Berkeley SkyDeck Closes Fund II, at $60M

UC Berkeley SkyDeck, a Berkeley, CA-based global hub for entrepreneurship and accelerator, closed SkyDeck Fund II, at $60m.

Fund II features a diverse set of returning and new investors including venture capital firms within Silicon Valley.

The SkyDeck Fund, the dedicated fund of Berkeley SkyDeck, University of California, has helped founders in over 30 countries and from seven of the nine University of California schools raise more than $1.7 billion in funding.

Led by Chon Tang, Founding Partner, and Caroline Winnett, Executive Director, UC Berkeley SkyDeck offers a dedicated investment fund, hands-on mentorship and the resources of its research university. Berkeley SkyDeck hosts over 300 global and UC-affiliated startups per year across three programs. Its Accelerator (Cohort) program is its most exclusive, reserved for global founders and UC affiliates raising their first significant funding round. Between 20-25 startups are chosen to participate in the six-month program, which includes $200,000 in financing alongside 1:1 support, highly-curated content, $750,000 worth of free and discounted resources, and access to SkyDeck’s network of UC Berkeley alumni, faculty, and advisors.

The program, open to startups in all industries, also includes specialized tracks in biotech, chip, aerospace, and crypto.

To date, SkyDeck startups have raised more than $1.7 billion in aggregate. Participating startups have access to SkyDeck’s 415 advisors, 70 industry partners, and a network of more than 510,000 UC Berkeley alumni.

Recent Berkeley SkyDeck alumni include DeepScribe, Prophecy, Coreshell, and SuperAnnotate.

Applications for the next batch of cohorts recently closed, with interviews currently underway. New portfolio companies will be selected by mid-April and the program will begin in May 2022.

FinSMEs

25/03/2022