Berkeley SkyDeck

Berkeley SkyDeck (SkyDeck) is a startup accelerator and incubator program at the University of California, Berkeley serving as a joint venture among the Haas School of Business, Berkeley Engineering, and the administration.[1] Founded in 2012, SkyDeck promotes student entrepreneurship in the Silicon Valley.[2]

Berkeley SkyDeck
IndustrySeed accelerator
Founded2012
Headquarters
Berkeley, California
ProductsVenture capital
Websiteskydeck.berkeley.edu

With Pitchbook ranking Berkeley alumni second to Stanford in producing Venture capitalist-backed entrepreneurs, SkyDeck has become a top college incubator within the United States.[3][4]

Program

Startup companies join the Berkeley SkyDeck accelerator for six months (one university semester).[5] Startups accepted into the highest level cohort track receive $50,000 when they join, and $50,000 three months in--a total of $100,000 to use to build their businesses.[5] In exchange, SkyDeck takes a five percent equity in each cohort startup.[6]

The six-month SkyDeck term finishes with a demo day where startups in the SkyDeck cohort present to hundreds of investors, seeking venture capital financing.[7][8]

SkyDeck alumni startups include unicorn Lime, a transportation company with motorized scooters, electric bikes, and carsharing, and Kiwi Campus, a food-delivery service using autonomous robots.[9][10]

Berkeley SkyDeck Fund

In 2018, SkyDeck raised a $24 million, oversubscribed venture fund from investors including Sequoia Capital, Mayfield and Sierra Ventures.[6][8] With this fund SkyDeck is allowed to invest up to 10 percent in each cohort startup's first funding round, up to $2 million.[5][6]

References
  1. "About the Berkeley SkyDeck". Forbes.
  2. "Berkeley SkyDeck". Berkeley SkyDeck.
  3. Bay Area universities, MIT, Harvard top startup ranking for grads who raise venture capital, GeekWire, August 31, 2018
  4. https://www.dailycal.org/2013/10/24/study-lists-uc-berkeley-among-top-universities-producing-entrepreneurs/ Study lists UC Berkeley among top universities for producing entrepreneurs. The Daily Californian. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  5. Legatt, Aviva (January 7, 2019). "5 Amazing College Incubators". Forbes. Forbes Media, LLC. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  6. Said, Carolyn (August 15, 2018). "UC Berkeley startup accelerator gets a boost from venture fund". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  7. Rinker, Brian (December 5, 2019). "UC Berkeley's prestigious startup accelerator opens applications". San Francisco Business Times. American City Business Journal. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  8. Sawers, Paul (April 1, 2020). "Startup accelerators forge ahead with new virtual programs". VentureBeat. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  9. Clark, Kate (November 12, 2018). "20 startups take center stage at Berkeley SkyDeck's demo day". TechCrunch. Verizon Media. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  10. Knox, Liam (June 13, 2019). "Food-Delivery Robots Are the Next Big Thing for Campus Dining. No, They Don't Accept Tips". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
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