Innovation hub at Michigan Tech University bridges “Valley of Death”
They call it the “Valley of Death” — the gap in a project once a project is past the basic science but not far enough along for investors to jump in. Michigan Technological University will have a larger role in getting more of those ideas to market. This week, the Michigan Strategic Fund approved funding […]
Stanford StartX VCs Are Looking for the Next Snapchat
As a student at Stanford University, Evan Spiegel often hung around the offices of StartX, the school’s entrepreneurial hub. Spiegel, who was working on a photo-sharing app called Picaboo, would seek advice from people affiliated with the incubator. In return, he volunteered part-time in 2011, helping design some early marketing materials for StartX. Spiegel’s side project eventually became Snapchat, whose […]
Amazon Alexa Fund Extends University Ties in AI Race
Amazon has launched a new program to help students build capabilities into its voice-controlled assistant Alexa, the latest move by a technology firm to nurture ideas and talent in artificial intelligence research. The ecommerce company said it is paying for a year-long doctoral fellowship at four universities for an undisclosed sum. Working with professors, the […]
Academics to the rescue: University innovation and venturing surges ahead in 2016 in UK
With the relentless barrage of bad news surrounding Brexit, it is perhaps not surprising to hear that the amount of equity finance invested in startups in the UK dropped in 2016. A recent report from equity specialists Beauhurst showed that equity finance into startups declined by 12% in 2016 compared to 2015[i]. There is however, […]
University of Arkansas Chancellor’s New $1 Million Fund Advances Multiple Guiding Priorities
University of Arkansas Chancellor Joe Steinmetz has created a new campus fund as an initiative to support several of the university’s eight guiding priorities, established this past fall. When fully funded the Chancellor’s Discovery, Creativity, Innovation and Collaboration Fund will invest $1 million a year in new projects designed to enhance the university’s research and […]