Purdue Ag-celerator invests $100,000 in two plant science startups – Purdue University

The Purdue Ag-celerator Fund has invested a total of $100,000 in two plant science startups for the spring round of investments. The recipients are JUA Technologies International LLC, a startup building multipurpose crop dehydrators, and ZeaVaxx LLC, a startup developing a plant-derived nanoparticle that can improve animal vaccines. “The Ag-celerator is moving into the third year in its goal to […]

University of Michigan Vesper Mics Up With $23M From Amazon, American Family, Baidu, Bose

Vesper Technologies, a high-tech microphone startup trying to ride the wave of voice-controlled devices, has summoned a $23 million investment from a group of well-known tech companies, venture capitalists, and an insurance firm. The Series B funding round was led by American Family Ventures, the venture arm of Madison, WI-based American Family Insurance. Other investors in […]

Johns Hopkins startup gets funding from company turning research into businesses

IP Group, which works with a group of universities and government labs including Hopkins, is providing funding to Lorem Therapeutics. The company is led by Barbara Slusher, a Johns Hopkins School of Medicine professor who directs the university’s largest drug discovery program. It’s the first company to receive funding from the company, though the amount was not disclosed. Lorem Therapeutics is focusing on development […]

Startup companies speed pitch at Texas A&M’s New Ventures Competition 

In 20 minutes, six companies proved their worth to a panel of judges and a collection of investors Thursday at this year’s Texas A&M New Ventures Competition. Ultimately, Alex Wesley’s Arovia took the top prize of $50,000 for the Spontaneous Pop-Up Display or SPUD, the desktop-size collapsible display that uses umbrella technology for portability. With […]

AHA, Philips, UPMC launch $30M venture fund for cardiovascular innovation 

The American Heart Association, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and healthcare tech company Royal Philips have partnered to finance a new $30 million venture fund, according to a statement. Called Cardeation Capital, the fund will be managed by Aphelion Capital, a healthcare and medical tech VC firm, and focused on promoting innovative technologies targeting […]

Deerfield Management pledges $65 million to Northwestern for drug development

Northwestern announced Thursday it is partnering with Deerfield Management, an investment management company, to launch Lakeside Discovery LLC in order to help develop new drugs. Deerfield, which pledged up to $65 million, will help shepherd potential drugs to the Food and Drug Administration to get them approved for human testing. Alicia Löffler, executive director of […]