Berkeley Startup Cluster – Summer 2025 Update

According to Biocom California’s 2025 Economic Impact Report, Alameda County ranks second in the Bay Area for total life science employment and third in overall economic output. In 2024, Alameda County generated $25 billion in economic activity and employed nearly 40,000 direct life science workers.

Anchored by major institutions like Bayer, UC Berkeley, and the Berkeley Lab, the county has notable strengths in biotech, medical devices and equipment, and research and testing.

Alameda County also secured more than $385 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) funding last year, reinforcing its position as a regional leader in research and innovation.

Download the Alameda County Fact Sheet.

During the World Economic Forum’s Global Technology Retreat, global leaders gathered at UC Berkeley to explore the cutting edge of quantum computing and its economic potential. Dan Stamper-Kurn, a UC Berkeley physicist, offered a tour that gave participants a glimpse into the future of computing and materials science, with demonstrations of his lab where rubidium-87 atoms, suspended and sorted by laser light, gather quantum information.

Trelynd Bradley from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) highlighted quantum as a key growth sector in California’s Jobs First Economic Blueprint. Rhonda Shrader, Executive Director of UC Berkeley’s Haas Entrepreneurship Program and the NSF I-Corps Bay Area Node, joined Celia Merzbacher of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium, alongside leaders from SandboxAQ and IBM, to discuss real-world applications in optimization, sensing, and beyond. 

The 2024–2025 STEM CareerX program was a powerful collaboration between the Berkeley Startup Cluster, Institute for STEM Education at Cal State University-East Bay, Bayer, City of Berkeley Office of Economic Development, and Berkeley High School (BHS). Together, we connected 70+ BHS students, many from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM, to the incredible work happening in Berkeley.

Students explored STEM careers through site visits and interactive sessions with:

• Copper – induction stoves and battery-equipped home appliances
• Arris Composites – carbon fiber footwear & advanced materials
• Kapalya – cloud storage & cybersecurity
• SkyDeck – UC Berkeley’s startup accelerator
• Bayer– global biotech leader (led by Bayer Women in Tech)
• Magnitude.io – space-based science education
• Windscape.ai – AI-driven wind turbine optimization

From post-visit surveys, we learned that BHS students overwhelmingly valued the program. 100% of students surveyed said they would recommend participating in company visits to other students, that the tours helped them see how STEM is used in the real world, and that the visits built their confidence in pursuing STEM.

Email us to host a STEM CareerX site visit or present to BHS students.

September 10, 2025 5PM-8PM
East Bay Regional Competition at Cal State East Bay

Join the global competition that connects top startups with world-class investors, industry leaders, and fellow innovators. Winners from over 100+ regional events across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia will pitch at the Grand Finale in San Francisco for a $1 million investment prize on October 17, 2025. Whether you're a startup ready to pitch, an investor scouting the next big thing, or a tech enthusiast eager to connect, this is your chance to be part of a game-changing event.

Apply to participate in the East Bay regional competition. Register to attend.

Does your early-stage startup need legal help? The Startup Legal Garage connects Bay Area entrepreneurs with top law firms and law students from UC Law SF to provide free legal support through a semester-long course. Startups receive assistance on legal needs like incorporation, IP, and employment while contributing to student learning in a real-world setting.

Applications for the Fall 2025 cohort are now open! Spots are limited; early application is encouraged.

Apply by August 15.

Berkeley-HQed New Energy NEXus manages a global Slack community to accelerate the transition to 100% clean energy for 100% of the population. Join the New Energy Slack channel to connect, share insights and collaborate with clean energy startups, funders, corporates, and NGOs.

Fill out this form to join the New Energy Slack community.

Nominations close: July 31, 2025
Awardees announced: October 2025

Know a rising star in life sciences under 40? Biocom California is accepting nominations for the 2025 Catalyst Awards, which recognize individuals driving the future of biotech, medtech, and health, whether in the lab, the boardroom, the clinic, or the community. Nominate someone making a meaningful impact on the life sciences ecosystem, especially those leading innovation in Berkeley.

Nominate a catalyst.

Moon Five, a Berkeley startup that makes affordable and convenient EV charging solutions for multifamily homes, has been awarded $3.4M from the California Energy Commission with a $1.3M match fund to deploy over 500 commercial units within California by the end of 2026. Now they are looking to find good engineers and staff to help them deliver the required commercial units.

See the available positions at Moon Five and apply to join their team.

Scientific Adventures for Girls, a non-profit organization that provides after school and summer STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs to young children with a special focus on girls and underserved youth, is hiring Part-Time STEM Head Teachers and Teaching Assistants to lead hands-on, engaging after-school programs for elementary-aged girls.

Apply for the open positions here.

Check out ways you can support Berkeley non-profits like this one, and other groups supporting STEM education and underserved communities, on the Berkeley Startup Cluster’s Give Back page. You can even sort the opportunities by focus area, ways to engage, and time commitment!

The California Competes Tax Credit (CCTC) is an income tax credit available to businesses that want to locate in California or stay and grow in California. Businesses of any industry, size, or location compete for over $180 million available in tax credits by applying in one of the three application periods each year. Applicants will be evaluated based on fourteen different factors, including number of full-time jobs being created, amount of investment, and strategic importance to the state or region. 

Learn more and apply here. 

Starting this fall, Berkeley City College will be offering a Foundations in Data Science (Math 118) course, where students will learn core concepts in statistics, computing, and data analysis using real-world datasets, along with basic Python programming. This course is the first step toward earning a Data Science Certificate or an Associate of Science degree, both currently in development. Berkeley City College welcomes local businesses and organizations to partner with them through internships, guest speaking, project ideas, or sponsorships.

Learn more about the program and register for classes. Contact Kyla Oh, Acting Dean of Math Science, and Career Education to learn more.

JLL is looking for tenants for 1308 Ninth Street, Suite 100. This ±5,500 SF high-ceiling industrial space is ideal for advanced manufacturing or R&D.
-16–18' clear height
-500 amps of power + distributed CDA piping
-1 drive-in door + epoxy concrete slab
-2 dedicated parking stalls
-Shared conference room
-Close to I-80, I-580 and major airports
Available now via sublease through 2/28/2028.

Learn about 1308 Ninth St. Contact JLL brokers Kristi Childers or Eddie Shuai for more info.

Bellwether Coffee CEO Ricardo Lopez was recently featured in the San Francisco Business Times, highlighting how their electric, ventless roasting system is helping independent cafes roast on-site, lower costs, and reduce carbon emissions.

From it's Berkeley headquarters, Bellwether has:
- Tripled its global customer base in 9 months
- Expanded its presence to 12 countries and 20 U.S. states
- Helped local cafés like 1951 Coffee Company cut roasting costs by more than 50%

Read more in the San Francisco Business Times. 

A new Nature Magazine article highlights how startups like Twelve are translating cutting-edge research into real-world climate solutions. Etosha Cave, co-founder and chief science officer at Twelve, hopes to reduce the reliance of industry on fossil fuels by providing a more sustainable option. Twelve uses electrochemistry to transform captured CO₂ into everyday products like aviation fuel, sunglasses, and car parts, cutting fossil fuels out of manufacturing.  Berkeley-headquartered Twelve is part of a new wave of climate tech companies scaling up to meet the world’s decarbonization goals.

Read more in Nature Magazine.

Berkeley startup Levitree is lifting cities out of flood danger. Founded by UC Berkeley alum Laurence Allen, Trip Allen, and Cole J., Levitree uses robotics to inject carbon-rich wood slurry underground. This process physically raises flood-prone land while also sequestering carbon.

Levitree is part of the Community Access Bakar Labs (CABL) program, which supports startups that don’t need lab space but benefit from access to Berkeley’s innovation community.

Read more from Bakar Labs for Energy & Materials.