Berkeley SkyDeck
| Company type | Joint venture |
|---|---|
| Industry | Business incubator, Startup accelerator |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Berkeley, California , United States |
Area served | Silicon Valley |
| Parent | University of California, Berkeley |
Berkeley SkyDeck (commonly known as SkyDeck) operates as a startup accelerator and business incubator created through a joint venture between the Haas School of Business and the College of Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Established in 2012, SkyDeck promotes entrepreneurship and technological advancement within Silicon Valley. It is recognized as one of the top university-affiliated incubators both in the United States and internationally, providing startups with connections to venture capital and industry leaders.
Program
Participating startups engage in the Berkeley SkyDeck accelerator for a duration of six months, equivalent to one academic semester. Companies selected for the premier cohort receive an initial $50,000 investment upon entry, followed by an additional $50,000 after three months, totaling $100,000 to support their growth. In return, SkyDeck acquires a five percent equity share in each startup within this cohort.
The accelerator culminates in a demo day event where startups showcase their ventures to hundreds of investors interested in venture capital opportunities. Distinguished alumni from SkyDeck include Lime, a unicorn company providing motorized scooters, electric bicycles, and carsharing services, as well as Kiwi Campus, which offers food delivery through autonomous robotic technology.
In 2018, SkyDeck successfully secured a $24 million oversubscribed venture fund backed by investors such as Sequoia Capital, Mayfield, and Sierra Ventures. This capital enables SkyDeck to invest up to ten percent in each startup’s initial funding round within the cohort, with a maximum commitment of $2 million. By 2022, SkyDeck announced the closing of an oversubscribed Fund II totaling $60 million.