Startups: market validation attracts early investors
Many early-stage startups have a common problem: it’s hard to attract investors without proof that customers will pay for their product. Yet without investment to fund product development, it’s difficult to obtain market validation. The key to overcoming this challenge is to find creative and inexpensive ways to conduct market validation — a step in […]
Polsky Center Teams Up with $15 Million Great Lakes Innovation Hub to Catalyze Innovation in the Midwest
The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation has joined the Great Lakes Innovation Corps Hub, which was established by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support innovation in the Midwest ecosystem. The $15 million Hub is one of five across the country that the NSF announced today – a decade after originally launching the Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. Since 2011 more […]
Queen’s Universitylaunches £1.2m seed fund for university spin-offs
QUBIS, the commercialisation and investment arm of Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), has announced the creation of a £1.2m seed fund. The QUBIS Innovation Fund will focus on supporting university spin-out companies and start-ups operating in the UK’s fastest growing sectors. It will be managed by Sapphire Capital Partners, with QUBIS as the portfolio mentor. The fund is […]
CIT GAP Funds Invests in BloomCatch to Advance the Next
The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds, the direct investment program of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA) Investment Division, has invested in Centreville, Va.-based BloomCatch. BloomCatch is a versatile mobile plant identification app that combines cutting edge machine learning with live human experiences to connect plant parents to plant experts […]
Purdue U Startup Closes Seed Funding Round
A West Lafayette-based life sciences diagnostic startup has closed on a $1.8 million seed round of funding. Amplified Sciences, which is developing diagnostics designed to detect debilitating diseases more quickly, says the round was completed by an investment from Chicago-based OCA Ventures. Amplified Sciences Chief Executive Officer Diana Caldwell says the funding will help validate the […]
$6.5M state investment in Michigan Rise to fuel more startup funding
An additional $6.5 million state investment gives pre-seed fund Michigan Rise more capital to back a strong pipeline of startup companies. Created a year ago and administered by the Michigan State University Foundation, Michigan Rise has at least 10 startups awaiting investments. The Michigan Economic Development Corp. expects Michigan Rise to invest $2.5 million in 15 startups in […]