Berkeley Skydeck's Executive Director: Caroline Winnett
From Startup Mindsets by Dan Gonzales
February 27, 2025 · 49 min · Season 15 · Episode 2
About this episode
Caroline Winnett discusses her role at Berkeley SkyDeck and insights into running a startup accelerator.
Caroline Winnett is the Executive Director at Berkeley SkyDeck, a world leading startup accelerator. We discuss What it is like running a startup accelerator. How academics make the decision to commercialize their ideas and research. What Skydeck looks for in applicants. Advising startups on their best path forward. About their fund _ _ _ _ The Berkeley SkyDeck Fund is the investment partner for UC Berkeley’s SkyDeck Accelerator Program. The Fund invests $200K into each startup that goes through SkyDeck, and can participate in later stage investment rounds with Berkeley founders. One of the most active seed investors in the Bay Area, the Fund has made over 130 investments in 3 years! In a first-of-its-kind, public-private partnership, the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund shares one-half of fund profits with UC Berkeley. This unique partnership helps support UC Berkeley education and creates a source of funding for UC Berkeley’s public education mission. The Berkeley SkyDeck Fund is run by Chon Tang, Managing Partner, and Brian Bordley, Partner. It is funded by organizations such as Sequoia Capital, Sierra Ventures, and Canvas Ventures, as well as other VC firms, individuals, and large…
People in this episode
Host: Dan Gonzales
Guest: Caroline Winnett
Topics covered
- startup accelerator
- commercialization
- investment
- advising startups
- public-private partnership
Keywords
- startup accelerator
- Berkeley SkyDeck
- investment
- commercialization
- advising startups
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Berkeley SkyDeck, UC Berkeley, Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, Sequoia Capital, Sierra Ventures, Canvas Ventures
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