Program

CITRIS Foundry: Where bold ideas transform industries

The CITRIS Foundry is the UC’s premier deep tech incubator. We empower visionary founders to transform groundbreaking research into scalable ventures that solve society’s toughest challenges. Whether you’re innovating in AI, health tech, sustainability or robotics, we provide the resources, mentorship and community to turn your ideas into global solutions.

Why Choose CITRIS Foundry?

We’re more than an incubator. CITRIS Foundry is a launchpad for adaptive leaders and impactful innovation:

• Founder-centric philosophy: Build resilience and adaptability through our iterative process.
• No-cost, no-equity Model: Retain 100% ownership of your venture while accessing world-class support.
• Ecosystem amplifier: Add unique value to the UC’s innovation pipeline while emerging as a sharper, market-tested leader.
• Unmatched resources: Leverage UC labs, thousands of patents and interdisciplinary expertise.
• Market-driven growth: Align your innovation with real-world needs and investor expectations.
• Proven impact: Join the ranks of alumni who collectively raised over $220M to create transformative ventures.

Program Overview: A Six-Month Journey to Success

The CITRIS Foundry program is designed to support founders at any stage — whether refining an idea or scaling a startup. Over six months, our tailored framework equips you with the skills, tools and connections to drive impact.

Two Phases of Acceleration

Phase 1: Foundations and Market Validation (Months 1–3)

• Entrepreneurial Skills: Gain insights into customer discovery, market research and prototyping.
• Real-World Validation: Align your solution with market demands through expert feedback and structured refinement.
• Prototyping Support: Create a robust proof of concept (POC) using cutting-edge tools and state-of-the-art labs.

Phase 2: Scaling and Investor Readiness (Months 4–6)

• Business model refinement: Develop scaling strategies, financial forecasts and investor-ready materials.
• Demo Day preparation: Craft a compelling pitch with personalized mentorship.
• Showcase your venture: Present to top-tier investors, corporate partners and thought leaders at our high-profile Demo Day.

Demo Day: Your Stage for Success

Demo Day is the culmination of your CITRIS Foundry journey. Founders pitch their ventures to investors, industry leaders and partners, securing the visibility, funding and relationships needed to propel their innovations forward.

Post-Demo Day Support

Your journey doesn’t end here. As a CITRIS Foundry alum, you’ll benefit from:

• Ongoing mentorship: Continued guidance from seasoned advisors.
• Alumni network: Access to a global network of like-minded innovators and collaborators.
• Scaling resources: Opportunities for funding, partnerships and strategic growth.

Eligibility and Applications

CITRIS Foundry is seeking bold innovators ready to tackle society’s toughest challenges through deep tech entrepreneurship. Our program is designed to support founders at any stage of their journey, from ideation to scaling.

Eligibility Criteria:

• UC-affiliated innovators: Open to students, researchers, faculty, staff and alumni (within five years of graduation) from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz
• Deep tech ventures: Startups innovating across transformative fields, including AI, health tech, sustainability, robotics, climate resilience, quantum computing and more
• Stage-agnostic founders: Whether you’re refining an idea or scaling a business, our program is tailored to meet your needs.

Ideal Candidates:

• Visionary and ambitious: Driven by groundbreaking ideas with the potential to transform industries and solve global challenges
• Impact-oriented: Committed to building ventures that deliver both societal and economic value
• Resilient and adaptive: Willing to embrace iteration, refine solutions and pivot as needed to align with market demands

CITRIS Foundry is more than an incubator. It’s a platform for founders ready to lead in deep tech and create innovations that make a lasting impact on the world.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Team Size | Team should have a minimum of two founders.

Type of Innovation | Team project is based on an innovation in the discipline of engineering, information technology, biological/health or physical sciences, or semiconductors. The startup’s mission should be related to UC’s charitable and public purposes through products or services such as, but not limited to: health care or medical, transportation, environment, climate, teaching or education, agriculture, access to information for remote environments, resource management (water, energy, food, agriculture, fire, gas, housing), communications, government technology initiatives such as CHIPS and Science Act, semiconductors, security, distribution or supply chain, financial systems, or security or support for virtual environments.

Readiness Level | Team has developed a prototype or proof of concept of your innovation.

Intellectual property | All projects with IP developed outside of UC own that IP, regardless of affiliation with CITRIS Foundry. IP developed during the program utilizing specific UC lab facilities will

will be treated on a case-by-case basis depending on the lab facility agreement.

Affiliation | Requirements are campus-specific due to specific university facility access restrictions. Applications are currently being accepted from all CITRIS campuses: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Davis Health, UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz. At a minimum, one founder must have one of the following affiliations: current undergraduate student, graduate student, post-doc, faculty, staff and visiting scholar with current local credentials. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) founders can apply and will be accommodated at the UC Berkeley campus. Recent alumni (within the past five years) from UC Berkeley and UC Merced may apply and will be accommodated by the alumni campus.

Prepared | Ready to form a company and understand the startup, company creation and venture funding processes.

Capable | Core innovation is cutting-edge and the team’s background and technical expertise are uniquely suited for deploying it.

Readiness Level | Team is self-directed and able to utilize and access resources available through the program, broader UC ecosystem and the startup market.

Application cycle and deadline | The program accepts applications twice per year, roughly in November and May.

Start of program | Teams start in alignment with the UC Berkeley academic calendar in January/February and August/September.

Application form | Applications will open soon. Please find the expression of interest form here.

Interviews | Finalists are interviewed in a 30-minute Zoom meeting.

Orientation | Teams that are accepted are invited to the online orientation for onboarding.

The program is free with no cost to join with no equity required. Funding is not offered.  

CITRIS Foundry supports teams located on each CITRIS campus including UC Berkeley, UC Davis (and UC Davis Medical Center), UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz. 

The CITRIS Foundry offers a one-year program that starts in alignment with the UC Berkeley academic calendar. The timeline for the two cohorts per year are listed below (dates are subject to change):

• Fall cohort
  • Applications accepted in May
  • Acceptance offers sent in June
  • Fall cohort start date is in August or early September
• Spring cohort
  • Applications accepted in November
  • Acceptance offers sent in December
  • Spring cohort start date is in January