A Deep Dive into Berkeley SkyDeck
A Deep Dive into Berkeley SkyDeck
Incubators and accelerators serve as vital support systems, fostering early-stage ventures by offering essential resources, mentorship, and invaluable networking opportunities.
In this insightful episode of Pioneers, the Siemens Startup Podcast, host Kevin Blevins engages in a conversation with Caroline Winnett, Executive Director of Berkeley SkyDeck, and Craig Conlee, Growth Strategist at Siemens Digital Industries Software and key advisor at SkyDeck.
Caroline shares her fascinating journey from professional violinist to a neurotech entrepreneur and executive director at SkyDeck, highlighting her experiences with startups and her pivotal role at SkyDeck. Craig discusses his transition from a political science major and a sales professional to a startup founder and advisor.
In this episode, you will gain valuable insights into the unique structure and mission of Berkeley SkyDeck, its impressive network of advisors, and its innovative partnership with Siemens.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Berkeley SkyDeck and UC Berkeley. (15:46)
- SkyDeck’s role in accelerating startups at UC Berkeley. (18:19)
- Berkeley SkyDeck’s global presence, investor network, and successful alumni. (23:59)
- Entrepreneurship, incubators, and partnerships between Berkeley Skydeck and Siemens. (34:47)
Siemens Xcelerator for Startups Program
At Siemens, we understand the struggles of early-stage startups. Let us remove the barriers on your startup journey by helping you transform your engineering ideas into real, marketable products with industry-leading software solutions. Join the Siemens Xcelerator for Startups Program to grow your startup to its full potential. Want to get in touch? Reach out here.
Guest: Caroline Winnett
Caroline Winnett leads the Berkeley SkyDeck program that hosts over 200 companies per year, and during her tenure, has launched the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund and Berkeley SkyDeck Europe. Prior to SkyDeck, Caroline was a serial entrepreneur, co-founding NeuroFocus, a pioneer company in the neuromarketing industry, acquired by Nielsen. Before her career in startups, Caroline was a professional concert violinist. Caroline is a recognized speaker on startups, accelerators, and neuromarketing. She is an angel investor and is an Advisor and Board member for technology startups.
Guest: Craig Conlee
Craig Conlee is a former software sales executive turned entrepreneur and now a product-led sales strategist. His journey has been fueled by a relentless pursuit to answer one fundamental question: “How does your product grow?” As a growth strategist with expertise in the Reforge method, Craig specializes in identifying and scaling both micro and macro growth levers. His mission is to provide a comprehensive understanding of product growth through qualitative and quantitative analysis.
Host: Kevin Blevins
Kevin Blevins is the Portfolio Development Executive for SMB and Startup Companies and manages the Siemens Digital Industries Software Startup Program. He works with the Siemens sales organizations as well as Siemens Partners to engage and evangelize the Siemens Startup Program in the Americas. Kevin has spent more than 35 years in the Engineering and Manufacturing software industry. Prior to this he spent seven years in the automotive design industry. Kevin has been with Siemens for 33 years. During this time, he has held positions in Technical Support, Technical Sales Support Leadership, Sales Director for the Automotive Region, Partner Sales Executive, and his current position. Kevin has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology from Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, MI.
Berkeley SkyDeck
Berkeley SkyDeck is a global hub for entrepreneurship and one of the leading accelerators in the world. It is the only accelerator of its kind to offer the value of a dedicated investment fund alongside the resources and network of a top university. To date, SkyDeck startups have raised more than $1.7 billion in aggregate. Learn more about Berkeley SkyDeck.
Pioneers: Startups from Dreams to Reality
Ideas alone can’t change the world. It takes grit, and serious funding. In Pioneers, host Kevin Blevins sits down with startup founders to discuss the startup lifestyle- from concept to execution- and the big ideas that fuel these pioneers. From the future of farming to autonomous flight, there’s no frontier too far.
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