Berkeley SkyDeck, the global hub for entrepreneurship and a leading accelerator, today announced that Demo Day for Batch 16 will take place on September 20, 2023. The 23 companies pitching represent the largest Demo Day that Berkeley SkyDeck has ever hosted and includes the first UC Berkeley faculty-founded life science startups coming out of the Life Science Entrepreneurship Venture Grant. Investors from major Silicon Valley investment and venture capital firms will be able to hear from each of the 23 companies, which cover a broad range of industries including climate tech, robotics, deep tech and AI, chips and hardware, gaming, and fintech. The full list of participating startups is available on Berkeley SkyDeck’s website.
Batch 16 is the largest cohort ever at Berkeley SkyDeck, with a total of 24 companies accepted out of 1,800 applications, representing an acceptance rate of 1.3%. It was also the first cohort to offer the UC Berkeley Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center (LSEC) Bio Track, specifically designed for UC Berkeley faculty-led companies to transition from research into business. Three companies participated: AsparaGlue and MZR Neurotech. In addition to these companies, Berkeley SkyDeck continues to accept companies on the cutting edge of their industries, including generative AI for gaming and SaaS, low-cost performance semiconductors and microchips, and travel bookings.
“The technologies that power the future won’t come out of Silicon Valley alone. We believe Batch 16 represents some of the most innovative ideas from around the world, and we are excited to see the response from the broader investment community,” said Chon Tang, Founding Partner, Berkeley SkyDeck Fund. “I look forward to another successful Demo Day and seeing where these companies go in the future.”
Each selected Cohort company receives $200,000 in funding, free and discounted resources worth $750,000, and access to the Berkeley SkyDeck network of UC Berkeley alumni, faculty and advisors. Multiple startups from SkyDeck’s Batch 15 Cohort, including Clearpol, Socialtrait, and Okomera, collectively raised strong seed rounds of $3M to $5M from leading VC funds within weeks of their Demo Day.
“When selecting companies for a Berkeley SkyDeck Cohort, we look for companies that have moonshot visions to completely change the world. This group of companies is poised to help us rethink wearable technology, the flow of payments, treatment for cancer, and autonomous robots, among other industries,” said Caroline Winnett, Executive Director at Berkeley SkyDeck. “This is a critical time to continue cultivating and investing in new technologies, and we hope to emphasize that with our Batch 16 companies.”
Berkeley SkyDeck recently closed applications for Batch 17, with applications nearly doubling the amount submitted for Batch 16. Batch 17 will be the first cohort to include the specialized Climate Tech Track led by Shuo Yang, a partner at leading climate tech venture capital firm Lowercarbon Capital.
Now in its fourth year and investing from its $60 million Fund II, SkyDeck Fund has invested in 160 companies, representing a wide range of businesses and industries from 30 countries around the world. Unlike other VC funds, the SkyDeck Fund shares half of its profits with UC Berkeley, helping to continue the university’s mission of delivering excellence in education.
The Berkeley SkyDeck Demo Day will be hosted at 3pm PT at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California. Accredited investors interested in receiving an invite to the exclusive demo day can apply via this link.
About Berkeley SkyDeck
Berkeley SkyDeck is a leading accelerator and the global hub for entrepreneurship. As UC Berkeley’s largest and most prominent accelerator, SkyDeck combines hands-on mentorship with the vast resources of its research university. SkyDeck is the only accelerator of its kind that offers the value of a dedicated investment fund alongside the resources and network of a top university. To date, SkyDeck startups have raised more than $1.7 billion in aggregate. Participating startups have access to SkyDeck’s 675 advisors, 70 industry partners, and a network of more than 510,000 UC Berkeley alumni. For more information, see skydeck.berkeley.edu.
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