Newsletter – February 1, 2023

Now that applications have opened for Berkeley SkyDeck’s Batch 16 Acceleration Program, Chon Tang (Founding Partner, Berkeley SkyDeck Fund), reflects on his experience when the bubble burst in 2000 and offers advice to today’s startups. Tang reflects that it’s possible to not only survive, but to thrive in a downturn. He advises that founders face reality and reset their expectations (and that of their team), rethink their customers’ pain points, and steady themselves. After all, Tang says, “in the decade before we all got a little feverish, it was widely recognized that changing the world was incredibly difficult… and yet we’ve seen founders fight through the pain and thrive in every generation.” That can and will be you. SkyDeck has “never focused on hype or helped founders build for investors. We build for customers… We want to help you change the world.” Read his blog in full here.