Nexford University launches $200k startup funding for its graduates 

Today Nexford University has announced its ‘Entrepreneurship Scholarship‘ and $200,000 startup funding, with a mission to empower next-generation leaders across the world. “The world needs more doers,” said Fadl Al Tarzi, Nexford’s CEO. “We thought about what we can do to help them. If you’re a doer, you won’t let anything stop you, be it your physical […]

COA Partnering: Samsung Innovation

Summary Event Held 11/15/2018 Recap of Community of Action presentation by Samsung Innovation: Discussion of specific initiatives to work with university Details of current interest areas for tech and startups Experts Jake Harrison, Samsung Innovation Additional Materials Download Presentation Deck

Gap Fund Process Tactics/Approaches

Summary Event Held 1/17/19 Recap of 90-minute Community of Action Discussion on Gap Fund Process Approaches/Tactics Communicating the Program Evaluating/Decision-making Approaches Oversight of Funded Projects Talent and External Support Programs Experts Tim Joyce, IDEA Center, University of Notre Dame David Gulley, Parallel18/Puerto Rico STRT The Team, Seed Fund, Ohio State University Taylor Bench, TVC Seed Fund, University of […]

COA Partnering: Correlation Ventures

Correlation Ventures Summary Event Held 2/28/19 Recap of 30-minute Community of Action Discussion with Correlation Ventures: Approach to sourcing and vetting deals Early-stage investments to-date Interest in university startups and technology Experts David Coates, Managing Partner, Correlation Ventures

New Model Reviews

Summary Event Held 6/18/19 Recap of 90-minute Community of Action Discussion on New Gap Fund/Accelerator Models Experts Tom Murdoch, Innovation Hub, University of Buffalo Joe Runge, UNeTec, University of Nebraska Tim Martin, Innovation Gateway, University of Georgia Additional Materials Download Presentation Deck

Approaches to Marketing and Promoting Gap Fund and Accelerator Programs

Summary Event Held 4/24/19 Recap of 90-minute Community of Action Discussion on Approaches to Marketing and Promoting Gap Fund and Accelerator Programs: Marketing internally and to key stakeholders Methods and Tools to market effectively Marketing benchmarks and activity metrics Experts Denise Graves, MTRAC, Michigan Economic Development Corporation Mark Simonson, MU Innovation, Marquette University Paul Tumarkin, Asset Development […]

For Top Venture Capital Firms, Success Breeds Success

Read any of the many “best of” lists on venture capital and a handful of names will pop up again and again (and year after year): Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins, Benchmark Capital, Accel Partners, Tiger Capital. These are the firms that lead funding rounds for Silicon Valley unicorns, where partners become legends for inking deals with […]

You can build a healthier startup without VC money

Venture capital spending reached an all-time high in 2018, at roughly $131 billion across nearly 9,000 deals. For a founder in this environment, it’s hard to imagine not going the VC route. But VC funding doesn’t guarantee you success, and it isn’t right for everyone. Consider, for example, that one-fifth of startup founders are outright replaced after accepting VC funding, and 60% are no longer leading their company […]

New $100,000 startup fund announced at entrepreneur showcase event

The John F. Wood Centre for Business and Student Enterprise (Wood Centre) announced new funding for entrepreneurs during their Startup Showcase event on July 31st. The newly created Oilseed Innovation Partners Entrepreneurship Fund is available to U of G startups enrolled in the Centre’s Hub Incubator program who have a business idea associated with the […]

OSU investment fund fuels aspirations of student entrepreneurs

The Riata Center for Entrepreneurship in the Spears School of Business awarded a total of $75,000 to three teams of Oklahoma State University student entrepreneurs this summer in the first round of a new investment fund designed to invest in budding student-led businesses. Called the Riata Pre-Seed Fund, the innovative financial tool invests in student […]