Led the External and Sourcing committee for Berkeley's student-run VC organization, managing startup databases and facilitating funding connections.
As Vice President of External and Sourcing at Berkeley Venture Capital, I led strategic initiatives to expand the organization's startup network and strengthen connections within the venture capital ecosystem. My role focused on building and maintaining relationships with both emerging startups and established investors across the Bay Area and beyond.
I spearheaded the development and maintenance of the Berkeley Startup Database, a comprehensive repository of 150+ startups spanning diverse industry verticals including DeepTech, EdTech, B2B SaaS, and GreenTech. This database served as a critical resource for investment analysis, market research, and ecosystem mapping, requiring continuous curation and validation to ensure data accuracy and relevance.
A key highlight of my tenure was co-hosting the BVC Startup Pitch Competition, where I served on the decision-making committee that evaluated numerous innovative ventures and ultimately awarded a $20,000 cash prize to Sales Patriot, a promising B2B sales optimization platform. This experience provided deep insights into investment criteria, pitch evaluation, and the dynamics of early-stage funding decisions.
Leading the External and Sourcing committee, I orchestrated multiple touchpoints with the startup ecosystem, including fireside chats with prominent venture capitalists, networking sessions with founders, and strategic meetings with accelerator programs. I actively engaged with startup founders to understand their funding needs, growth challenges, and market positioning, facilitating introductions to leading VC firms including Pear VC, Berkeley SkyDeck, Nexus Ventures, and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).
Through my initiative to organize virtual networking sessions and structured founder outreach programs, I contributed to a 20% increase in successful funding rounds among our portfolio companies, directly strengthening the Berkeley startup ecosystem and enhancing investor relations. My work in maintaining real-time updates across our startup database enabled BVC to stay ahead of market trends and provide timely insights to both internal teams and external partners.