Free Company

Free Ventures is a student-run pre-seed accelerator based at UC Berkeley in California that provides equity-free funding and mentorship to student-led startups. Operating as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the program intentionally accepts small, semester-long batches during the spring and fall to deliver personalized advising and a sponsor-led curriculum. The accelerator reimburses operational costs for selected campus founders to help them develop their early-stage businesses and successfully fundraise from top-tier institutional investors. To support these cohorts, the organization partners with established corporate entities, including SVB and Cooley, which supply participating teams with essential banking and legal services. Its alumni portfolio encompasses emerging companies across diverse technology sectors, featuring notable startups such as the enterprise fintech platform Merge, the healthtech venture Onederful, and the virtual reality developer Pantheon. Free Ventures was officially founded in 2013.