Individuals don’t build startups, teams build startups.

And that startup team must extend beyond the founders and employees to be successful. The cumulative operational wisdom of our team is available to support the new generation of UC Affiliated startups in our portfolio.

The Managing Partners and Limited Partners of the California Innovation Fund have taken part in building some of the most iconic companies and products of the last decade. Some of their backgrounds include:

Other LPs are gaining deep experience building the next generation of great companies and products, including but not limited to Plushcare, Fast, Asha Capital, Windfall, and Parallel.  

  • Dr. Kurt Beyer

    Founder and General Partner

  • Dr. Anne Greul

    Advisor

  • Shiva Somasundaram

    Vetting Head

  • Mark Jones

    Legal Head

  • Jerry Bellman

    Finance Head

  • Miranda Ferguson

    Advisor

  • Stacey King

    Advisor

  • Mohammad Naqvi

    Support Community Head and Advisor

  • Lyzz Torres

    Head of Operations

    • A Proud UC Berkeley PhD Alumni

    • Teaches the UC Berkeley Haas Entrepreneurship program (14 years)

    • Experienced entrepreneur, angel investor, and advisor to multiple startups and senior executives

    • Former Principal at Parallel advisors ($6 billion AUM) with 16 years institutional investment experience

    • Author of Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age (MIT Press)

    • Former Naval Officer (F-14 Tomcats Fighter Planes)

    • I enjoy backgammon on the beach in Mexico with my wife, Johanna, and playing sports with my sons, Charlie and Gus

    • Behavioral Economist with a passion for design, web3, and entrepreneurship

    • Co-founder of Audi's Tech Intelligence Program in Boston working closely with MIT and its entrepreneurship ecosystem to identify and track promising technologies and startups for Audi

    • Former strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company advising large corporations on digital transformation and product development

    • Alumni of UC Berkeley, the Technical University of Munich, and the Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM) in Munich

    • Product Manager in the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning space with 10+ years of engineering and product management experience in the Data, ML, AI, Cloud, Security, and Networking space

    • Holds a Master's degree in Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech, a CBA (Statistics and ML) from UC, Berkeley, and an MBA from Haas School of Business, UC, Berkeley

    • Member of Prof. Dr. Kurt Beyer's teaching team for the Entrepreneurship Program at Haas School of Business, UC, Berkeley

    • Angel Investor/LP/Advisor for various DTx, HealthTech, and EdTech start-ups based out of the United States, Europe, and Asia

    • On-call driver for his wife's Vegan Bakery in San Mateo, CA - Shru's Kitchen

    • Working as a legal executive in the healthcare/biotechnology industry covering legal and risk positions in clinical and commercial therapeutic areas such as cancer, liver disease, rare/orphan disease, and direct to consumer health products

    • Experienced founder and father. Advisor to early stage start up/growth companies and projects

    • Mentor and judge for the Haas Entrepreneurship program classes - loves seeing the ingenuity, passion, and purpose that comes out of the next generation

    • If he's not in the office, he's probably trying to find a wave to surf on!

    • Fractional CFO to high growth startups in apparel and cosmetics, digital marketing, artificial intelligence and financial services

    • Has provided financial leadership through multiple equity raises and exits and advised over $10 billion in M&A transactions

    • Mentor and judge in the Haas Entrepreneurship program for over four years

    • MBA from the University of Chicago and NY State CPA

    • Enthusiastic climber and unaccomplished saxophonist

    • Berkeley Haas MBA working at the intersection of technology and healthcare

    • Worked as a product manager in the pharmaceutical industry prior to business school

    • Bachelor's in Software Engineering from Miami University

    • Enjoys practicing improv comedy to build soft skills, doing yoga, walking the dog, and learning more about tech and healthcare

  • • Chemical engineer and Haas MBA with analytics, strategy and operations experience in financial services and manufacturing

    • Learning the fundamentals of running an investment fund, advising founders and building community across the VC and startup ecosystem

    • Passionate about equity, climate tech and entrepreneurship

    • Enjoys hiking, skiing, dystopian and historical fiction and exploring the Bay Area

  • • Trusted banker to VC-backed startups at Comerica Bank Technology and Life Sciences Division

    • MBA Candidate at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Class of 2024

    • Co-Chair of UC LAUNCH, the University of California's system-wide accelerator, leading the team to a record fundraising year and graduating 40 startups

    • Advisor to investors and founders alike on opportunity recognition and market mapping

    • Lifelong Bay Area sports fan

    • Studied Biology with a minor in Chemistry at the University of the Sacred Heart and is now furthering her education in Business at UT Austin, combining her love of learning with her drive to grow professionally

    • Thrives in operations roles where she improves business processes, brings structure to teams, and helps leaders succeed in achieving their goals

    • Proudly juggles the roles of being a loving mom and a dedicated career woman, finding joy in both the chaos and the rewards they bring

    • A passionate reader and book lover who also spends her free time volunteering and giving back to her community

 

Advisors