CALIFORNIA INNOVATION
Venture capitalBerkeley · Seed–Growth · 14 people tracked
Investment thesis
California Innovation Fund invests in breakthrough technologies emerging from UC Berkeley and affiliated global innovation ecosystems. The fund leverages on-campus relationships and exclusive access to university IP to identify founders and technologies at early stages. It prioritizes companies that combine strong financial returns with positive impact while maintaining ties to the Berkeley community. The firm provides operating expertise, industry mentorship, and connections to additional university resources beyond capital. Current focus areas include biotech and data/AI, with future expansion into related ecosystems including the Technical University of Munich.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 5, 2026.
Team · 14 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 7 of 33 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×2Biotech ×2Cybersecurity ×2Deep Tech ×2Enterprise Software ×2Medical Devices ×2B2B Marketplaces ×1Cleantech ×1
HQs:United States×5
Investments · 33 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathSolving complex problems by combining bio-engineered sensors with data science.
Creating a revolutionary protein conjugation technology to create new therapies for cancer, vaccines, and more.
Cooler Heads develops scalp cooling technology to prevent hair loss in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
HealthtechMedical DevicesSan Diego, US
Kate Dilligan(Founder & CEO)in
BoardMaria Gonzalez-Blanch(Director)inMICHAEL SCHOTZINGER(Director)LIZ TODIA(Director)LIZ ZAMBORY(Director)inJASON PESTERFIELD(Director)
Co-investorsAd Astra VenturesAloft VCAstiaGolden SeedsMutual Capital PartnersRobin Hood Ventures+1 more
A Berkeley spinout developing a new generation of medicines for the brain and other hard-to-treat tissues using breakthrough science from UC Berkeley and the Innovative Genomics Institute.
BiotechBerkeley, US
Ross Wilson(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Dana Foss(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardJaromir Tesar(Director)
A digital health company advancing how healthcare professionals detect and monitor heart and lung disease.
FreeWire Technologies developed battery-integrated fast charging technology that used onboard energy storage to address grid and infrastructure constraints for fleet operators.
CleantechEnergyMobility & Transportation
Co-investorsBlue Bear Capital PartnersMomenta VenturesStanley VenturesStrawberry Creek Ventures
Revolutionizing the way people access cars through a mobile app that delivers vehicles on demand.
Mammoth Bio develops technology to read and write the code of life, operating in the biotechnology sector.
BiotechDeep TechMedical DevicesBrisbane, US
Jennifer Doudna(Founder)inTrevor Martin(Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer)inJanice Chen(Co-founder, Chief Scientific Officer & President, Research)inLucas Harrington(Co-founder)inAshley Tehranchi(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardUrshit Parikh(Director)
Co-investors8VCBerkeley FrontierDecheng CapitalForesite CapitalMayfield FundMission Bay Capital+9 more
Prosper is an online peer-to-peer lending marketplace where individual investors can purchase notes (loan portions) originated to creditworthy borrowers.
B2B MarketplacesFintechMarketplacesSan Francisco, US
David Kimball(CEO)
Co-investorsAkkadian VenturesBreyer CapitalEmergence Capital PartnersF-Prime Capital PartnersFrancisco PartnersIVP (Institutional Venture Partners)+8 more
Resemble develops generative voice models and synthetic speech technology, alongside deepfake detection capabilities.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareMedia & Entertainment
Zohaib Ahmed(Co-founder)Saqib Muhammad(Co-founder)
Co-investorsBerkeley FrontierBetaworksBright Pixel CapitalComcast VenturesGlobal BrainGMG Ventures+11 more
A biotechnology company committed to developing therapeutics for infectious diseases.
A debit card that helps women build credit and take control of their financial future with a simple and secure alternative to traditional credit cards.
SixMap provides a cyber defense platform that discovers digital assets across IPv4 and IPv6 using its 6Gen computational mapping algorithm and continuously scans all ports on each host to identify exposures.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwarePasadena, US
Gregory Levesque(Director)Austin Murdock(Executive Officer, Director)William Jr. Murdock(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardRobert Ackerman(Director)inMichael Janke(Director)in
Co-investorsDataTribe
Committed to revolutionizing gene therapy production through the chemical control of cell behavior.
Developing oncotherapy products with improved delivery, efficacy, and safety to treat solid cancers.
Provides the industry's most reliable and accurate dataset to help data-driven organizations more effectively engage consumers.
A proprietary yeast-based delivery platform that kills target pest species without hazardous chemistry.
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Prosper · healthcareittoday.com · Jul 17, 2026
Resemble AI · latimes.com · Feb 22, 2026
Cooler Heads · femtechinsider.com · Jul 23, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has CALIFORNIA INNOVATION made?
- CALIFORNIA INNOVATION has 33 tracked investments, including 1 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does CALIFORNIA INNOVATION invest at?
- CALIFORNIA INNOVATION invests at the Seed, Series A, Growth stages.
- What sectors does CALIFORNIA INNOVATION focus on?
- CALIFORNIA INNOVATION focuses on Sector Agnostic.
- Where is CALIFORNIA INNOVATION located?
- CALIFORNIA INNOVATION is headquartered in Berkeley, US.
- Does CALIFORNIA INNOVATION lead rounds?
- Yes, CALIFORNIA INNOVATION leads investment rounds.
- Who does CALIFORNIA INNOVATION co-invest with?
- CALIFORNIA INNOVATION most often shares deals with Berkeley Frontier, 8VC, Breyer Capital, among 43 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamBryce Gilleland - GP - Cal Innovation Fund II California Innovation Fund
Charles Cormier - Founder Wisdom Podcast · Bryce Gilleland
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