Welcome to DECODE!

Decal format but community nature. We're a group of Berkeley students & young professionals passionate about entrepreneurship and teaching this decal with the support and resources from DECODE non-profit(see below for background). We'll give you a concrete idea of what startups are so you can find out whether that's your passion/potentially a career track. For people who are already in the space, we'll bring a community of mentors & like-minded peers to help grow your business.

OK, serious stuff:

"Decode Silicon Valley Startup Success" is a 2-unit decal that aims to teach about the startup cycle & explore different business verticals. The units count toward the SCET certificate of Entrepreneurship & Technology. All levels are welcomed! We are able to accept up to 100 students, but we will only be accepting committed and dedicated students. We do NOT welcome I-am-a-senior / I-need-2-units-to-graduate type of applicants. Best of luck! :)

To enroll:
1. Fill out this application form and take it seriously.
2. We will get back to you, should you be accepted, before instruction begins. Enrollment instructions/permission code will be sent out with an acceptance email.

Class time (In-person): Weekly Friday 1:00-3:00 PM PDT
Application Deadline: January 20th, 2022 11:59 PM PDT
Application Result: January 24th, 2022
First Class: Feb. 4th, 2022
Last Class: Apr. 22nd, 2022
Demo Day: Apr 29th, 2022

In TOTAL: 12 weeks

***BONUS SESSION*** January 19th, 2022 6-7 PM PST (Virtual) with Stani Kulechov, CEO of Aave
Sign up at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fireside-chat-with-stani-kulechov-ceo-of-aave-tickets-232726088997?aff=decal

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INFO Session: January 19th, 2022 5-6 PM PST (Virtual)
Join Zoom Meeting: https://berkeley.zoom.us/j/92588562242?pwd=RDVjZ0hUZ25rMHAwVk1iUUlCY2oxQT09
Meeting ID: 925 8856 2242
Passcode: 093412

Feel free to reach out at decodesv@gmail.com if you have any clarifications or accommodation requests.

Or, you can also email our student facilitators directly!!
- Aamir Khan: aamirkhan@berkeley.edu
- Gaurav Bharti: gbhartisd@berkeley.edu
- Neel Palle: neelpalle2002@berkeley.edu
- Andrew Ong: andrewong@berkeley.edu

* Class attendance is mandatory.

** This is not "just another decal or class". It is intended to help you with your entrepreneurial journey. You will be expected to perform like a founder or like early employees of seed stage startups. Founders with existing startups are preferred.

*** Referrals to Y Combinator and application review/help will be given to selected outstanding startups. Founders can also pitch to DECODE Syndicate for pre-seed/seed funding.

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More about DECODE

DECODE is a non-profit with a mission to decode the future of work and bridge academia with industry. Our 3 main pillars include: thought leadership events, industry-driven research, and immersive experiences. With roots as the largest tech and innovation conference co-hosted with UC Berkeley and Stanford, DECODE aims to provide a platform where students and working professionals can better adapt to the future of work enabled by exponential technologies.

Our board of directors include CTO of UC Berkeley, Chief Privacy Officer of Google, CTO of Microsoft US, Faculty members of Harvard, Brown, UC Berkeley, Singularity University and more (you can have access to these people as a volunteer with DECODE).

Students will be required to apply to enroll in the class. Please understand we have the application process because we truly want to build a diverse community. To enroll: 1. Fill out the application form. 2. We'll get back to you to let you know if you were accepted or not. 3. If you are accepted, you will then be able to enroll on Cal Central.