times about the Berkeley biotech showcase at JPM and Editpep.  See the event program and participating companies here.

Amin Zargar, founder and CEO of ResVita Bio, a tenant of the Bakar Labs incubator at the Berkeley BioEnginuity Hub, is working to genetically engineer a bacteria to convert sugars in skin lotions into therapeutic proteins that can be continuously pumped onto the skin's surface. The ideal early target would be Netherton syndrome, a rare, inherited skin disorder that forms intensely painful, dry and scaly patches and kills some 20% of babies with the disease within the first year. He hopes to land a Series A funding round soon to help take the company into clinical trials.

Read more about ResVita Bio in the San Francisco Business Times.

Companies led by Activate Berkeley Cyclotron Road fellows have now exceeded $3 billion in total follow-on funding from private and public sources. The funding will help them scale new technologies across sectors including industrial biotechnology, energy, computing, and heavy metal therapeutics.

Read more from the Berkeley Lab.