Berkeley AI Founders, Welcome Home

Startups that join gain access to

Capital
$200K up to $1M on a post-money SAFE
AI Specific Perks
Up to $750K of free and discounted software and services, including from Databricks and Microsoft. Support from OpenAI in the form of credits.
AI Experts
Seven of the top AI researchers in the world are on our team. Meet domain experts across product, engineering, GTM and more, including notable Cal alumni AI founders and executives
Customers
Business development support to find product-market fit, drive go-to-market, and acquire your first customers
Fundraising
Hands-on fundraising support to help you secure your next round of financing
Recruiting
Support from our network and in-house recruiter to build out your early team
Community
Join our growing family of 200+ founders across various stages, learn and connect with others on your journey, and leverage the power of our Cal community
We're proud to have almost 200 amazing founders #inTheHouse across more than 100 companies, including Databricks, Flexport, Anyscale, Inxeption, Ambi Robotics, Superhuman, Crowdbotics, Dyndrite, Laurel AI, Eko, Opaque Systems, Ponder, Spiral Labs, SafelyYou, Oasis Labs, Deepscale (acq. by Tesla), Determined AI (acq. by HPE), Gradescope (acq. by Turnitin), and Distributed Systems (acq. by Coinbase).
Why founders love us
Scott Shenker
Co-Founder, Databricks, Nefeli Networks, & Nicira (acq. $1.2B VMWare) | Professor, EECS
The energy, network, and resources that The House Fund brings to Berkeley is changing the landscape of entrepreneurship at Cal. They are bringing together the best resources and building a pathway of support for founders at all stages. Berkeley has been waiting for this.
Vivek Sodera
Co-Founder, Superhuman
The House Fund was one of our earliest supporters. They were helpful with recruiting and investor intros in Series A, and evangelized Superhuman far and wide. They work relentlessly for their startups. This is THE fund that Berkeley has always needed.

100+

Startups Backed

$5B+

Follow-on capital raised

15+

Exits
Since inception in 2016, The House Fund has invested in 100+ startups, including 15+ exits, backing companies like Databricks (valued at $43B+) and Flexport (valued at $8B+), and founders like Robert Nishihara (Founder of Anyscale) and Dawn Song (Founder of Oasis Labs & Ensighta). Over 100 firms have follow-on invested $5B+ in our startups.

Our Cal roots run deep. The House Fund’s founder has been building the Berkeley startup community since 2010. Our four Part-Time Alumni Partners have founded companies with combined exits over $2 Billion. Our seven Faculty Partners are among the world's leading AI experts. Learn more about our team here.
Acquisitions
Follow-ons
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is eligible to apply for the Accelerator program?
2. When is the deadline to apply?
3. When will I hear back from you on my application?
4. What are the terms of the funding?
5. How many startups will you be accepting?
6. How is this different from other accelerator programs?
7. What type of companies do you fund?
8. What stage of company will be accepted into the program?
9. Do you have to be a company (incorporated) before you apply?
10. If The House Fund has passed on my startup pitch before, can I still apply?
11. I still have questions about the program. How can I get in touch?