Berkeley's Global Startup Incubator Success Story

Berkeley's incubator platform supports global founders, with only 1% acceptance rate and a focus on AI-driven startups.

### UC Berkeley's Startup Ecosystem: A Global Platform for Innovation
* 🎓  UC Berkeley has transformed its incubator platform into a **global ecosystem for building companies**, welcoming founders from **around the world**.
* 🌍  Despite receiving over 4,000 applications annually, only **1% are accepted into the program**, with **40 companies ultimately selected for investment**.
* 💼  The program's success is evident in its portfolio, which includes notable companies like **Lime, Flexport, and Rigetti Computing**.
* 🏢  Founders are required to be in-person in the Bay Area for most of the six-month program, providing **unparalleled access to the local ecosystem of top corporates and investors**.
* 🧠  The current focus of the program is on **AI and other disruptive technologies** that are expected to **shape the next decade**.
* 📈  In 2022, **10% of the portfolio** was in the AI category, but by 2024, this had increased to **90%**.

Let's start with let's say we're less familiar with what Burke is doing, but it is massive, the volume of startups that you are founding and supporting. Yeah. I want to say I'm extremely excited to be here and share a little bit more about what we're doing at Berkeley. What we've come to realize is that we have a platform that's a little bit different from what you would expect at first. Look, you would think the official incubator platform for a school is meant to bring out the talent and the technology from campus. About six years ago, we had this email, this amazing insight. What we want to do is turned our entire ecosystem into a giant platform to build companies in general. So our doors are now open to founders around the world. We're not only inviting our are our own students, but folks from Europe and beyond. Interesting. Now, put into context, therefore, the

amount of companies that are being birthed, whether they're going on to follow-on funding because the statistics are really pronounced. Yeah, I think that's exactly right. So early stage investment is an extremely challenging thing to do. We have 4000 plus companies that are choosing to apply to us every single year. We're an extremely exclusive program. Only 1% of the 4000 that apply are being picked. Of the 40 of the 40 that we then invest in, only 20 will raise from institutional investors. Of those, only ten will go out and raise a and and a beyond. We have a giant portfolio though of 200 plus companies that we've invested in. And on the screen what you see are some of our huge wins. Last summer, Gary Tan came on the show and talked about the Y Combinator s 23 batch. And it was interesting because they made it mandatory to be in-person in San

Francisco for that class onward.
Do you have any similar rules? You know, you talked about attracting
talent from outside of the bay to the bay.
What is the point of attraction? Absolutely.
Let's talk about why a founder wants to come to us as opposed to Y'see or to one
of the other brands that you have talked about.
Berkeley is all about giving them introductions to the ecosystem here
through our grads, our students, our LUMS, our
faculty. So when they're in-person here, the
exposure that they get to the top corporates, to the top investors is
unheard of. So what we ask is that they are here
in-person for most of the six months they live here and they work here in a
lot of cases, they even move their families here.
Let's just talk about the winds and what industries the shaking up.
I mean, I'm going to take a wild guess

that artificial intelligence is pretty
prominent in some of the current intake. You're completely right, Caroline.
What we've seen from Venture as a category so is changing all of our lives
in an amazing way. It's like disruption when you're a V.C.,
that's what you want to see. You want to invest in the industries and
products that will change all of our lives over the next ten years.
So we are extremely excited about all of the products that will come out in that
category. About two years ago, we were very early
to that game. About 10% or so of our portfolio back in 2022 fell into that
category. Now, in 2024, 90% are in.

Berkeley SkyDeck's Bets in the Startup World

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The Unique Approach of Berkeley's Startup Platform

Berkeley has transformed its incubator platform into a global company-building ecosystem, welcoming founders from around the world, not just its own students.

The program is highly selective, with only 1% of applicants accepted, but has a portfolio of 200+ companies and some significant success stories.

Despite the challenges of early-stage investment, Berkeley's platform has seen some companies go on to secure funding and achieve success.

Attracting Talent to Berkeley: A Unique Ecosystem

Berkeley aims to attract founders by providing introductions to the local ecosystem through its students, graduates, LUMS, and faculty.

The program requires founders to be present in person for most of the six months, allowing them unparalleled exposure to top corporations and investors.

The initiative also aims to shake up various industries and encourages founders to relocate, even bringing their families with them.

The Growing Influence of Artificial Intelligence in Venture Capital

Venture capital is increasingly focused on AI as a category with the potential to change lives.

In 2022, only 10% of the portfolio was in AI, but by 2024, this has increased to 90%.

This shift reflects a strong excitement and investment in AI products with the potential for significant disruption.