Berkeley Startup

On the Berkeley Startup podcast, hosted by UC Berkeley Haas students, listen to UC Berkeley student/alumni entrepreneurs share their Best Practices on how you can build a product, find product market fit, raise funding and launch a company.

Berkeley Startup is a business podcast hosted by University FM, with 10 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

University FM hosts Berkeley Startup, a business show with 10 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Berkeley Startup

  From Tech Exec to Founder-Coach: Rohan Verma’s Journey of Grit, Growth & Giving Back

  Jul 23, 202544 minS0

  <p>In this episode of the Berkeley Startup Podcast, we sit down with Rohan Verma, founder of Arbor Advisory, executive coach, startup advisor, and former LinkedIn and Dropbox exec. With over 15 years of leadership experience in scaling billion-dollar tech products, Rohan shares his remarkable journey from Berkeley undergrad to tech executive, and ultimately, to full-time coach and entrepreneur.</p><p><br></p><p>Rohan opens up about his values-driven career decisions, the founding of his coaching firm, and his edtech venture, Gritty, which is built on the principle that grit and personality can outweigh privilege and pedigree. He also unpacks...

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Berkeley Startup

  Climate Action, One Household at a Time: Lisa Altieri’s Journey with BrightAction

  Jul 2, 202525 minS0

  <p>In this episode, we speak with Lisa Altieri, founder of BrightAction, a SaaS platform designed to empower people and organizations to take meaningful climate action in their daily lives. Lisa shares how her commitment to protecting the planet and advocating for strong climate policies led her to create a tool that bridges the gap between intention and action—helping two-thirds of Americans who want to help the climate but don’t know how.</p><p><br></p><p>Lisa discusses how BrightAction supports cities, companies, and individuals in reducing their carbon footprint by focusing on five everyday behaviors that acco...

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Berkeley Startup

  Execution Over Ideas: Arjun Dev Arora on What Really Builds Startups

  Jun 4, 202533 minS0

  <p>In this insightful episode of Berkeley Startups, Arjun Dev Arora, founder of Format One and Retargeter, joins us to share hard-earned lessons from over 15 years of supporting 500+ startups. A UC Berkeley alum and seasoned operator-turned-advisor, Arjun unpacks the reality behind successful startup journeys—from the grit it takes to build during downturns, to the power of deep customer listening, and the underestimated art of timing and obsession.</p><p>We dive into topics like co-founder alignment, communication as the core of leadership, when to raise capital, and how founders—whether fresh grads or seasoned professionals—can find their edge. Arjun’...

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Berkeley Startup

  The Entrepreneur’s Dilemma: Build or Buy?

  May 14, 202516 minS0

  <p>In this episode of Berkeley Startup, Bob Wang, Haas MBA and founder of Tee Up Advisors, a fractional CFO firm supporting entrepreneurs and searchers. Previously, Bob built and sold Legacy Advantage to Deloitte, and served as a CFO and private equity principal—bringing a rare mix of operational and deal-making experience to the table.</p><p>Bob dives deep into the world of entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA), sharing why he believes it’s a viable path for those who want the rewards of entrepreneurship without starting from scratch. He explains the kind of businesses Tee Up Advisors helps clients acqu...

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Berkeley Startup

  Chirag Mahapatra: Startup Lessons from YC to Acquisition

  Apr 30, 202524 minS0

  <p>In this episode of Berkeley Startups, host Aish interviews Chirag Mahapatra, founder of Blaze, a Y Combinator-backed startup that built AI-powered marketing agents on emerging platforms like Discord and Telegram. Chirag shares how he transitioned from working at leading tech companies to co-founding Blaze, which went on to raise over $5 million in funding and was recently acquired.</p><p>He opens up about the intense experimentation process at Y Combinator, where he and his co-founder tested new product ideas weekly until they found product-market fit. We dive deep into the pivotal moment that validated their direction—when inbound customer in...

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Berkeley Startup. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.