Darren Cooke

LAUNCH is a startup accelerator and competition designed to transform early-stage startups into fundable companies. In the fall, our judges select the 25-30 hottest startups in the UC system. Teams are paired with serial-entrepreneur mentors and led through a rigorous curriculum by the acclaimed UC Berkeley Faculty, including professors from the Haas School of Business. The three-month-long accelerator phase is designed to help UC startups grow quickly. We help companies build out their teams, protect IP, connect with industry experts, get minimum viable products into customers’ hands, prove their scalable business model, pitch to investors, and become fundable.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense…"​ With an annual budget of more than $8 billion, NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities. In many fields, such as mathematics, computer science, and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing. NSF awards about 11,000 new awards per year, with an average duration of three years -- to fund specific research proposals that have been judged the most promising by a rigorous and objective merit-review system. In the past few decades, NSF-funded researchers have won more than 200 Nobel Prizes as well as other honors too numerous to list. NSF funds equipment that is needed by scientists and engineers but is often too expensive for any one group or researcher to afford. Another essential element in NSFs mission is support for science and engineering education, from pre-K through graduate school and beyond. There are many exciting careers at NSF, not only in science, technology, education and mathematics (STEM), but also in business and operations. For more information, please visit us at http://nsf.gov/careers/. NSF welcomes opportunities to engage with you on our LinkedIn page. Please see our Comment Policy [http://www.nsf.gov/social/policies.jsp ] for more information.

Life Science Angels (LSA) is the premier angel investing organization in the US, focused on investing exclusively in the life sciences. Since 2005, LSA has invested in 100+ companies in medical technology and biotechnology investment opportunities.