Caroline Winnett, the Executive Director of Berkeley Skydeck, joins Sophie to share her extraordinary story of transforming UC Berkeley's startup accelerator into a global powerhouse. Caroline's unique journey from professional violinist to innovative entrepreneur sets the stage for an insightful exploration of Berkeley Skydeck's explosive growth, from its humble beginnings with just 50 applicants to attracting over 3,000 hopeful startups. We discuss the groundbreaking $90 million Berkeley Skydeck Fund, a revolutionary initiative that returns half of its profits to the university, merging the worlds of academia and venture capital in a way that had never been done before.

Caroline Winnett is Executive Director of Berkeley SkyDeck, UC Berkeley’s flagship startup accelerator. She led the creation of the $90M Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, a groundbreaking model that shares half of the fund's profits with the university.

A serial entrepreneur, she co-founded NeuroFocus, the leader in neuromarketing, acquired by Nielsen. Caroline is a frequent speaker on innovation, entrepreneurship, and consumer neuroscience, and has been recognized with the Forbes 50 Over 50 and Bay Area Power 100 awards. She holds an MBA from Berkeley Haas and a Violin Performance degree from Indiana University.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Caroline Winnett's unique journey from professional violinist to leading UC Berkeley's startup accelerator, Berkeley Skydeck.

• The innovative $90 million Berkeley Skydeck Fund, which shares half its profits with the university, merging academia and venture capital.

• Explosive growth of Berkeley Skydeck, expanding from 50 to over 3,000 startup applicants, including international founders.

• Challenges and successes in launching the Skydeck Fund, with key partnerships from leaders like Chancellor Rich Lyons and firms like Sequoia Capital.

• Importance of relentless, creative, and coachable mindsets for startup success, along with the impact of immigration policies on entrepreneurship.

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Supporting Resources:

Linkedin -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-winnett-5574933/

[email protected] 

https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/

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• Sophie Alcorn Podcast:

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• Episode 19: Australian Visas Including E-3

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• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook