Academic Innovation Catalyst Accelerates Berkeley’s Pipeline
Matt and Lisa Sonsini’s $13.5 million commitment to fund a new Advanced Technology Entrepreneurial Center and proof-of-concept grants will expand a proven model for moving Berkeley research from the laboratory into the world.
A transformational $13.5 million commitment from longtime UC Berkeley supporters Matt and Lisa Sonsini will dramatically expand the university’s capacity to translate cutting-edge academic research into ventures that address society’s most pressing challenges.
The commitment launches the next chapter of a partnership with Berkeley that began in 2023, when the Academic Innovation Catalyst (AIC) was founded with a simple but ambitious idea: to help more of Berkeley’s most promising scientific discoveries find their way out of the lab and into the world with targeted proof-of-concept grants and intensive, hands-on commercialization support. Combined with program support provided to date, AIC funding will exceed $16 million.