The Blum Center for Developing Economies

Ashmita Kumar, the 2024 Big Ideas Contest winner, co-founded Code Blue, a startup that uses AI to detect strokes. She's emblematic of UC Berkeley's top ranking for producing student- and alumni-led startups, so many of which are focused on social good:

From Vision to Venture - Cal Alumni Association How Berkeley became a leading launchpad for startups

Kerosene lamps are vital to many people's lives. But they carry health and economic costs.

Portable, off-grid electrical lighting, however, is better for health, income, and the environment — and millions are adopting it.

This is the story of how Berkeley Lab's Dr. Evan Mills, with Blum Center support, helped put off-grid solar on the map:

How Dr. Evan Mills, with Blum Center support, put off-grid solar on the map - Blum Center With support from the Blum Center, the Berkeley Lab scientist and his colleagues provided the first substantive analysis of how electric lighting — specifically, high-efficiency solar-powered electric light sources unattached to an electrical grid — improves the lives and well-being of people us...