Berkeley SkyDeck

🎉 Huge congratulations to Berkeley SkyDeck alum ALKEMIO (Batch 18, Accelerator) for raising a $2M round to pilot and scale its cleaner, modular refining technology! 🌿 Traditional rare earth supply chains are heavily centralized and environmentally taxing. Alkemio is changing the game with their modular, organic system. Deployed directly at mine sites, it cuts emissions by 70% and eliminates toxic solvents entirely. This is the foundational innovation needed to secure sustainable supply chains for the next decade of clean energy, EVs, and robotics. SkyDeck is incredibly proud to back a team solving this foundational bottleneck for global innovation! 🚀 Learn more about Alkemio's mission here: https://alkemio.tech/ #SkyDeck #BerkeleySkyDeck #DeepTech #CleanEnergy #Robotics #SupplyChain #ClimateTech #StartupFunding  Francisco Morrone

🏆 The UC Berkeley entrepreneurial ecosystem was on full display at the Collider Cup XVIII! Hosted by the UC Berkeley Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (SCET), this premier startup pitch competition showcased the campus’s brightest student innovators. 🚀SkyDeck General Manager Sibyl Chen co-judged the competition and was blown away by the creative thinking and innovative problem solving of these young entrepreneurs. 👏 Huge congratulations to the winning startups CacheIQ, Ensure, gmv.live, and Synth, who have all secured admission to SkyDeck’s Pad-13 incubator program! #SkyDeck #BerkeleySkyDeck #UCBerkeley #SCET #ColliderCup #StudentEntrepreneurs #Innovation #StartupPitch #SkyDeckPad13 📸: Vicky Liu.

⚡ Our GM Sibyl Chen will be speaking at TechCon SoCal 2026 as part of the panel “Founder Formation: Accelerators, Angels, and Day-Zero Capital” 🙌 She’ll be joining Misti Cain (Techstars), Prerna Sharma (Antler), Alex Mojtahedi 🍑💯 (Peachscore), and Lucas J. Pols (1752vc (Formerly Pegasus)) for a conversation on what founders need in the earliest stages of company building — from accelerator support and investor readiness to navigating the path toward institutional funding. 🌴 If you’ll be in San Diego May 21–23, we hope to see you there! https://lnkd.in/eqWqQzar #TechConSoCal #TechConGlobal #Startups #Entrepreneurship

🚀 Berkeley SkyDeck’s latest newsletter is out and innovation is booming! From student pitches to landmark deep-tech partnerships, here’s what’s happening in the ecosystem: 🎤 The Berkeley SkyDeck Fund’s Brian Bordley hit the stage at Synopsys Converge to discuss the future of silicon and scaling semiconductor ventures. 🏆 Congrats to the standout student startups that not only won the Collider Cup XVIII, but officially secured their spots in our Pad-13 incubator program. 💼 Career Opportunities: • Berkeley students - join us tomorrow, May 15, for our virtual internship recruiting event.  • Global talent - the new SkyDeck job board is live! 🌐 Startup & Advisor Highlights: • ALKEMIO raised $2M to scale modular refining technology for rare earth supply chains. • Nexilico, Inc. published groundbreaking research in the "Journal of Applied Microbiology" on deep learning for microbiome engineering. • Advisor Xingjian (XJ) Z. architected a landmark partnership between @Apex.AI and BlackBerry QNX, while Vivienne Ming released her new book, “Robot-Proof.” 🔗 Check out the full newsletter here for all the details and links: https://lnkd.in/gQ5E2PWB #UCBerkeley #SkyDeck #Startups #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital #DeepTech #Hiring

🔥 Yesterday, SkyDeck hosted a sold-out fireside chat and book signing with Eric Ries (author of “The Lean Startup” and “Incorruptible”) and the conversation left our founders with a lot to think about. 🚀 Eric has spent 20 years working with founders, CEOs, and investors, and his core message landed hard: trust is the most important asset a company can build. The best talent, your earliest customers, your investors - they all show up because of trust. Lose it, and success won't save you. 💡 That's also the thesis behind his new book, “Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad…and How Great Companies Stay Great.” Corporate corruption isn't a moral failure - it's a structural one. And it can be designed against. 🎤 A huge thank you to Eric for spending the afternoon with our founders and advisors! His advice to stay grounded in reality (from avoiding "evil corp" takeovers to being wary of AI-driven confirmation bias) will stick with us for a long time. 👇 “Incorruptible” releases May 26 - build something that lasts and pre-order your copy today (link is in the comments!). Photos: Nicholas Bruno #BerkeleySkyDeck #EricRies #Incorruptible #LeanStartup #StartupGrowth #FounderTips 

🚀 SkyDeck was buzzing today for Batch 22's Resource Fair, and our founders showed up ready! They're building the companies you'll be talking about in five years - and today, they have the resources to move fast. 🔧 Booth by booth, our founders had direct access to partners, tools, and expertise spanning finance, cloud infrastructure, legal, hardware, and beyond. 🙌 A massive thank you to the partners who made it happen: Alcorn Partners, Andromeda, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Carta, Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP, Colliers, Escalon Services, Esplin & Associates, PC, Faegre Drinker, FinStrat Management, Flagstar Bank, Google Cloud, HubSpot, Mercury, Microsoft, Nebius, Pillsbury Law Firm, Rho, Rippling, Siemens, and WilmerHale. 🤝 Not at the table yet? You should be. If your organization is looking to partner with Berkeley SkyDeck, reach out to Erika W.. #SkyDeck #BerkeleySkyDeck #Startups #Entrepreneurship #StartupResources #Innovation Ben Fong

📣SkyDeck is excited to announce the launch of our new jobs board, designed to connect talented professionals with our growing network of innovative, scaling startups. From AI and BioTech to ClimateTech and Robotics, our portfolio companies are looking for the boldest minds to help them scale. Whether you’re a seasoned engineer, a creative marketer, or a growth specialist, your seat at the table is waiting. 👉 Explore open roles and join the ecosystem here: https://lnkd.in/grTzYcDi

🚀 Berkeley SkyDeck is proud to support HackStorm as they bring the next frontier of innovation to Silicon Valley! 🛠️ The transition from digital intelligence to physical reality is where the most impactful "hard tech" companies are born. If you’re a builder ready to move beyond the screen and into AIoT and Robotics, this is your arena. Why join? 🤝 Elite network: Build alongside top talent from Berkeley, Stanford, and industry leaders like Google and Nvidia. 📟 Hardware access: Get hands-on with AgileX Piper arms and Tuya T5AI boards. ⚡ Beyond the code: Access free manufacturing and sampling consulting via Shenzhen resources - crucial for any hardware startup. 💡 Whether you're a SkyDeck founder, a Berkeley researcher, or a seasoned maker, it’s time to ship. 📅 May 22–24, 2026 📍 Mountain View, CA 👇 Check out HackStorm’s post to grab a builder or spectator pass! #BerkeleySkyDeck #PhysicalAI #Robotics #AIoT #BuildTheFuture #SiliconValley #Hackathon Erika W.

🚀 Cal students - still hunting for the perfect summer internship? Skip generic job boards and join SkyDeck for our summer intern recruitment info session! We’ve invited a lineup of high-growth startups to the virtual stage to recruit UC Berkeley talent. Each startup founder will pitch their company and the specific roles they’re onboarding interns for. Students get a front-row seat to the most exciting opportunities, ranging from technical to non-technical roles in the ecosystem right now. The Details: 📅 When: Friday, May 15 🕙 Time: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM PT 📍Where: Virtual RSVP here! https://lnkd.in/gFsUvBiX #UCBerkeley #Startups #SummerInternships #BerkeleyEngineering #CalAlumni Ekin Günaysu

🚀 Berkeley SkyDeck's Batch 22 has officially kicked off! We’re excited to bring together this next group of world-changing founders. 🌍 With a 0.4% acceptance rate, this cohort represents the pinnacle of global entrepreneurial talent. These founders are joining an elite ecosystem whose alumni have collectively raised over $3B in funding. ✨ Please join us in welcoming the next generation of world-changing innovators to the SkyDeck family! #BerkeleySkyDeck #SkyDeck #UCBerkeley #DeepTech #VentureCapital #StartupAccelerator #Entrepreneurs #FutureOfTech