Berkeley AI Founders,
Welcome Home
The House AI Accelerator supports Cal alumni, faculty, and students founding
the next world changing AI startups.
We invest from $200K up to $1M in funding and up to $750k in perks. This includes support from OpenAI in the form of credits, as well as early access to AI-specific technology from our partners Databricks and Microsoft. They will also receive mentorship from AI experts at Google, as well as our deep bench of top Berkeley AI founders, execs, and professors.
The program offers access to the powerful Berkeley network that is 600,000 strong. We provide a hands-on approach tailored to you and purpose-built for AI startups.
We help startups accelerate their path to finding product-market fit, securing key customer accounts, building a rockstar team, raising the next round of financing, and achieving the next phase of growth for their business.
The early application deadline is March 22nd at 11:59PM PT. The final application
deadline for the upcoming batch is April 12th at 11:59PM PT.
Have an offer from another program? Please note this in your application, and we’ll accelerate your interview & decision.
Startups that join gain access to
$200K up to $1M on a post-money SAFE
Up to $750K of free and discounted software and services, including from Databricks and Microsoft. Support from OpenAI in the form of credits.
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
Business development support to find product-market fit, drive go-to-market, and acquire your first customers
Hands-on fundraising support to help you secure your next round of financing
Support from our network and in-house recruiter to build out your early team
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).
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.
All Cal alumni, faculty, student, and affiliate entrepreneurs, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, are eligible to apply. We are focused on companies that are AI-related.
The early application deadline is March 22nd at 11:59PM PT. The final application deadline for the upcoming batch is April 12th at 11:59PM PT. Any application submitted after that will be processed on a rolling basis. The program kicks off in early July and will run through early September.
Have an offer from another program? Please note this in your application, and we’ll accelerate your interview & decision. We aim to get you a response within 14 days of submitting your application. Due to volume, we may not be able to provide as much feedback as we would like to, but we will do our best.
Investments range from $200K up to $1M for 7-10% on a post-money SAFE.
We will have a very small number of startups in The House AI Accelerator at any given time, to enable a truly hands-on and tailored experience for the startups in the program.
Every startup is different. We believe the unique challenges that every early stage founder faces are best served with hands-on, directed support, not batch wide programming. For example, instead of a large Demo Day, you’ll work side by side with our Partners to build a customized list of the best-fit VCs and receive directed, personal introductions. We’ll accelerate your path to unlocking the next phase of growth for the business with support that is targeted at you and your company, while still benefiting from having access to a community of peer founders from our wider portfolio.
We invest broadly in technology startups and invest across enterprise and consumer. This program will focus on companies building AI-first, as well as AI-enabled startups.
No company or team is too early or too late. We have invested in teams with little more than a slide deck, and also in companies that are meaningfully further along with a real product and revenue. This program is really meant to help startups at the earliest stages level up to the next business milestone. We are looking to back founders we believe in.
No. If you are not yet incorporated, we can help you do so upon acceptance into the program.
Yes. This program is designed for startups that have not already received investment and support from The House Fund.
Get in touch with us via email: accelerator [at] thehouse.fund
Join The House Accelerator.
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