On the next Fiat Lux Redux, Tuesday, February 17 at 9 AM, a panel moderated by UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons discusses how UC Berkeley became a powerhouse for innovation and startups. Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, Ana Claudia Aria, Professor of Engineering Ken Goldberg, and alum and co-founder/CEO of CatenaBio, Marco Lobba, join Chancellor Lyons. The panel coincided with the launch of the book Startup Campus: How UC Berkeley Became an Unexpected Leader in Entrepreneurship and Startups that features insights and perspectives from over 100 faculty members, alumni, and staff who were instrumental in UC Berkeley’s transformation into a startup powerhouse.
In the 2024–2025 PitchBook rankings, for the third consecutive year, UC Berkeley was named the #1 university in the world for the number of undergraduate alumni who have founded venture-backed companies, surpassing all other public and private institutions, but it wasn’t always that way. The evolution from a research-focused institution—where commercialization was once viewed with skepticism—to the world’s top university for venture-backed startups required a culture shift. Entrepreneurship became a powerful vehicle for public service, allowing academic research to reach and benefit the general public faster. Key programs like Berkeley SkyDeck, Bakar Fellows Program and NSF I-Corps provide the scaffolding for this entrepreneurship and then successful alumni reinvest in the campus ecosystem, supporting the next generation of scholars.
Rich Lyons is the 12th chancellor and the first undergraduate alum to serve as chancellor. Prior to that, he was the Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer 2020 to 2024, leading the development and expansion of innovation and entrepreneurship campus-wide. He also served as the dean of UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business from 2008 to 2018.
Berkeley Talks features lectures and conversations at Berkeley with a new episode released every other Friday. This panel was sponsored by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs and took place on October 6. 2025.
Fiat Lux Redux presents previously aired lectures, conversations, and podcasts originating on the campus of UC Berkeley every other Tuesday from 9am to 9:30am. These often-lengthy original programs have been edited to a 30-minute format by experienced KALX producers. The show’s name, Latin for “Let there be light”, is a reference to the University of California’s motto, which is also Fiat Lux. The show’s goal is to provide listeners with a window into the intellectual and cultural life of UC Berkeley and to showcase the wide range of subjects and diversity of thought and ideas that are present at UC Berkeley.
This program was edited by Mike Gill. If you have questions or comments about Fiat Lux Redux, contact lisa.katovich@gmail.com.
