UC Berkeley has secured a groundbreaking commercial agreement for its sports department. The California Golden Bears signed a five-year, $16 million jersey patch agreement with AI platform Dialpad. This deal stands as the largest corporate agreement in Cal Athletics history and marks the very first school-specific jersey patch deal in the ACC.

Under this new agreement, Dialpad becomes the official AI platform for fan experience across Cal’s 30 varsity sports teams. Beyond the patch on the uniforms, the company will integrate its smart communication technology into matchday operations and fan engagement channels starting in the 2026 season.

“This is a historic moment for Cal Athletics,” Cal Co-Directors of Athletics Jenny Simon-O’Neill and Jay Larson said in a statement on July 14. “Our partnership with Dialpad will have a profound impact on our student-athletes, department, and university as we move forward in this dynamic era of intercollegiate athletics. Craig Walker, Dialpad’s CEO, is a true Golden Bear, and we are thrilled to work side by side with him and Dialpad in this new venture.”

Setting the successful business venture aside, this deal is a personal feat for Dialpad. For UC, this deal is a trailblazer and a step towards new possibilities, but for someone, it means more. The company’s CEO, Craig Walker, finalized a deal with his alma mater that left a lifelong impression on him.  

“As a proud Cal alum (BA ‘88, JD ‘95), I’ve always known UC Berkeley is a place that challenges the norms, encourages people to think differently, question assumptions, and build what’s next,” he shared in a Dialpad blog. “Those values shaped me as a student, and they’ve continued to shape Dialpad from the day we started the company.”

Apart from the jerseys with Dialpad patches rolling out in the 2026 season, the five-year deal also encompasses an “authentic fan connection,” which is enabled by student-athlete influence marketing, naming rights to the Dialpad Field Club, the largest club space at California Memorial Stadium, “and on-field apron logos with TV broadcast visibility behind one end zone.”

For football and basketball home games, this deal will kick off signage and promotional material inside the stadium and Haas Pavilion. While the exact terms of the finances are private, this deal is an upward trajectory from last season, their best fundraising year yet.

How Does This Deal Impact California Athletics’ Department Financially

The University of California’s ardent supporters have ensured the program is well secured to develop its student-athletes. In a press release celebrating the generosity of the Cal family, who architected two historic consecutive seasons, the university revealed that they are in a position to gain a bigger momentum for their plans.

Last year, a record 18 donors gave $1 million-plus as Cal Athletics hauls in $88.5 million in gifts. The program surpassed 2024’s record of $82 million. More than $40.6 million was directed toward operational expenses across all sports programs with the community’s support. This was “especially transformative” for meeting the student-athletes’ daily needs. 

With a Dialpad deal in place, the athletics department has received an insurmountable boost to its finances. It is all the more important against the $24 million budget deficit. The gap widened after Cal left the PAC-12 for the ACC in 2024.

On February 3, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the school’s total operating expenses rose to $165 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year. This represented an increase from $149 million in the previous year. Their revenue rose too- from $120 million to $153 million in 2024-25. 

The $33 million boost, however, came through with payments from UCLA ($10 million) and the system-wide University of California Office of the President ($15 million). Dialpad’s sponsorship certainly holds more ground in elevating the school’s financial woes. 

In his statement about the deal, Chancellor Rich Lyons said Cal has an edge in the ever-evolving and fiercely competitive college football landscape.

“This sponsorship is a vital step for Cal Athletics and for the university,” Lyons said. “In the evolving landscape of college sports, collaborations like this with partners who share our values help provide the support our student-athletes need to thrive and excel.”

With just two seasons in the ACC, the Golden Bears have embarked on a first-ever in the conference’s history.