Apply

Tech Innovation is Hard<br> We Can Help

Tech Innovation is Hard
We Can Help

CITRIS Foundry is the University of California accelerator for founders building transformative technology companies.

[tminus t=”26.03.2017 23:59:59″ style=”cloud-city” /]

CITRIS Foundry is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2017 cohort.

Applications are due March 26th, 2017 at 11:59PM

SPACE TO BUILD

Set up shop in the CITRIS Foundry's collaborative office and studio spaces on the UC Berkeley campus while refining your designs in the CITRIS Invention Lab, Marvell Nanolab or QB3 Garage located right in the heart of the UC Berkeley campus.

FUNDING & RESOURCES

Each startup selected to join the CITRIS Foundry receives $5,000 in cash, plus more than $30,000 worth of in-kind infrastructure and services.

CUSTOMIZED MENTORSHIP

Gain access to on-demand coaching and connections from the CITRIS Foundry’s extensive network of entrepreneurs and industry experts. We provide structured workshops, technical office hours, and investor pitch sessions to challenge and guide your team.

Click Here to Learn More About Our Program

The CITRIS Foundry helps top entrepreneurs from the University of California build transformative technology companies that make a significant impact on the world.

Our companies tackle big problems in industries ranging from cleantech to medical devices to consumer products and software. The Foundry typically accepts early-stage startups before they’ve raised money or chosen a go-to-market strategy—we help with both steps. By leveraging the incredible resources and expertise at UC Berkeley, we help launch companies that are ready to disrupt industries.   We’ve helped build 31 companies that have collectively raised over $30 million from sources including angel and venture capital investors, crowdfunding, and federal grants. Additionally, Foundry companies have added more than $70 million to California’s economy. Our companies have received press coverage from Forbes, TechCrunch, Businessweek, CNN, and many others.

Foundry-2015-glyph

TRANFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

We work best with companies developing technology solutions built on fundamental science and engineering that are ready to move into the world . We look for disruptive solutions that are solving society’s pressing needs in existing and emerging industries . Our facilities and resources are designed to help both software and hardware startups through access to the CITRIS Invention Lab's advanced fabrication tools which include 3D printers, laser cutters, and PCB mills.

STRUCTURED PROGRAM

The CITRIS Foundry program is 6 months long, with an option to extend an additional 6 months if milestones are met. While admission is on a rolling basis, application deadlines are offered twice per year. We currently accept 5-7 teams per cohort for a total of 10-14 teams each year.

University Accelerator

We accelerate companies formed out of the University of California ecosystem with a focus the CITRIS and Northern California campuses including UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UC Merced and UC San Francisco. At least one founding team member must be a student, faculty member, staff, or recent alumnus from one of these campuses.

FUNDING SUPPORT

A minimum $5,000 cash prize is provided to each Foundry team to develop a market-ready prototype, combined with an additional $30,000 worth of in-kind infrastructure and startup services.

FOUNDRY COMMUNITY

We believe in experiential education and community-based learning. Teams work side-by-side, helping each other solve common hardware and design challenges. From shared studios to Hardware Labs to “Dealer Days” feedback sessions, The Foundry is designed with community in mind.

MENTORS + INVESTORS

The CITRIS Foundry offers focused mentor sessions with experts who’ve “been there and done that” including interface design, customer identification, and manufacturing strategy. We host monthly 'board meetings’ and frequent pitch sessions with investors to refine each company’s strategy and milestones.

In exchange for all of these benefits, the University holds a 2% equity stake in each CITRIS Foundry company. More than just a return on investment, we hope this creates an alignment of interests between the University and your business over the long term. This structure also allows your company to retain all intellectual property created while utilizing the resources provided as part of the CITRIS Foundry program. Our success is tied to your success!

  • Foundry Media 2-119-20160825-AdrielOlmos
  • CITRIS DAY 2015 -DSC04181-20151013-AdrielOlmos-NateMedina
  • p1281531_1901507446_6
  • 3H8A0726

STARTUPS

  • All
  • 2013
  • 2014
  • 2015
  • 2016
  • 2017
  • 2018
  • 2019
  • 2020
  • 2021
  • 2023

[vc_cta h2=”Interested in working with our startups? Check out our Foundry Fellows Program!” h2_google_fonts=”font_family:Abril%20Fatface%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” h4_google_fonts=”font_family:Abril%20Fatface%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” txt_align=”center” shape=”square” style=”custom” color=”green” btn_title=”Learn More” btn_style=”outline” btn_shape=”rounded” btn_color=”white” btn_size=”md” btn_align=”center” btn_i_align=”left” btn_i_type=”fontawesome” btn_i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-adjust” btn_i_icon_openiconic=”vc-oi vc-oi-dial” btn_i_icon_typicons=”typcn typcn-adjust-brightness” btn_i_icon_entypo=”entypo-icon entypo-icon-note” btn_i_icon_linecons=”vc_li vc_li-heart” i_type=”fontawesome” i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-adjust” i_icon_openiconic=”vc-oi vc-oi-dial” i_icon_typicons=”typcn typcn-adjust-brightness” i_icon_entypo=”entypo-icon entypo-icon-note” i_icon_linecons=”vc_li vc_li-heart” i_color=”blue” i_background_color=”grey” i_size=”md” use_custom_fonts_h2=”” use_custom_fonts_h4=”” btn_button_block=”” btn_add_icon=”” btn_i_icon_pixelicons=”vc_pixel_icon vc_pixel_icon-alert” i_on_border=”” btn_link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Ffoundry-fellows.org|title:Foundry%20Fellows|target:%20_blank” css_animation=”bottom-to-top” custom_background=”#e37c26″ custom_text=”#ffffff” add_button=”bottom”]
[/vc_cta]

FUN FACTS

2013

YEAR FOUNDED

37

STARTUPS SUPPORTED

35

RAISED BY OUR COMPANIES

68

RAISE FUNDING BEFORE GRADUATION

OUR PARTNERS

Strategic Partners

inseec
enel-logo square

Resource Partners

WilmerHale-Firm-Logo-clear
qb3logo2_clear2
bee-partners square
inventionlab-textlogo-v3-square2
marvell
AWS-activate
SCET_logo2-SMALL_whitespace-1-square
HMP
BECI-Logo_300px_square2

Network Partners

Begin square
Cal-Startup-Network1-square
Better_Ventures2
Innovators Square
Berkeley_Haas_Square2
freeventures3
Startup@BL_LOGO_color square
IPIRA_square
SkyDeck-Berkeley-2016-square
ucmventurelab

The Foundry

  • The CITRIS Foundry helped us transform from research engineers to capable startup founders very quickly.

    Nick Kohut, CEO of Dash Robotics

  • The Foundry opened up an enormous network for us!

    Rikky Muller, CEO of Cortera Neurotechnologies

  • The CITRIS Foundry taught us how to work with large companies and gave us advice from the customer’s perspective.

    Wonyoung Kim, CEO of Lion Semiconductors

OUR TEAM

patrick-scaglia2

Patrick Scaglia

Co-Founder

Peter Minor

Co-Founder, Partner
alic-chen2

Alic Chen

Co-Founder, Partner
julie-sammons

Julie Sammons

Partner
kyle-clark

Kyle Clark

Program Coordinator
eugene-noh

Eugene Noh

Partnerships Lead
FELLOWS
Elspeth-Ong

Elspeth Ong

Foundry Fellows Program Lead
Peter-Wasserman

Peter Wasserman

MBA Fellows Team Lead
Daan-Kakebeeke

Daniel Kakebeeke

MBA Fellows Team Lead
steven-truong

Steven Truong

Foundry Fellows Program Coordinator
1d8a12f

George Kopas

Industry Fellow
CREATIVE & MEDIA
lana-dann

Lana Dann

Marketing & Social Media
cmartinez1

Cheryl Martinez

Design Specialist
dan-chapman

Dan Chapman

Senior Artist
AdrielOlmos-CITRISFoundry

Adriel Olmos

Multimedia Specialist
Emeritus & Alumni
paul-wright

Paul Wright

Director Emeritus, CITRIS
jason-odgen

Jason Ogden

Foundry Fellow
kyle-clark

Kyle Clark

Foundry Fellows Program Lead
steven-demello2-200

Steve DeMello

Co-Founder, Emeritus
amrit-acharya

Amrit Acharya

Foundry Fellow
aakash-ranavat

Aakash Ranavat

MBA Fellows Program Coordinator
christian-kaas

Christian Kaas

Head of Startup Growth
29a013d

Quinn Shen

Engineer in Residence
shantanu-mittal

Shantanu Mittal

MBA Fellows Program Coordinator
prashan-2

Prashan Dharmasena

Engineer in Residence
0269e7b

Katherine Yip

Events Specialist
andrew-lee

Andrew Lee

Marketing & Social Media
1f83cf8

Gali Ross

Foundry Fellow
federico-merino

Federico Merino

Foundry Fellow
uzma-amin

Uzma Amin

Marketing & Social Media

APPLY

The CITRIS Foundry is looking for highly-motivated teams who are ready to make a significant impact on the world. We like ideas that are original, scalable, and financially viable.

Qualifying teams must:

Include at least one member who is a student, post-doc, faculty, staff, or alumnus (less than 5 years since graduation)

Include at least one member who is affiliated with one of the following UC campuses: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz or UC San Francisco.

We are physically located at UC Berkeley, but our program also supports entrepreneurs at UC Davis, Santa Cruz, Merced and San Francisco.

The CITRIS Foundry applications for our next cohort will open on September 19th, 2017. Please check back then for more information.

Questions about applying?

The CITRIS Foundry applications for our next cohort will open on September 19th, 2017. Please check back then to apply

Step 1: Complete the Application

Click on the “Begin Application” button above to answer a few questions about your team and your idea. Here’s what we ask:

Company Section

  • Describe your company in one sentence.
  • What is the problem you are trying to solve, and how did you come across this problem?
  • What is your company going to make?
  • Did this start as a research project?
  • What skill sets do you need to add to the team to complete a market-ready prototype?
  • How far along are you? (as a company)
  • What is the stage of your prototype?

Founder(s) Section

  • How did you all meet? How long have you worked together?
  • Where will the company be based?  Will all team members reside in that location?
  • Have you ever built something outside of work or school? What’s your favorite example?
  • Describe your other major obligations over the next 12 months.
  • Please upload your resume or provide a link to your LinkedIn profile.

Step 2: Submit a Prototype & Video

Submit a concept prototype of your project in the form of a weblink.   We get it: a short written description isn’t nearly enough to capture the impact of your idea. Show us a concept prototype instead. We’re pretty open minded about what can be considered a prototype, so use whatever form best conveys your team’s vision. Ideas include: videos of any prototypes you’ve created, technical drawings or animations, a website, or maybe a few sample data plots. Feel free to get creative.

 

Next, submit a 1 minute video introducing the founders and your company. We would like to hear your elevator pitch as well as your motivations for founding this company. Please make sure to also tell us what’s interesting about your technology.

Step 3: Interview With Us

Finalists will be asked to join us for an in-person interview at Sutardja Dai Hall on the UC Berkeley campus.

NEWS + EVENTS


CONTACT US

Join The CITRIS Foundry Mailing LIst