Berkeley SkyDeck, a global hub for entrepreneurship and tech accelerator, is gearing up for its largest Demo Day yet as it prepares to showcase 24 innovative startups.
The event is scheduled to take place on September 20 at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California, on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley.
The lineup of Batch 16 companies participating in Demo Day represents a diverse range of industries, including climate tech, robotics, deep tech and AI, chips and hardware, gaming, and fintech. This year’s Demo Day sets a new record for Berkeley SkyDeck, highlighting the organization’s continued growth and influence in the startup ecosystem. Investors from major Silicon Valley investment and venture capital firms will have the opportunity to hear from each of the participating companies.
Batch 16 is the largest cohort to date, with 24 companies selected out of 1,800 applications, resulting in an acceptance rate of just 1.3%. Notably, this cohort marks a significant milestone as it includes the first-ever life science startups founded by UC Berkeley faculty members through the Life Science Entrepreneurship Venture Grant.
Event
On May 15th, the Berkeley SkyDeck hosted their annual Demo Day with 24 of the highest performing startups from the various accelerator programs. Although past Demo Days have been held in SkyDeck offices, the event was entirely virtual this year, hosted through a conference call. The speakers featured were some of the most promising startups from the last cycle, showcasing their technologies and social impacts to an audience of investors, potential partners, government officials, and the media.
Kicking off the day was Haonam Kwon, the CEO of iDesignAway. Haonam discussed ways to bring the design world into the 21st century, arguing that traditional design has been too restrictive in its approach to embracing new technologies. In his presentation, Haonam showed off some of his groundbreaking product-design work, as well as the proprietary software that his team has developed to make design even more efficient.
The next speaker was William Baumgartner with Long-View Analytics. William described how his company has used artificial intelligence to process customer data quickly and identify key points in the customer journey. He argued that such systems can improve customer understanding and provide more personalized experiences.
Throughout the day, other startups were giving their own presentations. GearZen showed off its connected bike that has patented built-in lighting, while Speaksolve showed their automated customer service platform. AS-BUILT highlighted their digital platform that connects real-estate developers with their customers and Mecaru pitched their cutting-edge data-driven marketing and analytics platform.
The presentations spoke to the power of the SkyDeck accelerator programs, which have already graduated a number of successful startups, including LaborX and Andon Health, and are continuing to attract the interest of top-tier investors. With outstanding investor interest and 24 of the best startups from the accelerator program, Berkeley SkyDeck’s annual Demo Day was a day to remember.
