??At I&E, we help you bring your bold ideas to life!
Take, for instance, Editpep — a pioneering biotech startup born from the cutting-edge labs at Berkeley. Editpep’s journey, fueled by the CRISPR technology, began with a simple mission: to harness scientific innovation for real-world therapies that could tackle some of humanity’s most pressing neurological challenges. ?? However, as with many academic startups, the road from the lab to commercialization was daunting, marked by gaps in funding, expertise, and infrastructure. This is where Berkeley’s Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center (LSEC) stepped in, providing the vital support to overcome these hurdles.
Through programs like the LSEC Venture Grant Program, I&E empowers startups like Editpep to traverse the dreaded “valley of death” that claims so many promising ideas before they can become reality.
Here’s how we’re doing it:
- ?? Funding that matters: Startups receive up to $200,000 in early-stage investment, ensuring that their focus can remain on innovation rather than survival.
- ?? Critical connections: Programs like Bio Startup Speed Teaming introduce founders to potential business leaders and experts, helping them build the teams that will carry their startups forward.
- ?? World-class education: Through resources like I-Corps, SBIR grant-writing workshops, and our collaboration with Berkeley SkyDeck, our startups gain access to invaluable industry-standard methods for customer discovery, strategic planning, and investment preparation.
- ?? A diverse ecosystem: From Bakar Labs to the Berkeley Research Infrastructure Commons, we offer an interconnected support system that guides founders every step of the way, from research to commercialization.
Editpep’s story is just one of many successes that show how Berkeley’s I&E department is creating a new model for university-supported entrepreneurship. By bridging the funding gap with initiatives like the LSEC Venture Grant Program, we’re helping founders turn their revolutionary discoveries into products and services that have real societal impact. ??
More details in the recently published Berkeley Haas Case Study about Editpep’s journey, written by Interim Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer Darren Cooke and Chancellor Rich Lyons!
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#Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Biotech #Startups #LifeSciences #BerkeleyInnovates #VentureCapital #IandE #CRISPR #AcademicStartups
