UC Berkeley Startup Accelerator@Skydeck

Skydeck

NEWS and LINKS:

Apply Now: SkyDeck Application Cycle Open Through April 19

Skydeck won the Catalyst Award at the first-ever East Bay Innovation Awards celebration Jan. 31 in Oakland. Read more.

The Lester Center is excited to announce four newly admitted startups to Skydeck. For information about the recent Pitch Day and selected teams, see the December INNOVATION newsletter.

The Skydeck and the UC Berkeley Startup Accelerator were recently profiled in the UC Berkeley News Center and Haas News Wire.

Introducing Skydeck

Frequently Asked Questions

Current and Alumni Startup Teams

Other Startup Resources

The purpose of the UC Berkeley Startup Accelerator (UCBSA) is to accelerate the launch of fundable startup companies with scalable business models out of UC Berkeley. It’s the successor to the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship’s Berkeley Entrepreneurship Lab (BEL). This new approach to incubation matches a small group of companies with high-quality mentors with the goal of driving the companies through that experimental, exploratory process of process of validating their product, customers and business model to prepare them to scale.

Click here to read about current and alumni startup teams at the Skydeck.

The focus is on having a smaller group of mentors with deep expertise and connections to industry and strong links to angel and venture capital investors combined with a structured process and a community of like-minded entrepreneurs. The UCBSA can also provide temporary office space to a limited number of startups at the downtown Berkeley Skydeck incubator space.

Click here for frequently asked questions about the program.

SkyDeck Application Cycle Open Through April 19

Apply now for the next cohort of the SkyDeck | Berkeley acceleration program. Attend one of the upcoming information sessions and learn more.

SkyDeck | Berkeley is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications for its next startup acceleration program. SkyDeck | Berkeley is the research-technology university accelerator for startup companies and currently hosts 20 successfully operating companies from the UC Berkeley community.

ALL entrepreneurs affiliated with UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and UCSF are encouraged to apply, and the application deadline is April 19. For more information on the application guidelines please visit the SkyDeck Application page.

Accepted teams will be provided with office space in SkyDeck, in addition to mentorship and support from top Bay Area VCs and Berkeley entrepreneurs.

SkyDeck will be hosting info-sessions; April 5th, April 12th, and April 19th at 4pm. Info-sessions will be followed by social hour at 5pm with current SkyDeck Teams and entrepreneurs. Light food and drinks provided.

To apply, please visit the UC Berkeley | SkyDeck Application page.

Introducing Skydeck

The Skydeck ushers in a new era for Entrepreneurship at Berkeley. This stunning new facility provides an unparalleled opportunity for select Berkeley startups looking for workspace and support while launching products and securing funding.

Skydeck is a spectacular venue for entrepreneurial events like the Health Data Hackathon

Skydeck offers premium, fully equipped office space in the heart of Berkeley, with excellent transit options and close proximity to campus. There is ample conference, meeting, and event space, not to mention stunning 360 views of the Bay and Hills. Skydeck is the first time companies recruited by the Haas School of Business and the College of Engineering will share space, creating a new and powerful startup ecosystem with a never-before realized backing by UC Berkeley.

Basic Qualifications: At least one of the company’s founding members must be a currently enrolled UC Berkeley or UCSF student or an alumnus who has graduated from UC Berkeley or UCSF within the last 5 years. UCBSA is focused on helping startups that have at least a usable product prototype and have done some testing with customers to help accelerate them to scalability. Companies that are accepted are required to use www.leanlaunchlab.com to track their progress.

Mentorship

Matching experienced mentors from Venture Capital, Industry, and the entrepreneurial community will be a key component of the Accelerator. The Lester Center will be attracting luminaries and mentors from each industry vertical. For example, Richard Chen and Justin Yoshimura will be available to our first class of Consumer Web & Mobile companies.

For more information about the Skydeck email us at:
berkeley.e.lab@gmail.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does my company get office space?

A: Office space is limited. Many, many successful companies have been started in garages (Apple, HP), dorm rooms (FaceBook), research labs (Genentech, Google) and around kitchen tables (Mary Kay Cosmetics). Following the right process, building a community, and having a high quality team and mentors are critical to creating a successful, scalable startup. Dedicated office space, while a perk, typically is not. Companies that do not get dedicated office space can still reserve conference rooms, are part of the UCBSA community, and are matched with mentors.

Q: How long do I get space for?

Access to office space and UCBSA services are temporary and completely at the discretion of the UCBSA leadership team. Startups are typically reviewed 3 times per year. Those not making progress or that have reached the stage where they have outgrown the provided resources will be asked to move on. Access to Skydeck and the program can be revoked at any time.

Q: Who owns the intellectual property developed while in the UCBSA program?

Intellectual property (IP) created at Skydeck is treated just it is at other user facilities operated by the University of California. Under this treatment, UC Berkeley will not claim an ownership right to IP that is created at Skydeck unless the IP was developed by an employee of the University and resulted from (1) activities that are funded through the University, (2) activities that use material University resources, or (3) activities that are part of the scope of the employee’s work at the University. Please consult with the UC Berkeley's Office of Technology Licensing (http://ipira.berkeley.edu/general-links) for further details.

Other Startup Resources

For entrepreneurs that are part of UCBSA and those that are not, UC Berkeley and the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship at the Haas School of Business offer a large number of resources including classes, networking functions, hackathons, mentoring hours, business competitions and more – see http://entrepreneurship.berkeley.edu. The Bay Area is the richest geography in the world for mentors, partners, advisors, angels and venture capitalists. UCBSA is but one of many resources available to startups.

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