Berkeley Gateway Accelerator
5-Month Immersion in Silicon Valley's Innovation Hub
Based in Berkeley, California—steps from UC Berkeley —the Berkeley Gateway Accelerator Program empowers startups from outside of the Bay Area to capture the U.S. market opportunity and scale globally.
Strategic U.S. Market Entry & IP Positioning
U.S. market analysis and entry strategy tailored to your innovation.
Customer discovery campaigns targeting early adopters, partners, and key industry players.
IP strategy and regulatory navigation designed for U.S. commercialization.
Ongoing guidance on business model adaptation and validation in the American context.
5 month Berkeley Residency Program
Live and work in furnished housing with dedicated office space in the heart of Berkeley.
Residency draws on years of experience building deep tech acceleration programs.
Founders gain structured management support and access to a supportive peer cohort.
In-person programming designed for execution, reflection, and long-term traction.
Full-Time U.S. Team Embedded in Your Startup
Each startup is matched with full-time Entrepreneurship Fellows from UC Berkeley’s top graduate programs.
Fellows integrate as part of your core team, offering daily, hands-on execution support.
Support includes customer discovery, partner outreach, technical/market/IP validation, and regulatory positioning.
Curated access to Bay Area entrepreneurs, domain experts, and investors.
Credibility & Access in the World’s Leading Innovation Hub
Direct access to UC Berkeley’s research, engineering, and business talent.
Build in proximity to Silicon Valley’s most active deep tech investors and institutions.
Gain instant credibility from your Berkeley presence.
Tap into one of the most mature ecosystems for translating scientific research into companies.
Connecting Deep Tech Founders to Berkeley's Thriving Innovation Ecosystem
What We Look For
We partner with startups that demonstrate:
Full-time founding teams with deep domain expertise who are willing to relocate to the Bay Area and incorporate in the US
Large addressable markets (>$1B TAM) with validated pain points, sensible unit economics, and clear regulatory pathways
Articulate, coachable founders with strong communication skills who are commercially minded and patient
Strong intellectual property position with clear competitive advantages, owned/licensed technology, defensible moats
Demonstrated technical feasibility in large markets - future TAM >$1B
Validated customer pain points, scalable growth path, a clear regulatory pathway, and viable economics & business model
Capital-efficient growth path with 12-18 month roadmaps, achievable milestones, and realistic funding requirements
Mission-driven focus on addressing significant societal challenges while maintaining commercial viability
Your Gateway to U.S. Success
The FFC Gateway Program provides the foundation to:
Establish and scale your U.S. market presence
Secure strategic partnerships and enterprise customers
Access Silicon Valley capital networks
Build your U.S.-based team and advisory board