The University of California, Berkeley has partnered with Hivemind Capital to establish a new programme focused on deep tech called Darkmatter Lab.
Darkmatter Lab is being launched as a cornerstone of a venture fund that Hivemind Capital plans to raise. It aims to support researchers at the earliest stages of innovation, before a spinout is formed.
Law firms Gunderson Dettmer and Goodwin Procter are supporting the launch of Darkmatter Lab, as is Google Cloud.
Darkmatter Lab has created a novel framework that will help commercialise academic research by providing funding, infrastructure, legal resources, and operational support.
Darkmatter Lab specifically aims to address deep tech challenges such as reduced federal research funding and corporate funding arrangements that often require IP concessions, while VC funding typically requires technology to have left the university environment.
Each project selected by Darkmatter Lab will be eligible for a minimum of $1 million in resources, including research funding from Hivemind, $350,000 in compute credits from Google Cloud, and legal assistance related to IP, incorporation, and immigration from the two law firms.
Berkeley SkyDeck will provide operational suport.
Darkmatter Lab will initially focus on areas related to AI and blockchain, such as compute optimisation, cryptography, and decentralised systems.
