Berkeley SkyDeck’s Global Reach Continues to Extend with Half of the Spring 2020 Coming from Outside the U.S.

24 startups selected from among largest group of applicants yet, representing solutions in AI, enterprise, robotics, bioscience, and more

BERKELEY, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 30, 2020 / UC Berkeley SkyDeck, the startup accelerator of the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley), today announces it has enrolled its largest startup cohort ever with 24 companies from the U.S. and 10 other countries. The new spring group of startups specialize in a wide range of industries including AI, enterprise software, robotics, health, bioscience, and consumer solutions. SkyDeck selected the new group from among more than 1600 applications, the largest number of applicants ever.

Joey Li, a Haas MBA and a SkyDeck Venture fellow, greeting guests at SkyDeck's last Demo Day.
Image Credit: Marla Aufmuth

Founders from the new cohort come from UC Berkeley and other University of California campuses. International startups come from Armenia, Canada, Chile, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Russia, and Taiwan. In addition to the 24 accelerator track startups, there are 100 incubator track startups plus two Global Innovation startups.

With the coronavirus impacting all aspects of work, SkyDeck plans to operate completely remotely for the next few months while the state of California has a shelter-in-place policy. All startups will be taking instruction and working with advisors, investors, and other collaborators via online technologies.

"We are extremely pleased with the number and extraordinary quality of the 2020 spring applicant companies who competed to participate in our accelerator program," said Caroline Winnett, Executive Director, Berkeley SkyDeck. "We are proud to support startups that will help us face the world's biggest challenges, including some that will address the challenges of the coronavirus crisis."

Technology for the Greater Good

New technology coming out of SkyDeck companies includes: robotics for delivery and remote cleaning; supply chain for locating and managing medical testing, equipment and other supplies; and healthcare management, as well as solutions in the broader categories of AI and govtech. During this COVID-19 public health crisis, SkyDeck's mission is particularly appropriate: supporting startups serving the greater good by developing solutions to current global challenges.

"Entrepreneurship and innovation are priorities at UC Berkeley and I'm excited and proud to be working with the outstanding founders joining SkyDeck this spring," said Rich Lyons, UC Berkeley's Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer. "This new cohort will engage with the remarkable culture of innovation at Berkeley, continuing in a tradition that defines the university and our community."

The Cohort (accelerator track) startups will receive a $105,000 investment from the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, free and discounted services, access to top advisors, and intensive mentorship as they prepare to pitch more than 750 investors on Demo Day. The HotDesk (incubator track) startups will have access to workspace, events, and advisors to help them continue to grow their ideas and businesses.

ABOUT BERKELEY SKYDECK

Berkeley SkyDeck is a top global accelerator. Named by Forbes as one of the top five university accelerators in 2019, SkyDeck is UC Berkeley's largest official startup accelerator and a joint program of the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, the College of Engineering, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. Funded by top institutional VCs like Sequoia and Mayfield, SkyDeck combines the hands-on mentorship of traditional accelerators with the vast resources of its research university. SkyDeck also stands alone as the only accelerator that provides funding for its startups via a public-private partnership, committing return directly back to UC Berkeley within the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, a dedicated investment fund. Participating startups have access to SkyDeck's 250 advisors, 30 industry partners, and a network of more than 510,000 UC Berkeley alumni. For more information, see skydeck.berkeley.edu.

Media files, images here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1e5DFlnRnxcztlttO3Z9aWfkWImBWy1sY

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SOURCE: Berkeley SkyDeck 

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