Biology Scholars Program & Allies

What Biology Scholars Program & Allies does

Biology Scholars Program & Allies (BSP) is an undergraduate STEM equity program housed within UC Berkeley, founded in 1991 by Dr. John Matsui. It serves UC Berkeley undergraduates — primarily first-generation, BIPOC, and other historically underrepresented students — majoring in biology, molecular and cell biology, integrative biology, and adjacent STEM fields. BSP delivers wrap-around support through peer mentoring, academic advising, peer-led Study Groups, career workshops, and specialized research and clinical sub-programs.

The product surface consists of one core program (BSP mentoring/teaching/alliance) plus three flagship sub-programs: COMPASS Scholars (a 1.5-year stem cell biology and regenerative medicine research track, funded by a 5-year $2.9M CIRM grant and operated in partnership with the Berkeley Stem Cell Center); BICEP (a five-day clinical shadowing program pairing BSP students with physicians at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital's Pulmonary Clinic, in partnership with UCSF); and the Study Group peer-tutoring network covering lower-division biology, data science, and biochemistry. The program does not build proprietary technology; its digital footprint is a Drupal-based site on the Open Berkeley platform hosted on Pantheon.

BSP is not a commercial entity. It is funded through restricted grants from foundations and government agencies (CIRM, HHMI, Genentech Foundation, Berkeley Frontier Fund, California Wellness Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Hellman Foundation, NIH) plus individual donations via UC Berkeley's giving platform. There is no fee for student participation; "customers" in the funder sense are grant-making institutions, and "beneficiaries" are students. Program leadership includes Director/Co-Founder John Matsui, Deputy Director Missy Soto, Research & Internships Coordinator Emily King, Program Administrator Brook Yu, and Program Advisor Mario Eusebio. The program has nurtured over 3,000 students across its ~30-year history.

Name

Biology Scholars Program & Allies

Legal name

UC Regents

Website

https://bsp.berkeley.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Biology Scholars Program & Allies is a UC Berkeley undergraduate STEM equity program that provides peer mentoring, study groups, and specialized research and clinical shadowing tracks to underrepresented biology students. Founded in 1991, it has served 3,000+ students and operates as a grant-funded non-profit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Equity Programs

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disability Case Management, Retention & Student Support (EDALAGAJ)

Keywords

• Stem equity program
• Undergraduate mentoring
• Stem student support
• Biology education
• Academic advising

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: BSP operates as a university program funded through grants from foundations and government agencies. Major funders include CIRM ($2.9M COMPASS grant), Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Genentech Foundation, California Wellness Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Hellman Foundation, and NIH.
2. Individual Donations: The program accepts charitable donations from individuals through UC Berkeley's giving platform, with funds supporting student resources, research materials, conference travel, peer advisor salaries, and study group operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BSP provides wraparound STEM equity support to UC Berkeley undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds, combining mentoring, faculty advising, peer-led study groups, workshops, research and internship placements, and clinical exposure through its COMPASS and BICEP sub-programs. The program is free to enrolled students and is delivered as a campus-based, university-embedded service rather than as a standalone paid product.

Product overview

The Biology Scholars Program (BSP) is a single, unified undergraduate STEM equity program at UC Berkeley that offers wrap-around multi-pronged support including student-centered mentoring, teaching, and alliance. The core BSP program provides peer mentoring, academic advising, and community building, while subsidiary programs include COMPASS Scholars (stem cell research), BICEP (clinical shadowing), peer-led Study Groups, and Events & Workshops. These components work together to support students from diverse backgrounds throughout their undergraduate journey in biology and STEM fields.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• COMPASS Scholars Program: A research and career preparatory experience for BSP students interested in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, funded by CIRM with $2.9M over 5 years
• BICEP (Biology Scholars Clinical Exposure Program)

Products and services

• Biology Scholars Program (BSP) Wraparound STEM equity program for UC Berkeley undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds, combining mentoring, faculty advising, peer-led study groups, workshops, and research/clinical opportunities.
• COMPASS Scholars Program Specialty sub-program within BSP offering guided research and mentorship opportunities in stem cell biology for participating UC Berkeley undergraduates.
• BICEP (Biology Clinical Exposure Program) Clinical exposure sub-program within BSP that places UC Berkeley undergraduates in clinical shadowing experiences to support pre-health and biology career pathways.
• Study Groups Peer-led study groups organized through BSP to support UC Berkeley STEM undergraduates in coursework and collaborative learning.
• Events & Workshops Workshops and events delivered through BSP covering academic skills, career development, and community-building for participating UC Berkeley STEM students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 students nurtured during BSP's nearly 30-year history
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UCSF Department of Medicine / Zuckerberg San Francisco General HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2019BSP BICEP (Biology Scholars Clinical Exposure Program) is a five-day shadowing program that pairs BSP students with doctors in the Pulmonary Clinic at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. The partnership provides clinical exposure for aspiring medical professionals and creates pathways for underrepresented students into healthcare careers.
• Berkeley Stem Cell CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSP COMPASS Scholars Program operates in partnership with the Berkeley Stem Cell Center, matching students with research labs and providing mentorship infrastructure.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Posse Foundation: Posse identifies and supports diverse student cohorts through college via peer mentoring, leadership training, and scholarships. Comparable to BSP's peer-support and community-building model, though Posse operates nationally and across multiple disciplines rather than STEM-specific.
• QuestBridge: QuestBridge is a much larger national nonprofit connecting high-achieving, low-income students with top colleges including scholarships, mentoring, and graduate school support. Comparable in supporting underrepresented students' pathways into elite institutions, but operates at vastly greater scale and broader scope than BSP.

Others

• INCLUDES Network (NSF): NSF INCLUDES is a national network and funder of STEM equity alliances. BSP is connected through this ecosystem as a downstream beneficiary of federal STEM equity funding, comparable in mission though structurally different as a funder/coordinator rather than a direct service provider.
• HHMI Inclusive Excellence Initiative: Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Inclusive Excellence initiative funds university efforts to broaden participation in STEM. BSP is a current/past HHMI grantee, and the Inclusive Excellence program is a relevant peer/ecosystem comparator as a funder of comparable programs at peer institutions.

Direct peers

• STEM Pathways Programs (UCLA): UCLA operates a portfolio of STEM equity programs serving underrepresented undergraduates with mentoring, research, and academic support — structurally analogous to BSP, with similar institutional context (a major public R1 university in California) and similar student populations.
• Cal-Bridge Program (UC system): Cal-Bridge supports underrepresented students in STEM and physics across the UC and CSU systems through mentoring, research placement, and graduate school preparation. Directly comparable to BSP in targeting underrepresented STEM undergraduates in California public universities.
• Meyerhoff Scholars Program (UMBC): The Meyerhoff Scholars Program at UMBC is one of the most prominent and longstanding STEM equity programs in the U.S., directly comparable to BSP in mission (supporting underrepresented minorities in STEM), structure (mentoring, research, community), and funder base (HHMI has supported both).

Emerging players

• McNair Scholars Program: Federally funded McNair Scholars Programs prepare underrepresented undergraduates for graduate school through research opportunities and mentoring. Overlaps with BSP's research-exposure mission but is federally administered at many host universities, including UC Berkeley.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/berkeleybsp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4rPqeUbXPucqYzDlWh8osQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/BSPUCBerkeley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berkeleybsp
• Instagraminstagram.com/berkeleybsp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Biology Scholars Program & Allies