City paves the way for more Berkeley innovation

On March 25, Berkeley City Council unanimously passed  the establishment of a Manufacturing, Research & Development (M-RD) zoning district to encourage redevelopment of a 11.5 acre site in West Berkeley at the former Berkeley Forge & Tool and Pacific Steel Casting plant (at Gilman Street and Eastshore Highway in West Berkeley).

The new “M-RD” zoning district will enable a wide range of modern manufacturing and R&D activities.

You can watch the presentation here (beginning at 47:10) and read more about the zoning changes from the SF Yimby. 

Friday, April 18 12pm-2pm
Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Avenue Berkeley

Join the Berkeley Chamber for Berkeley Today and Tomorrow 2025, a dynamic discussion and luncheon featuring Mayor Adena Ishii and UC Berkeley Chancellor Richard K. Lyons in a conversation on building a stronger, more connected Berkeley. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with local leaders and be part of the conversation shaping our city's future.

A limited number of tickets may become available for next Friday's sold-out event. To get on the waitlist, email the Berkeley Chamber. 

​Join Bakar Climate Labs at the UC Climate Tech Showcase, where they will highlight cutting-edge climate innovations from University of California’s top entrepreneurial programs. Meet groundbreaking startups tackling a wide range of climate challenges and connect with investors, industry leaders, and fellow innovators. This happy hour will highlight startups leading the future of climate solutions during SF Climate Week.

Reserve your spot. 

Join Biocom’s Roundtable for local biotech business leaders to get to know the Mayors of Berkeley & Emeryville. In addition to building relationships with local elected officials and city business and government leaders, you will have an opportunity to share the important contributions your companies are making ─ to human health, the environment and the community ─ and explain the challenges and opportunities your company is contemplating at this time.

If you are able to attend (up to two representatives per company), please RSVP to Biocom Policy Manager Christy Shirilla.

Tuesday, June 3, 4:00 PM-6:30 PM
Ciel Creative Space, 2611 Eighth St, Berkeley, CA 94710

Join the Women Entrepreneurs of Berkeley at this workshop and networking event. You'll learn how to improve your verbal and non-verbal communication skills to influence others to be more receptive to your business (or business idea)! Good for long-term business owners and new entrepreneurs alike.

Check the Women Entrepreneurs of Berkeley webpage for more details soon.

Application deadline: this Sunday, April 13

The CleantechOpen (CTO) accelerator has trained over 3,750 cleantech entrepreneurs through its annual business accelerator. CTO alumni have raised over $3 billion in equity, and in recent cohorts, 50% of founder CEOs self-identified as BIPOC and/or women.

Apply by 4/13.

Application deadline: Tuesday, April 22

The CITRIS Seed Funding Program issues competitive awards that advance information technology research for societal benefit and catalyze proof-of-concept results that can lead to transformative solutions for industry and the public sector.  Interdisciplinary proposals are invited from principal investigators at UC Berkeley and other University of California campuses. Awardees embody the university’s public mission and innovative spirit of California. This program has accelerated more than 260 applied research projects led by over 410 UC innovators to date.

Apply by 4/22.

Program Dates: June 18 - August 28, 2025
Startup Showcase: September 11, 2025

The House Fund AI Accelerator is a highly selective, hands-on program uniquely designed for UC Berkeley-affiliated founders building AI companies. This accelerator combines personalized mentorship, deep AI integration, and gives access to Berkeley's legendary network to help you achieve rapid growth and secure your next funding round.

Apply soon to be considered.

Project Onramp, a program of Life Science Cares, provides access to paid summer internships for undergraduate students who are recipients of Pilgrim Grants, helping to bridge the opportunity gap for these promising young individuals. Project Onramp host companies commit or create internships for high-performing students, not limited to STEM-related roles. The program matches companies with talented candidates with interest in business development, administration, HR, finance, IT, marketing, and more. There is no cost to the program, other than the requirement to offer a paid summer internship.

Learn more about the program and how they can help you find a summer intern.

With approximately 2,667 square feet, 1625 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 270, is available for rent. The space has five private offices, a conference room, and a kitchen. It is walking distance to BART and the UC Berkeley campus. 

Learn more here or contact Joe McGlynn at Lee Associates for more information. 

Berkeley-based startup SigIQ.ai emerges from 18 months of stealth with $9.5 million funding to transform education through personalized AI tutoring that delivers elite-level instruction at the cost of computation, not hundreds of dollars per hour. The seed round was co-led by The House Fund, which invests in Berkeley's top founders at the inception stage, and GSV Ventures.

Read more from Fox40 Local News, Business Post, YourStory and the EdTech Education Hub.

Coreshell, a Berkeley battery startup, has raised $24 million in a Series A2 round. They are aiming to make lithium-ion battery production in the U.S. vastly cheaper by swapping graphite for its metallurgical-grade silicon.

Read more from TechCrunch.

With leadership from CEO Subodh Kulkarni, Berkeley-HQed Rigetti is at the forefront of quantum computing. Rigetti has attracted major partnerships to advance quantum technology, including a collaboration with Taiwan-based Quanta Computer, and is eyeing a lucrative government contract with the Department of Defense. 

Read more from the San Francisco Business Times. 

Ashmita Kumar, a UC Berkeley student, has developed a groundbreaking startup called Code Blue, which uses AI to detect early signs of a stroke using smartphones and other smart devices. The program analyzes facial expressions and speech patterns via a phone or computer’s camera and microphone, alerting users and emergency services if stroke symptoms are detected. 

Read more in UC Berkeley News, Pulse 2.0, and CBS News.

UC Berkeley is diving deeper into venture capital with plans to launch the "UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Fund". It will be seeded entirely by donations and the school expects to launch it by the end of the year.

Read more from the San Francisco Business Times.

The Berkeley Lab created a new molecule that could point the way to safe disposal of nuclear waste. A team of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientists gave heavy-metal molecule the name "berkelocene".

Read more from The Mercury News.