Berkeley Female Founders & Funders — Organization Presentation, November 2023

This November 2023 presentation was created to introduce Berkeley Female Founders & Funders across the UC Berkeley community and to external audiences beyond the university.

Berkeley Female Founders & Funders was founded as an ongoing organization at UC Berkeley in 2023 by Julia Berezovska (now Julia Daviy) and Shilpa Beesabathuni. The name had previously been used for a one-time online summit organized in 2019–2020, but no continuing organization existed under that name after the summit.

In 2023, Julia and Shilpa established BFFF as a UC Berkeley Registered Student Organization and an official Berkeley Haas student club. They developed its mission, governance and leadership structure, recruited its first board, and built its ongoing community, programming, partnerships, and events.

This presentation documents the organization’s mission, roadmap, participation model, and 2023–2024 leadership team. The cover identifies “Shilpa & Julia” as presenters, and the deck includes the organization’s team and board structure.

The presentation is preserved in its original historical form, including Julia’s name at the time, Julia Berezovska.

Transcript

1. Berkeley Female Founders & Funders INTRODUCTION PRESENTED BY Shilpa & Julia November, 2023
2. Berkeley Female Founders & Funders Agenda 1 Women Entrepreneurs & VC Statistics 5 How can you be involved? 2 Berkeley Landscape 6 Team (2023 - 2024) 3 Women F&F friendly organizations landscape in the Bay Area 7 Next Steps 4 About BFFF
3. Berkeley Female Founders & Funders ABOUT US JULIA BEREZOVSKA EWMBA 2025 Co-founder of Ib Centre, Imageneria, and Aimmi.ai (UC Launch Semifinalist) Founder of Europe's second largest solar energy trade show Recognized pioneer in sustainable 3D-printed fashion Gold winner of Edison Award, Guinness World Record holder in deep tech SHILPA BEESABATHUNI EWMBA 2025 Strategic Planning Leader in the Chemical Industry PhD in Mechanical Engineering & Nanotechnology Experience in R&D, Corporate Strategy, Development & Planning Exploring VC
4. Did you know? Back to Agenda 2.1% of total VC funding went to all-women founded startups in 2022 That's $4.5B out of $238.3B Mixed gender teams accounted for ~17% VC checkwriters who are women < 15% 58% concentrated in the SF bay area as of 2021 63% of VC firms do not have any female representation Source: Pitchbook, Crunchbase, All Raise 2.1%
5. Back to Agenda Berkeley VC & Startup Presence
6. Promoting Innovation Women F&F friendly organizations Landscape in SF Bay Area Back to Agenda Enhancing Diversity Economic Impact Incubators and Accelerators: Women's Startup Lab MergeLane Circular Board Role Models& Inspiration Venture Capital Firms Networks and Communities: All Raise Women 2.0 Female Founders Alliance Aspect Ventures Female Founders Fund Cowboy Ventures Addressing Gender Disparities Educational Institutions Women in Leadership, Berkeley Stanford Women in Business (SWIB) Stanford Women on Boards Initiative
7. BFFF OBJECTIVES Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4 Find your tribe on your journey Break down existing silos Create a pipeline for VCs to meet top-tier female founders Build actionable skills to overcome documented gender biases in the entrepreneurial ecosystem BFFF was founded in 2019 and culminated in a successful 1-day summit in 2020.
8. Berkeley Female Founders & Funders Goal Mission Vision A networking and mentorship club for women founders and funders at Berkeley. Empowering women founders and funders at Berkeley by fostering a supportive community and providing essential resources for connection, learning, and growth. Catalyzing the rise of a new generation of influential women leaders in the startup and venture capital industries, driving innovation and equality.
9. BFFF Roadmap Learning & Skills Building Learning Hub (templates for pitch decks, investments thesis, business plans, etc.) Mentorship opportunities. Pairing of experienced women entrepreneurs and investors with aspiring founders. Community Building Networking events, and panel discussions Online discussion platforms Co-founder matching. Advocacy & Awareness Raise awareness about the challenges Collaborate to collectively advocate for policies that support and empower women entrepreneurs. Partnerships and Collaborations Forge partnerships with local incubators, accelerators, and venture capital firms Collaborate with other women-focused organizations Engage with the Berkeley entrepreneurship ecosystem
10. Berkeley Female Founders & Funders Member How You Can Be Involved Leadership Board Volunteer AT THIS STAGE, MEMBERSHIP IS FREE You need to be a part of the UC Berkeley ecosystem AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHAPE THE GROUP FROM THE GROUND UP You need be a current UC Berkeley student CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUCCESS OF SPECIFIC PROGRAMS / EVENTS You need to have an affiliation with UC Berkeley Back to Agenda
11. Benefits of Joining BFFF Leadership Board 1. 2. Enhance Your Resume & Professional Development 5. Promote Diversity Impactful Contribution Enhance Leadership Skills 6. Influence Change 7. Mentorship Opportunities & Empowerment 3. Expand Network 4. Gain Insight 8. Access to Events
12. Back to Agenda
13. Apply Fill out the google form to apply to a VP position shilpa_beesabathuni@berkeley.edu julia.berezovska@berkeley.edu Join #berkeley-femalefounders-and-funders Stay in Touch Page & Group: Berkeley Female Founders & Funders