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Masterclass Live! How Strawberry Creek Ventures Evaluates a Deal

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Tune into an on-demand presentation hosted by Strawberry Creek Managing Partner Matt Caspari and Partner Carl Choi. In this session, you will discover the framework our team uses to evaluate promising startups, walk through the process, and learn how you, too, can invest in startups just like this through Strawberry Creek Ventures.

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Post Webinar Summary

Matt Caspari, Managing Partner of Strawberry Creek Ventures, opened the webinar by introducing the UC Berkeley-focused venture fund, part of Alumni Ventures, which has raised over $1 billion from accredited investors. The presentation covered legal disclosures, the fund’s mission to build diversified portfolios of 20-30 startups tied to the Berkeley ecosystem, and the rigorous criteria used for evaluating investments. Caspari detailed the firm’s reliance on a robust scorecard to assess deal dynamics, lead investor quality, execution, and team dynamics. He shared examples of successful investments like AI software firm Eight Base and biopharma company Granada Bio. Caspari emphasized the importance of leveraging the vast Alumni Ventures network to access opportunities and discussed Strawberry Creek’s latest Fund 8, outlining investment parameters and inviting prospective investors to connect for personalized discussions.

Strawberry Creek Ventures is Alumni Ventures’ fund for UC Berkeley alumni and friends of the community.

During this session, we will discuss:

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    Understanding the time horizon of venture investments
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    Performing due diligence and reviewing the typical types of materials available in a deal
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    Weighing some of the challenges, key risks, and how to factor those into the ultimate decision
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    Tracking companies after investment and the purpose of portfolio monitoring
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    More details about Strawberry Creek Ventures
About Alumni Ventures

Top 20 VC Investors in North America (2024)

#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the U.S. (2023)

#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the U.S. (2022)

World's Most Innovative Companies (2022)

Note: You must be accredited to invest in venture capital. Important disclosure information can be found at av-funds.com/disclosures. 

About your presenters

Matt Caspari
Matt Caspari

Managing Partner, Strawberry Creek Ventures

Matt Caspari is a Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures, where he leads the Deep Tech, Georgetown (Potomac Ventures) and UC Berkeley (Strawberry Creek Ventures) funds. He invests in mission-driven founders developing groundbreaking technologies. His investments encompass a diverse range of sectors, including AI, agriculture, aviation, battery technology, cybersecurity, direct air capture of CO2, energy generation, longevity, and robotics. Prior to Alumni Ventures, Matt gained operational experience as a two-time venture-backed founder/CEO and as a leader of the innovation team at Nike. He was the founding CEO of Aurora Biofuels, a deep tech venture that grew to 100+ employees, secured over $100 million in funding and was acquired by Reliance Industries. In earlier roles, Matt served as a strategic management consultant at Cambridge Pharma Consultancy, later acquired by IMS Health, and gained experience on the M&A team at Bloomberg. He holds a BS in Biochemistry from Georgetown University and an MBA with a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from UC Berkeley.

Carl Choi
Carl Choi

Senior Principal, Strawberry Creek Ventures

Carl is a senior principal at Alumni Ventures and Strawberry Creek Ventures and brings more than a decade of experience in venture capital, corporate development/strategy, investment banking, and public equity investments. Previously, Carl was a principal at Solasta Ventures, responsible for enterprise software investments, including the future of work and climate tech. Earlier, Carl led strategic initiatives in creating economic opportunities for freelancers as a director of corporate strategy at Upwork, drove inorganic growth through M&As at Riverbed Technology, and spent time at J.P. Morgan in San Francisco. Hailing from Canada, Carl holds a double degree in Mathematics and Business Administration from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, respectively, and an MBA from UC Berkeley Haas. Outside of work, Carl is an avid soccer player and a strategic board game geek.

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