Berkeley Haas Cleantech to Market program renamed after gift from The Mosse Foundation

The flagship Cleantech to Market program at Berkeley Haas will be renamed The Strauch Cleantech to Market Program in acknowledgement of a generous gift from the co-presidents of The Mosse Foundation, Roger and Hans Strauch.

The Cleantech to Market program, or C2M, was founded in 2008 and pairs teams of graduate students with entrepreneurs from across the country. The interdisciplinary teams work to accelerate commercialization of technologies involving low-carbon energy, green chemistry, sustainable agriculture, and clean water, addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation. To date, 660 graduate students have collaborated on more than 120 technology development and application projects that have led to funding of nearly $1.3 billion for the associated startups and the creation of 1,200 jobs.

“Through this substantial gift on behalf of The Mosse Foundation, the Strauch brothers are sustaining our program’s commitment to create opportunities for UC Berkeley’s graduate students and support their work in helping bring promising climate tech innovations to market,” said Brian Steel, director of The Strauch Cleantech to Market Program.

The Mosse Foundation is named for Rudolf Mosse, a Berlin-based media mogul and philanthropist during the Weimar Republic. Rudolf, the owner of the Berliner Tageblatt, The New York Times of Germany, was an outspoken critic of the National Socialist Movement. The Mosse family was exiled from their German homeland after Hitler assumed power in 1933. Roger and Hans Strauch are his step-great-grandchildren.

“We are tremendously grateful to the Strauchs for this transformative gift, which comes at a critical moment for climate tech innovation,” said Interim Haas Dean Jennifer Chatman. “This gift will ensure the continuation of the leading-edge work of our innovative and ambitious students and our entrepreneurial partners who are committed to turning innovation into impact.”

Roger Strauch is co-founder and chair of The Roda Group, a Berkeley-based early-stage venture development and capital group, and Hans Strauch is founder and principal at Boston-based HDS Architecture. For decades, the brothers have partnered to support academic and social institutions that are well positioned and determined to make meaningful contributions to the health and welfare of society.

Roger’s generosity extends beyond The Cleantech to Market Program, with significant contributions to many initiatives at UC Berkeley. With his wife, Dr. Julie Kuhanjian, he is among the Builders of Berkeley, donors who have given $1 million or more to the campus. He has served on the College of Engineering’s Advisory Board for more than 25 years. His gifts have also helped advance the engineering deans’ vision through capital donations to the Grimes Engineering Center and the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation. Roger served for over 25 years as an executive member, including chair, of the board of the SLMathematics Institute on campus.

Hans’ firm has designed over $1.5 billion of realized construction of multifamily communities, mixed-use urban complexes, retail, and corporate office buildings, many of which are LEED certified. He is chair of the board of trustees at Lesley University.

“We focus our philanthropic endeavors to support progressive leaders and institutions that develop opportunities for talented people while responding to daunting climate and societal challenges,” Roger said. “We are inspired by C2M’s many years of impactful work and look forward to continuing to play a helpful role in its future success.”

The Strauch brothers, both Cornell University undergraduate alumni, endowed the Strauch Early Career Fellow at Cornell through their foundation, along with a $1 million gift to the school to establish the Strauch Visiting Critic in Sustainable Design.

Since its inception, The Strauch Cleantech to Market Program has grown from a student-led pilot assisting scientists at Berkeley Lab to become a marquis program on campus. It has forged close alliances with state agencies like the California Energy Commission and federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy, top universities and national labs, and a network of prestigious accelerators and incubators. 

The Strauch Cleantech to Market Program continues to thrive thanks to significant support from other financial sponsors including the California Energy Commission and New Energy Nexus, MetLife, Breakthrough Energy, and Kenneth Reid and other individuals, as well as major endowments from Stuart and Marcella Bernstein and William and Betty Hasler. Their contributions, alongside those from The Mosse Foundation, ensure The Strauch Cleantech to Market Program’s ongoing role in the development of tomorrow’s climate tech leaders and in the advancement of entrepreneurship and promising sustainability solutions.