Berkeley Air
Berkeley Air Monitoring Group is an independent consultancy providing monitoring, evaluation, and learning services plus proprietary sensor instruments for clean cooking, household energy, and air pollution programs, serving governments, multilaterals, NGOs, and researchers across 30+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Berkeley Air does
Berkeley Air Monitoring Group is a California-incorporated social enterprise consultancy, founded in 2008 as a spin-off from UC Berkeley's Center for Entrepreneurship in International Health and Development (CEIHD), that provides independent monitoring, evaluation, and learning services for clean cooking, household energy, and air pollution initiatives in low- and middle-income countries. The firm has executed a portfolio of over 60 field studies across more than 30 countries, serving governments (US EPA, DOE, CDC, USAID), multilaterals (World Bank, WHO, African Development Bank), NGOs and foundations (Clean Cooking Alliance, Winrock International, Shell Foundation, GIZ, Gold Standard), academic institutions, and select private sector clients such as Burn Manufacturing. Its core technology stack centers on the proprietary PICA (Platform for Integrated Cookstove Assessment) sensor and software platform, complemented by Stove Use Monitors (SUMs), a Bluetooth-based Proximity Sensor System, and the PATS+ real-time PM2.5 data collection module, which together capture stove usage, emissions, household air pollution, and personal exposure data.
Berkeley Air monetizes through three streams: (1) professional services consulting for monitoring, evaluation, and learning engagements; (2) research contracts with universities, government agencies, and international development organizations; and (3) hardware sales and support of its specialized monitoring instruments. Go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct relationships, proposal submissions, partnerships with major institutions, and participation in sector conferences such as ETHOS, rather than mass marketing. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and contracts are negotiated on a project basis. The firm emphasizes its independence and neutrality, stating it does not promote any particular technology or fuel, which it positions as a credibility differentiator in a sector where impartial measurement of health, climate, and socioeconomic impacts is central to donor and certification decisions.
Berkeley Air firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Berkeley Air
- Legal name
- Berkeley Air Monitoring Group
- Website
- https://berkeleyair.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Berkeley Air Monitoring Group is an independent consultancy providing monitoring, evaluation, and learning services plus proprietary sensor instruments for clean cooking, household energy, and air pollution programs, serving governments, multilaterals, NGOs, and researchers across 30+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Berkeley Air industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation Services
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Program Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) (HLAJANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) & Building Health Assessments (EUAHAGAG), Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Environmental Monitoring (VOC/CO2/PM2.5) (HSAHAGAG), Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) & Building Environmental Sampling (EUAHACAH)
Keywords
Where Berkeley Air is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Berkeley Air business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for monitoring, evaluation, and learning for clean cooking and household energy initiatives. Provides technical expertise to governments, NGOs, and development organizations.
- Research Contracts: Research project contracts with universities, government agencies (CDC, EPA, DOE), international organizations (World Bank, WHO), and NGOs for air pollution and household energy studies.
- Instrument Sales and Support: Sale and support of specialized monitoring instruments including Stove Use Monitors and Proximity Sensor Systems.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Berkeley Air product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Berkeley Air provides independent monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) services for clean cooking, household energy, and air pollution programs, including study design, fieldwork, training, quality control, and data analysis. It complements these services with proprietary field instruments and a software platform (PICA, SUMs, Proximity Sensor System, PATS+) used to collect stove performance, emissions, exposure, and usage data for government, NGO, and academic clients.
Product overview
Berkeley Air offers independent monitoring, evaluation, and learning services for household energy and air quality initiatives, along with specialized monitoring instruments. The core product portfolio includes the PICA (Platform for Integrated Cookstove Assessment) software platform, which collects in-field stove performance data including household air pollution, personal exposure, emissions, and stove usage. Supporting the platform are physical instruments including Stove Use Monitors (SUMs) and a Proximity Sensor System. The PATS+ component provides real-time data collection and PM2.5 concentration estimates. The company provides services across fieldwork, consulting, and research domains, and has executed over 60 field studies assessing the performance of household energy technologies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PICA (Platform for Integrated Cookstove Assessment): A robust, inexpensive sensor and software platform for collecting in-field stove performance data, including household air pollution, personal exposure, emissions, and stove usage.
- Stove Use Monitors (SUMs)
Products and services
- PICA (Platform for Integrated Cookstove Assessment) Sensor and software platform for collecting in-field stove performance data, including household air pollution, personal exposure, emissions, and stove usage. Designed to make field testing of stoves and household energy devices more efficient, accurate, accessible, and cost effective. Includes PATS+ data download, PM2.5 concentration estimates, image analysis, and statistical analysis. For governments, NGOs, researchers, and clean cooking programs.
- Stove Use Monitors (SUMs) Temperature-based sensing instruments designed to monitor stove usage patterns in households. Sold and supported by Berkeley Air for field-based cookstove and household energy research.
- Proximity Sensor System Bluetooth-based proximity sensing system for tracking device usage and exposure assessment, developed by Berkeley Air's technical team for household energy and air pollution studies.
- Fieldwork Services Field-based data collection, training, and quality control services for household energy and air pollution studies. Delivered to governments, NGOs, and research institutions globally.
- Consulting Services Professional consulting services for monitoring, evaluation, and learning for clean cooking and household energy initiatives. Provides technical expertise to governments, NGOs, and development organizations.
- Research Services Research project contracts with universities, government agencies (CDC, EPA, DOE), international organizations (World Bank, WHO), and NGOs for air pollution and household energy studies, including peer-reviewed research.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4 million premature deaths annually from household air pollution caused by solid fuel use
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Berkeley Air
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Berkeley Air technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Berkeley Air partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches sur les Energies Renouvelables (CERER)corePartner institution in Senegal focused on renewable energy research, collaborating on household energy studies in West Africa.
- Centre for Rural Technology (CRT)corePartner institution in India conducting rural technology research, collaborating on household energy projects in South Asia.
- Village Education Resource Center (VERC)corePartner organization in Bangladesh working on rural development and education, collaborating on clean cooking initiatives.
- Ho Chi Minh City University for Natural Resources and EnvironmentcoreAcademic partner in Vietnam for environmental research and household energy studies in Southeast Asia.
- Restio EnergycoreEnergy consulting and research firm in South Africa, collaborating on clean cooking projects in Southern Africa.
- icddr,bcoreInternational research organization based in Bangladesh focused on health research, collaborating on health impacts of household air pollution.
- Centre for Research in Energy and Energy Conservation (CREEC)coreResearch center in Uganda focused on energy and conservation, collaborating on cookstove assessments in East Africa.
- Gold StandardcoreCertification standard organization for carbon offset projects, collaborating on methodology development for health and climate benefits verification.
- Winrock InternationalcoreInternational development organization working on clean cooking and household energy projects, with multiple collaborative engagements.
- Engines and Energy Conversion Lab (EECL), Colorado State UniversitycoreResearch laboratory at Colorado State University focusing on energy conversion, collaborating on stove emissions testing and research.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Berkeley Air competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- RTI International: RTI International is a large nonprofit research institute that conducts monitoring, evaluation, and applied research for governments, multilaterals, and foundations worldwide — including in clean cooking, household energy, and air quality. It competes with Berkeley Air on large M&E contracts and brings broader scientific depth and scale.
- Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech is a leading global consulting and engineering firm with extensive environmental monitoring, air quality, and international development practices. It competes with Berkeley Air on USAID, World Bank, and donor-funded environmental M&E and exposure assessment work.
- ICF International: ICF is a global consulting and digital services firm with deep environmental and energy practices, including climate, air quality, and international development work. It competes for the same donor-funded M&E and technical advisory engagements that Berkeley Air pursues.
- Environmental Resources Management (ERM): ERM is the world's largest pure-play sustainability consultancy, offering air quality, environmental, and health-impact advisory services. It overlaps with Berkeley Air in environmental monitoring, exposure assessment, and ESG/climate advisory for global clients.
Others
- World Resources Institute (WRI): WRI is a global research organization producing environmental and climate data, including household energy and air quality work. While it does not directly compete for Berkeley Air's monitoring contracts, it is an adjacent data and policy counterpart influencing the same funder ecosystem.
- Clean Cooking Alliance (formerly Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves): The Clean Cooking Alliance is a UN Foundation-hosted sector convener and major funder of clean cooking programs. It is both a key client/partner for Berkeley Air and a sector shaper whose standards and priorities influence demand for independent M&E services.
- TSI Incorporated: TSI is a manufacturer of scientific air quality and emissions instrumentation used in cookstove testing and IAQ research. As a potential supplier to and alternative for Berkeley Air's instrument line, it represents an upstream/adjacent peer in the household air pollution measurement value chain.
- Gold Standard: Gold Standard is a leading carbon credit certification standard that partners with Berkeley Air on methodology development for clean cooking and household energy credits. It shapes the regulatory framework within which Berkeley Air's verification services are demanded.
Direct peers
- Aclima: Aclima provides air quality monitoring and exposure assessment using sensor networks and data analytics. Like Berkeley Air, it measures pollutants (including PM2.5) and produces emissions/exposure datasets for research and policy clients, though it focuses more on community-scale ambient air monitoring than household energy interventions.
Emerging players
- Clarity Movement: Clarity Movement deploys low-cost air quality sensor networks and analytics platforms. It overlaps with Berkeley Air's PICA platform in using distributed sensors to measure PM2.5 and other pollutants, serving government and development clients with air quality data products.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Berkeley Air social profiles
Digital presenceBerkeley Air financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Berkeley Air leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Berkeley Air funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Berkeley Air M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Berkeley Air
What does Berkeley Air do?
Berkeley Air provides independent monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) services for clean cooking, household energy, and air pollution programs, including study design, fieldwork, training, quality control, and data analysis. It complements these services with proprietary field instruments and a software platform (PICA, SUMs, Proximity Sensor System, PATS+) used to collect stove performance, emissions, exposure, and usage data for government, NGO, and academic clients.
Is Berkeley Air a public or private company?
Berkeley Air is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Berkeley Air founded?
Berkeley Air was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Berkeley Air based?
Berkeley Air is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Berkeley Air make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are research Contracts and instrument Sales and Support.
Who are Berkeley Air's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are RTI International, Tetra Tech, ICF International and Environmental Resources Management (ERM). Others are World Resources Institute (WRI), Clean Cooking Alliance (formerly Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves), TSI Incorporated and Gold Standard. Aclima is listed as a direct peer. Clarity Movement is listed as an emerging player.
Does Berkeley Air have an API?
No public API is recorded for Berkeley Air.
What industry is Berkeley Air in?
Berkeley Air's product category is Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAJANAA, Program Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL), with a secondary code of EUAHAGAG, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) & Building Health Assessments. Its SIC code is 8731.