Activate Berkeley

Activate’s 62 new fellows are driving meaningful change toward a sustainable and equitable society

We had a wonderful time at San Francisco Climate Week, where we engaged with the hard tech community right in Activate Berkeley’s own backyard. It was great to see this event reach peak impact, with thousands of people filling venues to convene around the most important topics with scientists, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and others. Here’s a glimpse of the sessions we hosted.

By Jill Fuss, Activate Berkeley Managing Director

Without a community to back them up, founders are much less likely to succeed. This can negatively impact everything from their mental health to technical development. I’ve experienced the community aspect of Activate from two perspectives: first, as a fellow in Cohort 2018 in the Activate Berkeley Community and then as its managing director.

Following a record number of applications, we are thrilled to introduce Activate Cohort 2023, the largest cohort in our almost 10-year history.

In pursuing our mission of empowering brilliant minds to solve some of the biggest challenges in our collective history, Activate works with various entities, including the U.S. government, private funders, philanthropies, and state governments to achieve these goals. We are proud and grateful to note that all of our geographic communities in Berkeley, Boston, and New York (not including our recently announced Houston location) now receive support from state governments that provide funding for scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs at the local level to drive climate-tech innovation.

Kezi Cheng (Cohort 2021, FLO Materials) and Yajing Zhao (Cohort 2022, Mesophase) attended the Forbes 30/50 Summit in Abu Dhabi, a one-of-a-kind event bringing together legendary women icons and Forbes 30 Under 30 and 50 Over 50 “listers” for cross-generational mentorship. Find out what advice the world’s most powerful women had for the next generation of innovators.

The struggles of women in science are particularly acute for those who wish to pursue entrepreneurship, as they often face additional obstacles in launching and growing successful ventures. Despite these difficulties, women are increasingly breaking through barriers to make significant contributions to their fields, and inspiring future generations of women to do the same. We asked some Activate Fellows about their inspiring personal stories.

After a day of presentations at the ARPA-E Innovation Summit on topics including grid storage and federal policy for energy startups, along with a collection of tech demos, Activate welcomed approximately 120 old and new friends to a local pub for a reception, our Houston expansion announcement, and a panel talk, followed by two hours of networking, food, and conversation. 

We in the Activate community are deeply saddened by the passing of Alexei Marchenkov on January 31, 2023.