Free Ventures
Entrepreneurship
Free Ventures is Berkeley's zero-equity, pre-seed startup accelerator, accepting 4-5 student founding teams per semester for a semester-long program of one-on-one mentorship, weekly curriculum sessions on topics like product, sales, and legal, and a dedicated 'point person' from the internal team. Non-founders can join as Fellows in a 6-week program shadowing founders and exploring VC, or join the internal team directly to run the accelerator itself.
ApplicationsFebruary 17, 11:59pm
100+
Alumni companies supported
$200M+
Follow-on capital raised by alumni
26
Batches hosted
4-5
Startups accepted per semester
6
Fellowship length (weeks)
5-7
Minimum fellowship weekly time commitment (hours)
Events They Host
Free Ventures Startup Fair
A startup-focused recruitment fair connecting UC Berkeley and Bay Area talent with early-stage startups (Series A and Seed). Held October 20th, 2022, 4:30-7PM at Anna Head Alumnae Hall. Included company booths, resume drop-boxes, and recruiter presentations.
Free Ventures Mixer
An open mixer event held February 12 at Dwinelle 79, 8-10pm, listed as part of the Spring 2026 Fellowship timeline.
Weekly Mentor Round-Robin Sessions
Monday evening one-on-one sessions where batch founders meet with four to five mentors in a round-robin format. Open to batch companies each week throughout the semester.
Wednesday Curriculum Sessions
Weekly sessions hosted on Wednesdays featuring leading experts covering topics such as design, product development, user interviews, and sales, as well as sessions run by partners SVB and Cooley on legal and banking topics.
Member Experiences
Fellowship Capstone Presentation
At the end of the 6-week fellowship, fellows present their startup problem-solution recommendations to the entire Free Ventures internal team in a formal presentation format.