CALIFORNIA INNOVATION
Venture capitalBerkeley · Seed–Growth · 17 people tracked
Find your way into CALIFORNIA INNOVATION
4,825 people in our graph share verified history with the CALIFORNIA INNOVATION team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
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 · 17 people
from the firm's website & curated & public directories
Founder mafia
2 people who came through CALIFORNIA INNOVATION went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 9 of 33 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×3Biotech ×2Cybersecurity ×2Deep Tech ×2Enterprise Software ×2Fintech ×2Medical Devices ×2Cleantech ×1
HQs:United States×7
Who they back
founder profiles across 8 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×42 founders×34+ founders×1
Where their founders studiedfrom 12 founders with education data
Duke University ×2University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 12 founders with career history
Stanford University ×2University of California, Berkeley ×2
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)inLIZ 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)in
BoardJaromir Tesar(Director)
A digital health company advancing how healthcare professionals detect and monitor heart and lung disease.
Android for EV charging - software solution that works with any 3rd party hardware
CleantechEnergyMobility & TransportationSan Leandro, US
Arcady Sosinov(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardChad Bown(Director)Michael Mahan(Director)Richard Steele(Director)Gary Moskovitz(Director)
Co-investorsBlue Bear Capital PartnersFoothill VenturesMomenta VenturesStanley VenturesStrawberry Creek VenturesTRIREC+7 more
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)in
BoardUrshit Parikh(Director)
Co-investors8VCBerkeley FrontierDecheng CapitalForesite CapitalMayfield FundMission Bay Capital+9 more
Prosper operates an online lending marketplace connecting borrowers with investors, offering personal loans up to $50,000 (issued by WebBank), a credit card, and investment products that let individuals invest in consumer loans.
FintechMarketplacesSan Francisco, US
David Kimball(CEO)in
Co-investorsAkkadian VenturesBreyer CapitalEmergence Capital PartnersF-Prime CapitalFrancisco 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)inSaqib Muhammad(Co-founder)in
Co-investorsBerkeley FrontierBetaworksBright Pixel CapitalComcast VenturesGlobal BrainGMG Ventures+11 more
A biotechnology company committed to developing therapeutics for infectious diseases.
Sequin offers a debit card and financial product aimed at women, with a focus on building credit and financial education.
ConsumerFintech
Vrinda Gupta(Founder)in
Co-investorsDorm RoomEmles Venture PartnersScribble VenturesFirst Check VenturesParadigmScout Fund
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
Jason Kaplan(Chief Executive Officer)inGregory Levesque(Director)Austin Murdock(Chairman, Chief Scientist, and Founder)inWilliam 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.
Windfall is a people intelligence and AI company that provides access to people data along with propensity modeling and machine learning to help go-to-market teams prioritize resources and engage the right prospects.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureSaaSSales Tech
Arup Banerjee(Founder)inDaniel Stevens(Founder)in
Co-investorsBullpen CapitalValuestream Ventures
A proprietary yeast-based delivery platform that kills target pest species without hazardous chemistry.
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesCooler Heads · intelligence360.news · Aug 25, 2026
FreeWire Technologies · stocktitan.net · Aug 19, 2026
Windfall · 247wallst.com · Aug 15, 2026
Prosper · healthcareittoday.com · Jul 17, 2026
Sequin · themenopausecharity.org · May 18, 2026
Resemble AI · latimes.com · Feb 22, 2026
SixMap · fintech.global · Apr 29, 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 52 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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