Webinar
Strawberry Creek Ventures Fund Launch
Alumni Ventures’ Matt Caspari led the launch of the next Strawberry Creek Ventures fund and provided a clear-eyed look at how accredited investors could gain structured exposure to founders emerging from UC Berkeley, one of the world’s most prolific research and innovation ecosystems.
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In this session, Matt introduced the next Strawberry Creek Ventures fund and explained how it was positioned to leverage Alumni Ventures’ connection to the UC Berkeley ecosystem—sourcing, evaluating, and backing exceptional founders across the categories that have defined Berkeley’s place in venture, including AI, deep tech, climate, life sciences, and emerging frontier technologies. He shared the fund’s investment thesis, how the team translated ecosystem access into a diversified portfolio, and where it was sharpening its conviction.
Whether you were a Cal alum, a current Alumni Ventures investor, or evaluating university-connected venture for the first time, this session offered an opportunity to learn about the new Strawberry Creek fund directly from the team building it. Watch the recording to hear the thesis, see how the portfolio was being constructed, and learn from Matt’s responses to investor questions during the live Q&A.
Want to access our Strawberry Creek Ventures startup deals to see, evaluate, and optionally invest? No cost, no commitment.
Key Takeaway
- HomeBe among the first to learn about the next Strawberry Creek Ventures fund — the thesis, structure, and where the team is sharpening conviction today
- HomeUnderstand how Strawberry Creek Ventures translates privileged access to the UC Berkeley ecosystem into a differentiated venture portfolio across AI, deep tech, climate, and life sciences
- HomeDecide whether Strawberry Creek Ventures belongs in your venture allocation — and bring your questions directly to Matt
Rated a Top 20 VC Firm by both TIME and CB Insights.
Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
About your presenter
Overview
Matt Caspari invests in mission-driven founders building the next generation of iconic companies—entrepreneurs tackling the world’s hardest, highest-stakes problems. He backs breakthrough technologies with the potential to redefine critical industries, unlock new markets, and create a more sustainable, secure future.
Before Alumni Ventures, Matt was a two-time venture-backed founder/CEO and a leader of the innovation team at Nike. He founded Aurora Biofuels, a deep-tech venture that grew to 100+ employees and secured more than $100 million in funding before its acquisition by Reliance Industries. Earlier, he advised life science multinationals at Cambridge Pharma Consultancy (acquired by IMS Health) and gained experience on Bloomberg’s M&A team. Matt holds a BS in Biochemistry from Georgetown University and an MBA with a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from UC Berkeley.
Funds actively worked on
Investment Area of Focus
His investment lens favors bold solutions to global challenges and durable advantages rooted in technology and aligned with long-term megatrends. This translates to surgical robots powered by physical AI, next-generation energy systems, space-based infrastructure, longevity therapeutics, and more. The through-line is the potential for extraordinary value creation at the intersection of deep science and global need.
Representative investments Matt has led for Alumni Ventures include Andromeda Surgical and Cytronic (Physical AI); Arda Therapeutics and Cambrian Biopharma (Technologies for the Human Body); Max Space and Orbital Operations (Space Infrastructure); and Fortera and Mainspring Energy (The New Energy Stack). Alumni Ventures’ Deep Tech portfolio also includes companies such as Axiom Space, Ayar Labs, Cohere, Frore Systems, Groq, Hawkeye360, Hayden AI, Lambda, Radiant, and Rigetti (Nasdaq: RGTI).