On a Thursday afternoon in September, the Berkeley Forward: Innovation with Big Ideas & NSF I-Corps virtual panel brought together a dynamic group of Cal founders, program leaders, and startup mentors to explore the creativity powering Berkeley’s global reputation for entrepreneurship. The discussion pulled back the curtain on how Berkeley transforms classroom insights and lab breakthroughs into ventures that tackle real-world problems, with heart, hustle, and humility.
Hosted by the Cal Alumni Association (CAA), the panel spotlighted the university’s thriving innovation ecosystem through the lens of two of its most impactful programs: NSF I-Corps @ Berkeley and Big Ideas, Cal’s long-running social impact accelerator. But the true power of the event lay in the stories shared by those who’ve lived the entrepreneurial journey, navigating pivots, chasing purpose, and building community along the way.
From Academia to Industry: The Role of NSF I-Corps
Dave Weiner, Program Director of NSF I-Corps @ Berkeley, kicked off the panel by grounding attendees in the mission behind the program: customer discovery. Through a rigorous process of interviews and market validation, I-Corps helps scientists, researchers, and Ph.D. students test assumptions and avoid one of the most common startup pitfalls, building a product before truly understanding the user.
“Entrepreneurship is really about solving problems,” Weiner said. “I-Corps equips you to ask the right questions first, before the prototype, before the pitch.”
The program’s structure includes an intensive 10-day Berkeley course, followed by a competitive 7-week national program supported by the National Science Foundation. Select teams receive $50,000 in seed funding, industry mentorship, and a framework for turning research into real-world impact.
Big Ideas, Big Impact
Phillip Denny, director of the Big Ideas program, spoke to the social innovation side of Berkeley’s entrepreneurial spectrum. With more than 1,400 interdisciplinary teams supported and millions in seed funding distributed, Big Ideas empowers students to tackle global challenges across public health, energy, education, and beyond.
“Big Ideas isn’t just about launching startups,” Denny said. “It’s about developing an entrepreneurial mindset, one grounded in empathy, creativity, and impact.”
For students wondering where to start, Denny reminded the audience: “Ask yourself, of all the problems in the world, why this one? That’s where the journey begins.”
Founders with Purpose: María Artunduaga and Emin Onat
Two standout alum founders brought that philosophy to life.
María Artunduaga, M.D., M.P.H., is a physician-scientist and founder of Samay Health, whose AI wearable device, Sylvee, continuously monitors lung function. Inspired by her grandmother’s battle with COPD, María’s startup was born from a translational medicine master’s program at Berkeley and sharpened through multiple rounds of Big Ideas and I-Corps.
“Customer discovery was my eureka moment,” María shared. “As a doctor, I was trained to diagnose, but as an entrepreneur, I learned to listen deeply, test assumptions, and pivot based on what patients truly need.”
Her work has since earned $5.2 million in funding, 60% of it non-dilutive, and she’s become an advocate and mentor for women in STEM and underrepresented founders.
Meanwhile, Emin Onat, Ph.D., brought an engineer’s viewpoint to the conversation. As co-founder and CEO of CivCore, a startup building AI tools for architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms, Onat turned his Ph.D. research in reinforcement learning into a real-world solution, one so impactful it was licensed by Hyundai for autonomous fleet management.
“I’m a civil engineer at heart,” he said. “I saw how much time was wasted on repetitive paperwork in construction. That’s the problem we’re solving, and I-Corps helped validate that it’s not just my problem, it’s an industry-wide one.”
The Mentor Effect
The event also underscored the role of mentorship in Berkeley’s innovation pipeline. Both I-Corps and Big Ideas embed seasoned advisors into every phase of a founder’s journey.
Steven Horowitz, Ph.D., a serial entrepreneur and former VP of Media Innovation at Yahoo!, has mentored countless Berkeley startups through programs like Big Ideas, BHEP, and SkyDeck.
“Founders need someone to challenge assumptions, but also believe in them,” he said. “Mentoring gives me purpose, it’s energizing, and sometimes, it even leads to becoming an advisor or investor.”
Alex Zwissler, a CAA Board Member, SkyDeck advisor, and former CEO of Chabot Space & Science Center, shared how mentorship found him. After supporting a climate-focused team at Chabot, he joined I-Corps and went on to mentor the team behind MyShake, now a global earthquake early warning app embedded into Android OS and used by 2.5 billion people.
“This isn’t just about startups,” Zwissler said. “It’s about solving meaningful problems, and if we can help students channel their ideas into real impact, that’s the legacy.”
Lessons for Aspiring Changemakers
Throughout the panel, speakers returned to a set of shared truths that define the Berkeley entrepreneurial spirit:
- Curiosity and humility matter more than credentials.
- Customer discovery beats assumptions, every time.
- Mentorship is a two-way street.
- Social impact and profitability can coexist.
- There’s no better time than now to start.
As Weiner closed the event, he encouraged attendees to explore the new Cal Co-Founder Matching platform, upcoming STEP accelerator cycles, and to visit begin.berkeley.edu for a full map of campus entrepreneurship resources.
Final Word
UC Berkeley’s top global ranking for startup founders isn’t just a stat, it’s a culture. It’s built by people who chase problems worth solving, programs that meet students where they are, and a community of alums who give back in service of the next big idea.
For those ready to take the leap, Berkeley Forward isn’t just a name, it’s a mindset.
