UC Berkeley Society of Women Engineers

What UC Berkeley Society of Women Engineers does

The UC Berkeley Society of Women Engineers (UC Berkeley SWE) is a student-run nonprofit organization established in 1975 and operating as a collegiate section of the national Society of Women Engineers. It is based at 4 McLaughlin Hall on the UC Berkeley campus in Berkeley, California, and is led by 40+ elected student officers across functional areas including Corporate Relations, Outreach, Social, Marketing, Advocacy, and program-specific committees. The organization serves UC Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students — primarily women and non-binary individuals in engineering and related disciplines — through professional development, mentorship, networking, social events, and advocacy programming. Its membership ladder progresses from General Members to Committee Members to Officers, with national membership available through SWE at $20/year or a $50 Collegiate-to-Career option.

The organization also operates an extensive K-12 STEM outreach portfolio serving elementary, middle, and high school students across the Bay Area, including HSEP (a 10-week high school program serving ~30 students per cohort), SWE++ (a 10-week programming course in Scratch and Python), SWE Science (monthly activities for ~80 students per semester), Tech Day (a day-long conference for ~60 middle school students), Engineering Day, Mini University, and the Overnight Host Program for admitted students. Revenue is generated primarily through corporate sponsorships (FY2024-2025 sponsors include General Motors, Tanium, P&G, Bloomberg, ZS Associates, Uber, PwC, Accenture, Syska Hennessy Group, and Berkeley Skydeck) and national membership fees, with no disclosed financials. The chapter has received the SWE Outstanding Collegiate Section award consecutively from FY16 through FY24.

Operationally, UC Berkeley SWE delivers programs via on-campus events, Evening With Industry (its flagship recruiting event), corporate infosessions, mentorship programs (SWEster, GGS x SWE, GWE x SWE), and an applied Project Team currently partnering with Petoi on quadruped robotics. Distribution is community-led and event-driven, supported by email newsletters (SWEmails), Instagram, LinkedIn, and word-of-mouth. The entity is not separately incorporated; it operates under UC Berkeley's student organization framework and is not a technology product company.

Name

UC Berkeley Society of Women Engineers

Legal name

UC Berkeley Society of Women Engineers

Website

https://swe.berkeley.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UC Berkeley SWE is a student-run nonprofit chapter of the national Society of Women Engineers, established in 1975, that serves UC Berkeley engineering students through professional development, mentorship, and networking while operating K-12 STEM outreach programs across the Bay Area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Professional Society / Student Organization

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions (EDAHAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Women in engineering
• K-12 STEM outreach
• Engineering professional development
• Engineering mentorship programs
• Engineering student society

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, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners pay to sponsor SWE programs and events in exchange for recruiting access, brand visibility, and involvement in SWE initiatives. Sponsors include General Motors, Tanium, P&G, Bloomberg, ZS Associates, Uber, PwC, Accenture, Syska Hennessy Group, and Berkeley Skydeck.
2. National Membership Fees: SWE collegiate membership is available for $20 per year for college students majoring in engineering. The Collegiate to Career (C2C) one-time payment of $50 secures membership through the first year of professional eligibility. Joint memberships at reduced rates are also available with AISES, NSBE, and SHPE.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

UC Berkeley SWE is a student-run collegiate chapter of the national Society of Women Engineers that supports women and non-binary engineers at UC Berkeley through K-12 STEM outreach programs, professional development events, mentorship, career recruiting fairs, and corporate-sponsored programs. It operates as a community and educational nonprofit, not a product or technology company.

Product overview

UC Berkeley SWE is a student organization (not a technology product company) offering a portfolio of K-12 STEM outreach programs and professional development activities. The core programs include HSEP (High School Engineering Program), SWE++ (programming education), SWENext (club support), SWE Science (elementary STEM activities), Tech Day, Engineering Day, and the Overnight Host Program. Professional development offerings include the Project Team, Shadow an Engineer externships, Evening With Industry recruiting events, and mentorship programs. These programs work together to fulfill SWE's mission of empowering women in engineering through education, mentorship, and career preparation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• High School Engineering Program (HSEP): A 10-week program for female-identifying and nonbinary high school students to explore engineering disciplines
• SWE++
• SWE Science
• SWENext
• Overnight Host Program (OHP)
• Tech Day
• Engineering Day
• Mini University

Products and services

• High School Engineering Program (HSEP) A 10-week engineering exploration program for female-identifying and nonbinary high school students, featuring professor talks, hands-on demos, and a technical community-oriented project mentored by UC Berkeley undergraduates. Serves approximately 30 students per cohort.
• SWE++ A 10-week introductory programming course for female and nonbinary middle school students teaching Scratch and Python, with students showcasing their skills through a final project.
• SWENext National outreach program supporting high school students through establishing SWENext clubs, providing mentorship between UC Berkeley undergraduates and high school students, and offering financial support through scholarships.
• SWE Science Monthly program teaching engineering principles to 4th-8th grade students through hands-on STEM activities and experiments, including Marble Roller Coasters, Aerodynamic Models, Strawberry DNA Extraction, and Creating a Battery using Cents. Serves approximately 80 students per semester.
• Mini University One-day event for underrepresented high school students from the Bay Area to learn about STEM and engineering careers through interactions with engineering students, professors, hands-on activities, lab tours, and college pathway guidance.
• Engineering Day Halloween-themed science carnival for K-3 students featuring hands-on science activities, interactions with student engineers, lightning talks, and arts and crafts.
• Tech Day Day-long conference for middle school girls and nonbinary students providing exposure to Computer Science and technology through hands-on hardware/software workshops, STEM panels, and networking with UC Berkeley STEM students. Serves approximately 60 students per event.
• Overnight Host Program (OHP) Program offering female and non-binary admits to Berkeley Engineering a taste of campus life through tours, lab tours, professor panels, undergraduate student shadowing, peer advising, and overnight hosting.
• Project Team Team of engineers working on real-world projects for partner companies, including a current partnership with Petoi robotics to add voice command and navigation functionalities to small-scale quadruped robots.
• Shadow an Engineer Winter Break externship program providing undergraduate engineering students opportunities to experience what it is like to be a full-time engineer at a company.
• Evening With Industry (EWI) Largest engineering recruiting event hosted by SWE, connecting students with STEM company representatives through virtual networking sessions and in-person dinners for internship and full-time job opportunities. Open to all UC Berkeley students.
• SWEster Mentorship Program Mentorship program pairing UC Berkeley members with each other, industry members through the GGS x SWE program, and graduate women in engineering through the GWE x SWE program.
• Corporate Sponsorship Package Corporate partnership opportunities enabling companies to support women in engineering through various engagement levels, including sponsorship of programs and events (Evening With Industry, infosessions, career workshops), brand visibility, and recruiting access to UC Berkeley engineering students. Sponsors include General Motors, Tanium, P&G, Bloomberg, ZS Associates, Uber, PwC, Accenture, Syska Hennessy Group, and Berkeley Skydeck.

Quantifiable outcome

• HSEP serves approximately 30 high school students per cohort through a 10-week program with hands-on engineering projects and undergraduate mentorship.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• General MotorscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor for UC Berkeley SWE. Provides financial and programmatic support in exchange for recruiting access and brand visibility among UC Berkeley engineering students. Listed among 2024-2025 sponsors.
• TaniumcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor for UC Berkeley SWE for 2024-2025. Supports SWE programs and events in exchange for recruiting access to engineering students.
• Procter & Gamble (P&G)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor listed among 2024-2025 sponsors. P&G participates in Evening With Industry and other recruiting events hosted by SWE.
• BloombergcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor for UC Berkeley SWE in 2024-2025. Provides sponsorship support for SWE programs and events.
• ZS AssociatescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor for UC Berkeley SWE in 2024-2025. Engages with SWE for campus recruiting and brand visibility.
• UbercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor for UC Berkeley SWE, listed among 2024-2025 sponsors. Uber attends Evening With Industry and other SWE recruiting events.
• PwCcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor for UC Berkeley SWE. Attends Evening With Industry and other SWE recruiting events. Listed among 2024-2025 sponsors.
• AccenturecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor for UC Berkeley SWE. Provides sponsorship for SWE programs and participates in career workshops and infosessions.
• Syska Hennessy GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor for UC Berkeley SWE in 2024-2025. Engages with SWE for recruiting engineering talent.
• Berkeley SkyDeckcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor for UC Berkeley SWE. Listed among 2024-2025 sponsors. As a Berkeley-affiliated accelerator, provides startup and innovation ecosystem connections.
• PetoiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRobotics company that has partnered with the SWE Project Team. The Project Team is working on adding voice command and navigation functionalities to Petoi's small-scale quadruped robots (similar to Boston Dynamics' dog robot but smaller and more accessible).
• GGS x SWE (Graduate Women in Engineering)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGWE x SWE mentorship program pairing UC Berkeley graduate women in engineering members with current undergraduate students for career guidance and networking.
• SWE National (Society of Women Engineers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWE National provides the overarching organizational framework, brand, conferences, scholarships, webinars, and professional development resources. UC Berkeley is one of 300+ student sections and 100+ professional sections. National membership provides access to conferences, webinars, scholarships, and the broader SWE network of 37,000+ members.
• UC Berkeley College of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUC Berkeley's College of Engineering is the institutional host and primary supporter of the SWE student section. SWE collaborates with faculty, graduate students, and research representatives for academic events, panels, and program delivery.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• UC Berkeley SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers): Sister diversity-focused engineering student org at UC Berkeley that offers joint SWE memberships, serving Hispanic engineering students with comparable professional development and outreach programming.
• UC Berkeley NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers): Sister diversity-focused engineering student organization at UC Berkeley offering joint memberships with SWE, professional development, and K-12 outreach for underrepresented engineering students on the same campus.
• UC Berkeley AISES (American Indian Science and Engineering Society): Sister diversity-focused STEM student organization at UC Berkeley that also offers joint memberships with SWE, supporting Indigenous engineering students with similar programming models.
• Stanford Society of Women Engineers: Stanford's SWE collegiate chapter, with a similar structure of outreach programs, corporate sponsorship recruiting events, and professional development aimed at women engineering students at a peer Bay Area research university.
• MIT Society of Women Engineers: MIT's collegiate section of SWE, operating under the same national SWE framework with a comparable mix of K-12 outreach, professional development, mentorship, and corporate recruiting events for engineering students at a peer STEM university.
• Caltech Society of Women Engineers: Caltech's SWE collegiate section, executing comparable programs (outreach, mentorship, corporate recruiting) for women in engineering at a leading STEM-focused peer institution.

Broad incumbents

• WEPAN (Women in Engineering Proactive Network): National network focused on supporting women in engineering through K-12 pipeline programs and research — comparable broader-incumbent to SWE Berkeley's K-12 outreach mission at a national scale.
• Society of Women Engineers (National): The parent national organization of which UC Berkeley SWE is one of 300+ collegiate sections. Operates the broader 37,000+ member network, conferences, scholarships, and professional sections that the Berkeley chapter leverages.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ucbswe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uc-berkeley-swe
• Instagraminstagram.com/sweohp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UC Berkeley Society of Women Engineers