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Interview with SkyDeck General Manager Sibyl Chen: Big fish in Taiwan should swim out of the pond!
Leveraging a network of 510,000 UC Berkeley alumni, Berkeley SkyDeck collaborates with the National Science and Technology Council in Taiwan, seeking to boost more Taiwanese startups.
In the past three years, SkyDeck has directly invested in 130 projects, including two Taiwanese tech startups, in an effort to motivate tech innovation. SkyDeck’s support also extends beyond initial investments, with teams successfully raising more than 800 million dollars in further fundraising. The two Taiwanese startups, BERKM and CancerFree, have successfully landed in the U.S. market. BERKM, a GreenTech startup operating in the USA and Taiwan, is committed to addressing some of the most pressing environmental issues today – plastic pollution, food and beverage waste and CO2 emissions.
“Over 60% of the startups in SkyDeck’s accelerator are from outside of the U.S.,” Sibyl Chen said, “Yes, we are very global.” Chen is SkyDeck’s General Manager and Head of Program, overseeing the program and advisor network for SkyDeck. Home to nearly 300 startups per year, SkyDeck continues to increase its ratio of global startups and over the years, has become increasingly involved in working with Taiwanese startups.
Having seen startups from over 60 different countries, Chen has always been particularly impressed by the work ethic and exceptional dedication of Taiwanese entrepreneurs, who comprise a significant portion of the international startups at SkyDeck. Chen believes that their incredible entrepreneurial drive, combined with the resourceful environment that SkyDeck provides, lays a strong foundation for their success on the global stage.
Chen acknowledges the unique cultural perspectives that Asian startups bring to the U.S. startup landscape, as they indeed offer advantages. Nevertheless, she emphasizes the importance of a startup's curiosity and adaptability to different markets in maintaining its competitive edge. As long as Taiwanese-born startups venture beyond their local boundaries, they can achieve success in the global marketplace, thriving like big fish leaving their small pond.
Expanding globally, SkyDeck eyes the island’s technology ecosystem
Along with UC Berkeley and Berkeley SkyDeck, the National Science and Technology Council and National Development Council launched an initiative to bridge Taiwanese startups and the global markets. The government identifies startups with a scaling potential and fosters their growth by putting them through a three-month training program at Berkeley SkyDeck. Following this, the startups will participate in a further three-month training scheme as part of the Berkeley Public Health Program, spearheaded by the National Development Council.
The biggest advantage of startups accepted to Berkeley SkyDeck is the access to UC Berkeley’s alumni network, including top executives in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors. Through this network, Taiwanese biomedical startups can introduce their innovative ideas and products to American businesses.
CancerFree, a Taiwanese startup operating in both the USA and Taiwan, is devoted to addressing a critical problem in cancer treatment, focusing on the development of personalized treatment strategies. As a member of SkyDeck’s Batch 12 Cohort program, CancerFree received a substantial investment of $100,000 from the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, reflecting SkyDeck's belief in the potential of CancerFree's innovative approach.
Through SkyDeck, CancerFree connected with an extensive network of advisors, one of whom is now a shareholder in the company. CancerFree's dedication and innovative approach were recognized globally when it won first-place in the “Meet the Draper” competition in 2022, which marked a significant milestone for CancerFree and reinforced its commitment to revolutionizing cancer treatment. Soon, in late July, CancerFree is slated to collaborate with US laboratories such as BioUS.
As the largest university accelerator in the U.S., SkyDeck has quickly expanded its vast advisor network
“One of the keys to success for a startup is accessing networks,” said Daniel Hall, a Berkeley SkyDeck advisor. Daniel, who joined the accelerator as an advisor in July 2019, was drawn to the expansive, dynamic ecosystem of the SkyDeck accelerator program. Invited by Chen, he found himself joining a thriving network of over 600 advisors and mentors. His decision to join was inspired by the remarkable growth and vibrancy of the SkyDeck ecosystem, which sees over 100 industry experts expressing interest to join every quarter.
“What differentiates SkyDeck from other accelerator programs is the extensive network of advisors,” said Chen. And SkyDeck’s advisors join purely on a volunteer basis, which demonstrates their commitment to giving back to the startup community.
Take one of its portfolio companies, AHEAD Medicine, as an example. This Taiwanese biotech startup that delivers on-demand insights from cell-level data to help scientists and clinicians, joined SkyDeck’s Innovation Partner Program . During this three-month program, the CEO and co-founder, Andrea Wang, was able to meet with over 40 advisors and make a lot of progress. After completing those three months, her startup was far more ready and when they applied again, they were selected to the SkyDeck accelerator where they eventually met one of their key executives, who was a SkyDeck advisor, according to Chen.
In addition to the advisor network, SkyDeck also connects startups to the university’s talented students. Annually, over 2,000 Berkeley students attend the SkyDeck Intern Fair, 800 of whom will be matched to internships with portfolio startups. This summer, 220 UC Berkeley college students were matched with startups, sparking more progress and collaboration.
During the accelerator program, startups go through comprehensive and customized business workshops, with topics including go-to-market strategy, pricing strategies, public relations and more. The speakers who deliver the workshops are active in the industry, such as Will Burke. This SkyDeck advisor coaches the startups on brand design, while he himself is the founder of a company specializing in branding and design for businesses.
Behind 1.5% acceptance rate
Getting into SkyDeck can be tough given their 1.5% acceptance rate. A startup team's composition and the founder-product fit is one key criteria that SkyDeck looks at.. SkyDeck often receives applications from a multitude of founders seeking to develop similar concepts, butfounders who stand out typically have spent significant time researching or working in their respective fields.
The second major criteria SkyDeck evaluates against is the market opportunity. SkyDeck searches for ventures that are scalable and backable - startups that present a substantial and viable opportunity in the market landscape.
The third selection criteria, Intellectual Property (IP), revolves around a startup's distinctiveness and differentiation. SkyDeck values startups that not only possess unique and differentiated IP, but also demonstrate the ability to leverage this IP to potentially overtake the market.
The final criteria, traction, measures a team's achievements and early user adoption. SkyDeck prefers startups that have already developed a minimum viable product (MVP) and prototype, signifying a level of real-world application and proof of concept.
SkyDeck has noticed interesting IP emerging from Taiwan, but one of the challenges is that these startups often operate in a small local bubble. SkyDeck encourages these 'big fish' to venture into larger ponds to tap into more significant opportunities.
Aiming to pick the most promising startups capable of thriving in global markets, SkyDeck comes up with a meticulously crafted selection process. They've also established specialized tracks, each dedicated to a field where they believe significant innovation and growth are poised to occur. These include aerospace through their ‘Aero-Astro Track,' biotechnology with their 'Bio Track,' blockchain development, semiconductor technology, and climate-related innovations within their 'Climate Tech Track.'
“We are looking for startups that can solve the next big issue, and so far Taiwan seems to be a great source of talented founders with interesting IP,” said Chen.
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