True Blue Fund will support early-stage startups at U of Toronto
Entrepreneurs and their early-stage startups at the University of Toronto will soon have access to a new financial support fund worth up to $5 million. Called the True Blue Fund, the new program announced today provides philanthropists a way to support U of T’s entrepreneurship and innovation activities. The university is committing $2.5 million to match donations to […]
Raising Seed Funding From a Traditional VC Is Harder Than Ever. Here’s Why
Without a doubt, you’ve heard reports that the VC industry is booming. And it truly is; bigger deals, bigger exits, and bigger funds are making a splash in Venture Capital. After all, who could forget the culmination of SoftBank’s $100 billion “megafund,” Spotify’s historic direct listing, or the roof-shattering $14 billion Series C round raised by Ant Financial […]
3 things we learned mapping Baltimore’s startup ecosystem–Universities are central
Even in a midsized city such as Baltimore, there are hundreds of resources available to help entrepreneurs grow their startups, small businesses, and nonprofits. From accelerators to mentorship programs, these resources are offered by universities, government agencies, nonprofits, and other local companies to help strengthen and grow the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Knowing what resources are […]
Amazon Web Services pilots Pro-Rata Program to connect investors with start-ups
BioSTL gets another $100,000 grant to help launch agtech startup program
Though agriculture is arguably the oldest industry around, it has taken a while for it to get reshaped by some of the new, digital information tools that are transforming other lines of work. But in some cases, old ways of doing things on the farm are changing. Sensor technology can report hyper-detailed field conditions to […]
How Universities Can Support Women-Led Entrepreneurship
When Maria Artunduaga won a University of California award in 2017 for her team’s technology to manage pulmonary disease, she noted a critical factor in the victory: contest-organized mentorship from Jocelyn Brown with the Rice 360˚ Institute for Global Health. “Her experience building health technologies for preterm babies in Africa was key to our success in the Big Ideas student innovation […]
UK incubators nurturing the next biotech generation
What type of environment is best to foster biotechnology startups through their first years? With more UK universities putting resources into supporting spinout companies, and dedicated life science incubators springing up at sites abandoned by large pharmaceutical firms (and elsewhere), the options for entrepreneurs are expanding in scope, style and availability. Keith Powell, a London-based […]
Harvard OTD launches Experts-in-Residence program
Harvard’s Office of Technology Development (OTD) has launched an Experts-in-Residence (XIR) program, creating a powerful new resource for Harvard faculty and researchers to accelerate startup formation and support the commercialization of University innovations. Initially, 28 XIRs have volunteered for the program. The XIRs include partners at venture capital firms, scientific entrepreneurs, R&D executives, and other respected experts on company […]
Rutgers TechAdvance Fund Helps Innovative Researchers Get From R&D to Commercialization
A Rutgers University fund provided more than $2 million to help the school’s researchers working on innovative technologies take the next step in what can be a long and costly journey toward bringing new products to market. Launched in 2017, the university’s TechAdvance Fund has awarded grants totaling $2.65 million to more than 30 faculty members conducting […]
Delaware Innovation Space Launches First Fund Investment Program
First Fund provides early stage startups with critical funding to easily and quickly access Delaware Innovation Space’s business building expertise, core programs, scientific equipment, and extensive multi-use wet laboratories. Eligible startups can each secure up to $75,000 investment from the First Fund Program, via a convertible note, funding monthly site-license costs for residency at the […]