SkyDeck and the Alexa Fund will support voice startups as they create exciting new products and services using voice tech

BERKELEY, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 8, 2019 / UC Berkeley SkyDeck, the premier startup accelerator of the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley), announced today it is teaming up with Amazon's Alexa Fund and Alexa Fellowship to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in voice technology to improve the way people use and interact with technology.

Berkeley SkyDeck and the Alexa Fund will work together with early-stage startups, mentoring them as they build and develop next-level ideas in voice technology. SkyDeck will actively seek and encourage startups focused on voice technology to apply for their Spring 2020 Cohort.

'We are thrilled about this opportunity to work with Amazon and the Alexa Fund to assist emerging leaders in voice technology,' Caroline Winnett, Executive Director of Berkeley SkyDeck said. 'We pride ourselves on providing startup teams with the best resources and exposure to help them grow and thrive. As one of the top global hubs for innovation, we open our doors to fascinating companies doing amazing things--this time specifically with voice-enabled technology--and provide customized support and value as they work to position their businesses for success.'

Applications for the SkyDeck Spring 2020 Cohort will open Dec. 1, 2019 with the Spring 2020 Cohort starting March 30, 2020.

'Our goal is to help startups of all stages working with voice technology and AI and to provide extra access and exposure across all of the Amazon organization,' said Paul Bernard, Director of the Alexa Fund at Amazon. 'We're thrilled to be working with SkyDeck to help emerging startups from around the world and can't wait to see where these companies take their products and services.'

SkyDeck and Amazon have worked together before with SkyDeck supporting startups via Amazon's AWS Cloud team. SkyDeck and the Alexa Fund hope the Spring 2020 Cohort will continue to evolve the relationship to help voice tech companies get off the ground and bring exciting ideas to life.

The Alexa Fund provides venture capital funding to companies using voice and other AI-enabled technology to make customers' lives more convenient, more productive and more entertaining.

Berkeley SkyDeck has had more than 400 companies participate in their program. They work with startups across a wide range of industries including AI, retail, marketing, Amazon Web Services (AWS), biotech/medtech, blockchain, enterprise, consumer, hardware, robotics and more.

SkyDeck continues to raise the bar and be a global accelerator furthering UC Berkeley's mission to support innovations that can change the world. In fact, a new Pitchbook ranking of the top 50 undergraduate programs producing startup founders lists UC Berkeley as the #1 public university in the world for funded founders, and #2 for all universities both public and private. According to Crunchbase's recent article for funded founders, Berkeley ranked #3 nationally for the most number of graduated funded founders who had raised at least $1 million.

To apply to be part of SkyDeck's Spring 2020 Cohort, visit: skydeck.berkeley.edu.

ABOUT BERKELEY SKYDECK

Berkeley SkyDeck is a top global accelerator. Named by Forbes in Jan. 2019 as one of the top five university accelerators, SkyDeck is UC Berkeley's premier startup accelerator and a joint program of the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, the College of Engineering, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. SkyDeck combines the hands-on mentorship of startup accelerators with the vast resources of its world-class research university. Participating startups have access to SkyDeck's 240 advisors, 50 industry partners, and a network of more than 500,000 UC Berkeley alumni. For more information, see skydeck.berkeley.edu.

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SOURCE: UC Berkeley SkyDeck