SkyDeck Berkeley
SkyDeck Berkeley is the startup accelerator initiated by the University of California, Berkeley. It was established to commercialize the university’s research arm and startup ventures of its alumni. It provides non-equity funding assistance, mentorship and networking opportunities, as well as specialist resources for not-for-profit ventures.Since 2012, SkyDeck-backed startups have raised total funding of over $1.47bn, with 17 achieving exits through acquisitions. The accelerator’s investment-arm is Berkeley SkyDeck Fund also invests about $100,000 per startup during the program. Half of the SkyDeck fund’s profits goes to UC Berkeley to support public education projects. The fund is run by Chon Tang as managing partner and Brian Bordley as principal. Contributors to the fund include private individuals, corporations and VCs like Sequoia Capital, Sierra Ventures and Canvas Ventures.
