Connecting Gap Funding to Institutional Impact
We are developing a construct for aligning gap funding (and other tactical) university commercialization programs to the core missions of the institutions they serve—research, education, societal benefit. Please add you comments and we will update this presentation with impact measures from the upcoming Mind the Gap Report update.
Tech Launch Arizona Hosts Summit of Leaders to Advance the Impact of Innovation
The process of taking inventions from university research and turning them into patents that can be converted into products and startup companies is long and complex. Given the uniqueness of each university’s research environment and its surrounding ecosystem of businesses, alumni, donors and entrepreneurs, nailing down “best practices” is not easy, either. But this week, […]
U-M spinoff Arborlight gets $1.7M in VC funding to commercialize new lighting technology
Arborlight wants every indoor space to be able to reap the benefits of natural — or as close to natural — sunlight, and thanks to a $1.7 million venture capital investment, the company is one step closer to that goal. The Ann Arbor-based technology company recently announced that it landed the investment, led by the […]
Penn faculty startup raises $100K from city’s StartUp PHL fund
The City of Philadelphia’s StartUp PHL angel fund has invested $100,000 in Penn faculty startup Gencore Systems. It’s the first time that the fund, run by First Round Capital’s Josh Kopelman, has backed a startup built on research done at a local university. It’s also notable because Gencore Systems is the first startup to come out of Penn’s […]
Phasing Out Michigan Venture Fund Would Hurt State’s Efforts To Help Entrepreneurs
Jim Adox, Chairman of the Michigan Venture Capital Association, and Managing Director of Venture Investors LLC, said phasing out the Venture Michigan Fund – as proposed by the Michigan House Commerce and Trade Committee this week – would have a tremendous negative impact on the state’s efforts to make Michigan more entrepreneur friendly. “In 2003, […]
AKT IP Ventures Launches Targeted $20 Million Fund to Incubate Emerging IP-Based Tech Companies
AKT IP Ventures today announced the launch of a targeted $20 million incubation investment fund that will finance the creation and operation of IP-based businesses in the mobile, multi-touch, wearables, IoT, big data and medical technology sectors. As an incubator and operator of emerging IP-based businesses, AKT IP Ventures offers a unique, constructive and creative […]
Accel launches $305 million Indian start-up fund
Accel Partners, the venture capital firm that has backed the likes of Facebook and Flipkart, is launching a $305 million India-focused fund to capitalize on the country’s favorable conditions for start-ups. The investment is almost double the size of Accel’s last such fund — launched in 2011 — and will target technology businesses in the […]
Md. venture fund helps bring Indiana tech firm to Frederick
A Maryland state-sponsored venture capital fund is helping a growth-minded technology firm move its headquarters from Indiana. The Department of Business and Economic Development said Monday that the Maryland Venture Fund has invested $500,000 in Blue Pillar, a company that makes software to help large organizations manage energy consumption. Blue Pillar’s business relations chief, Scott […]
Drugmakers, UK start $100M venture to fund creation of Alzheimer’s drugs
Major drugmakers, the British government and a top Alzheimer’s research charity are pooling more than $100 million to create a global fund to accelerate efforts to find a treatment or even a cure for the mind-robbing disease within a decade. The new Dementia Discovery Fund will function like a venture capital fund. It will identify […]