EDGE in Tech

What EDGE in Tech does

EDGE in Tech at UC is a non-profit university initiative, founded in 2017 as the Women in Tech Initiative and rebranded to Expanding Diversity and Gender Equity in Tech (EDGE in Tech) in March 2021. It is hosted by CITRIS and the Banatao Institute and co-founded by the UC Berkeley College of Engineering, operating from 330 Sutardja Dai Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. Its core products are programming rather than software: an annual Diversity in Tech Symposium hosted across UC campuses; the Athena Awards, an annual recognition program running since 2016 across five categories; the 150W Database of more than 650 notable UC Berkeley women across 22 fields; the EECS 198 DeCal course on inclusive pathways into tech; and a library of reports on pay equity, attrition, and diversity metrics. The Leadership Roundtable series ran from Fall 2015 through Fall 2022 and has since concluded.

The organization serves four overlapping segments: women and BIPOC in technical fields (primary persona), academic institutions seeking faculty diversity, technology companies seeking to recruit and retain diverse talent, and university students exploring pathways into tech. Its business model is event- and membership-driven rather than product-driven. Revenue is generated through (i) tiered corporate memberships (Affiliates through Patron) granting recruiting access, advisory seats, and program participation; (ii) tiered corporate sponsorships ranging from $5,000 (Advocate) to $25,000+ (Champion), with separate academic/nonprofit tiers from $1,000 (Supporter) to $7,500 (Partner); and (iii) individual donations routed through UC Berkeley's giving platform. The team is small (11-50 employees, 10-15 staff plus affiliated researchers and advisors), and there is no venture funding, no external ownership, and no M&A activity; the entity is governed through its parent institutions.

Name

EDGE in Tech

Legal name

EDGE in Tech at the University of California

Website

https://edge.berkeley.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EDGE in Tech at UC is a non-profit UC Berkeley diversity initiative that runs the annual Diversity in Tech Symposium, Athena Awards, 150W Database, and tiered corporate membership and sponsorship programs to advance women and BIPOC representation in engineering and computer science.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Memberships: Annual membership contributions at multiple tiers (Affiliates, Silver, Gold, Patron) providing access to program resources, event admission, recruiting events at UC campuses, and advisory board participation.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Event and program sponsorships at tiered levels (Advocate $5,000+, Pacesetter $10,000+, Trailblazer $15,000+, Champion $25,000+) with benefits including guest passes, logo recognition, networking opportunities, and event visibility.
3. Individual Philanthropy: Individual donations supporting specific focus areas including inclusive leadership training modules, diversity in innovation ecosystem support, student activities, and foundational research and dissemination.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

EDGE in Tech is a UC Berkeley–based initiative that operates diversity, equity, and inclusion programming centered on women in engineering, computer science, and the tech industry. Its sellable offerings include tiered corporate membership and sponsorship packages that grant companies access to events, recruiting visibility, and partnership with EDGE's research brand, along with recurring events such as the annual Symposium and Athena Awards. It also delivers educational offerings (the EECS 198 DeCal course) and publishes research assets including the 150W Database and benchmark reports on gender representation in tech.

Product overview

EDGE in Tech is a university-based initiative at UC Berkeley that serves as a center and resource for expanding diversity and gender equity in technology. The program integrates research with action through a portfolio of interconnected offerings: the annual EDGE in Tech Symposium and Athena Awards for recognition; the Leadership Roundtable for collaborative problem-solving; the EECS 198 DeCal course for education; the 150W Database for historical documentation; reports and blogs for knowledge dissemination; and a membership/sponsorship program for organizational engagement. These programs collectively address the challenges faced by women and under-included identities in engineering and computer science fields.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EDGE in Tech Corporate Membership Program Recurring corporate membership tiers that give technology companies access to EDGE's research platform, the annual Symposium, the Athena Awards, and recruiting visibility in the UC Berkeley EECS community, in exchange for annual fees.
• EDGE in Tech Corporate Sponsorship Packages Sponsorship packages supporting the EDGE in Tech Symposium and Athena Awards, providing companies with branding, speaking slots, and recognition benefits tied to the annual event.
• EDGE in Tech Annual Symposium The signature annual conference convened by EDGE in Tech, bringing together corporate members, faculty, students, and researchers to discuss gender equity and diversity in engineering, computer science, and tech.
• Athena Awards A recognition program honoring individuals and organizations advancing women in engineering, computer science, and related fields, presented as part of EDGE in Tech's annual programming.
• EECS 198 DeCal Course on Diversity in Tech A UC Berkeley DeCal (Democratic Education at Cal) course developed under EDGE in Tech that introduces students to diversity issues in engineering, computer science, and the tech industry.
• 150W Database An ongoing research database maintained by EDGE in Tech tracking women's representation in engineering, computer science, and the broader tech industry; supports EDGE's reports and corporate partner data needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Developed meaningful diversity metrics framework for the tech industry (Metrics Working Group)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered major, supporting and core.

• SiemensmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 March 20242024 Symposium sponsor with U.S. Head of Sustainability Solutions Stacy Mahler as keynote speaker. Siemens has been a consistent supporter focusing on smart infrastructure and technology leadership.
• Lam ResearchmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 March 2024Annual symposium sponsor with consistent presence across multiple years of EDGE in Tech events. Lam Research supports diversity in tech through sponsorship of programs.
• Sandia National LaboratoriesmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 March 2024Sponsor and participant in symposium events, including breakout sessions on cybersecurity and deep-dive technical sessions.
• Bakar Fellows ProgramsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 March 2024UC Berkeley research program sponsor supporting innovation and entrepreneurship at the annual symposium.
• UC Santa Cruz Baskin EngineeringsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 March 2024BOLD (Baskin Open Leadership in Design) program sponsor of 2024 symposium representing UC Santa Cruz's engineering school.
• UC Davis College of EngineeringcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 March 2024Host of 2024 EDGE in Tech Symposium 'Advancing Health Tech for All' at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art on UC Davis campus.
• IoT4Ag (Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture)supportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 March 2024NSF-funded research center sponsor focusing on agricultural technology innovation.
• Berkeley EngineeringcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 March 2023UC Berkeley College of Engineering co-sponsor of symposium events. Dean Tsu-Jae King-Liu participates as keynote speaker and featured guest at events.
• Agilent TechnologiessupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 March 20232023 and 2022 symposium sponsor supporting diversity in technology events.
• Meta (Facebook)supportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 March 20222022 symposium sponsor and career fair participant representing major technology company involvement.
• IntelsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 March 2022Multiple year symposium sponsor supporting technology industry diversity initiatives.
• SAPsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 March 20222022 symposium sponsor representing enterprise software company's commitment to diversity.
• Berkeley SkyDecksupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 March 2022UC Berkeley startup accelerator and incubator sponsor of 2022 symposium and career fair.
• Berkeley Institute for Transportation StudiessupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 March 20222023 symposium sponsor focusing on transportation and infrastructure innovation.
• CITRIS and the Banatao InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017CITRIS (Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society) and the Banatao Institute co-founded EDGE in Tech (originally Women in Tech Initiative) with UC Berkeley College of Engineering in 2017. CITRIS provides administrative and programmatic support, with the organization operating from CITRIS headquarters at UC Berkeley.
• UC Berkeley College of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017The College of Engineering at UC Berkeley is a co-founder of EDGE in Tech, providing academic credibility, faculty connections, student pipeline, and institutional infrastructure. Dean Tsu-Jae King-Liu serves as a co-founder and key leader.
• Stanford UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017One of the top educational institutions coordinated with EDGE in Tech to supply talent to the tech industry in Silicon Valley. Affiliated faculty include Andrea Goldsmith, The Stephen Harris Professor in the School of Engineering at Stanford.
• San Jose State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017One of the top educational institutions coordinated with EDGE in Tech as part of the collaboration among institutions supplying talent to the tech industry in Silicon Valley.
• UC System (UC Davis, UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017EDG E in Tech coordinates programs and collaborates across multiple UC campuses including UC Davis (host of 2024 symposium), UC Merced (host of 2022 climate tech panel), and UC Santa Cruz (host of 2021 HCI panel), as well as UC Berkeley as the main campus.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Black Girls CODE: Black Girls CODE provides technology education and exposure for girls of color. It overlaps directly with EDGE in Tech's intersectional mission, educational programming (workshops, courses), and corporate sponsor network, though it operates more as direct instruction than convening.
• Women Who Code: Women Who Code is a global non-profit community running technical study groups, hackathons, and career programming for women in software, with corporate partnerships. Comparable in mission and community/program model, though it leans more grassroots than academic.
• Girls Who Code: Girls Who Code is a national non-profit running coding programs, clubs, and summer immersion programs for girls in tech. It shares EDGE in Tech's women-in-tech mission, educational programming, and corporate sponsor base (similar large tech and finance supporters).
• Kapor Center: The Kapor Center publishes the Tech Leavers Study (cited by EDGE in Tech) and runs programs focused on closing gaps of access for women, people of color, and low-income individuals in tech. Both organizations sit at the intersection of DEI research and convening in the tech sector.
• NCWIT (National Center for Women & Information Technology): NCWIT is a non-profit coalition of universities, companies, and government agencies working to increase women's participation in computing. It mirrors EDGE in Tech's research-plus-action model, sponsor-funded structure, and academic-industry convening role.
• AnitaB.org: AnitaB.org (formerly the Anita Borg Institute) is one of the most direct comparables — a non-profit focused on advancing women in computing through awards (the Grace Hopper Celebration), research, talent pipelines, and corporate partnerships, operating with a similar convening + sponsorship business model.
• Society of Women Engineers (SWE): SWE is a long-running non-profit supporting women engineers through awards (including recognition programs), conferences, and scholarship/research programs. It is comparable in mission scope (women in engineering), event-driven engagement model, and reliance on corporate sponsorship and individual membership.
• WEPAN (Women in Engineering ProActive Network): WEPAN is a non-profit focused on advancing women in engineering across higher education and industry through research, programs, and a national network. It is comparable in its higher-education-anchored, research-and-action structure serving engineering specifically.

Emerging players

• Lesbians Who Tech: Lesbians Who Tech is a community and conference organization focused on queer women and non-binary people in technology, with corporate sponsorships and a flagship summit. Comparable in event-driven, sponsor-funded community building within women-in-tech.

Broad incumbents

• Catalyst: Catalyst is a larger, established non-profit producing widely cited research and advisory services on gender equity in the workplace. It overlaps with EDGE in Tech's research, pay-equity, and advancement pillars but covers all industries rather than specializing in tech.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EDGEinTech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/edgeintech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EDGE in Tech