Webinar
The Cal Effect: Why Investors Should Chase UC Berkeley Access
Join Alumni Ventures’ Matt Caspari and Sallie Jian for an exclusive look inside “The Cal Effect” — why UC Berkeley has become the #1 global university for venture-backed startups and what that means for investors.
In this session, Matt and Sallie will reveal why one public university is quietly powering the next wave of breakthrough companies. If you’ve used Apple, Tesla, DoorDash, OpenAI, Databricks, or Perplexity, you’ve experienced the UC Berkeley ecosystem firsthand.
The conversation will explore three structural advantages that make Berkeley’s founder output unprecedented: exceptional founder depth across engineering and business, a research-to-market pipeline that turns innovation into commercial value, and unmatched proximity to Silicon Valley. You’ll discover why Berkeley is ranked #1 worldwide for most startups founded by undergraduate alumni — and why that lead keeps growing.
Matt and Sallie will walk through how Strawberry Creek Ventures captures this advantage, providing investors access to founders emerging from one of the world’s most prolific startup universities. Whether you’re a current investor or exploring opportunities in venture capital, this webinar offers valuable perspective on why “The Cal Effect” represents one of the most compelling access advantages in venture investing today.
Reserve your spot to learn how Strawberry Creek Ventures backs leading companies and founders connected to UC Berkeley through venture investing with fellow Cal alums.
Why Attend?
- HomeDiscover why UC Berkeley is #1 globally for venture-backed startups — and why that lead is compounding
- HomeLearn how Strawberry Creek Ventures provides unique access to the Berkeley innovation ecosystem
- HomeUnderstand the structural advantages driving Berkeley's unprecedented founder output
Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
About your presenters
Overview
Matt Caspari invests in mission-driven founders building the next generation of iconic companies—entrepreneurs tackling the world’s hardest, highest-stakes problems. He backs breakthrough technologies with the potential to redefine critical industries, unlock new markets, and create a more sustainable, secure future.
Before Alumni Ventures, Matt was a two-time venture-backed founder/CEO and a leader of the innovation team at Nike. He founded Aurora Biofuels, a deep-tech venture that grew to 100+ employees and secured more than $100 million in funding before its acquisition by Reliance Industries. Earlier, he advised life science multinationals at Cambridge Pharma Consultancy (acquired by IMS Health) and gained experience on Bloomberg’s M&A team. Matt holds a BS in Biochemistry from Georgetown University and an MBA with a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from UC Berkeley.
Funds actively worked on
Investment Area of Focus
His investment lens favors bold solutions to global challenges and durable advantages rooted in technology and aligned with long-term megatrends. This translates to surgical robots powered by physical AI, next-generation energy systems, space-based infrastructure, longevity therapeutics, and more. The through-line is the potential for extraordinary value creation at the intersection of deep science and global need.
Representative investments Matt has led for Alumni Ventures include Andromeda Surgical and Cytronic (Physical AI); Arda Therapeutics and Cambrian Biopharma (Technologies for the Human Body); Max Space and Orbital Operations (Space Infrastructure); and Fortera and Mainspring Energy (The New Energy Stack). Alumni Ventures’ Deep Tech portfolio also includes companies such as Axiom Space, Ayar Labs, Cohere, Frore Systems, Groq, Hawkeye360, Hayden AI, Lambda, Radiant, and Rigetti (Nasdaq: RGTI).
Learn How To Invest In Companies In This Sector With Alumni Ventures:
Deep Tech Fund>>>
Partner
Sallie Jian is an investor and operator with over 15 years of experience across financial institutions, Fortune 500s, and startups. She is a Partner at Alumni Ventures focused on Series A to C enterprise software and B2B2C tech startup investments.
Prior to AV, she launched and ran SAP’s venture and accelerator program in New York, advising over 50 early-stage software companies of which more than 25% were acquired by firms like Klarna, Snap, and SAP. She also led Diageo’s North America Ventures, overseeing a $500M portfolio and more than $150M in investments. She has sat as a board member and observer on companies such as Hedgineer, Ritual, and Frey.
Sallie began her career at Morgan Stanley in Technology Investment Banking and General Atlantic, advising companies such as LinkedIn and Facebook on IPOs, follow-ons, and M&A as well as macro fund strategies. She went on to lead SeedInvest’s (acquired by NYSE:CRCL) VC team, where she evaluated thousands of startups and helped shape the firm’s investment operations.
Passionate about supporting visionary founders and bridging startups, corporates, and capital, Sallie has been recognized as a Top NY Fintech Female, VentureFuel Visionary, Business Insider Female VC Partner, and a VC Disruptor by CNBC & America on Tech. She is a frequent public speaker and has spoken at UC Berkeley, Stanford GSB, Nasdaq, the United Nations, The Lead Summit, NFT Week, etc.; she mentors entrepreneurs through Project W(omen) and the Tory Burch Foundation.