Michigan State University Foundation Launches $5M Venture Fund, Red Cedar Ventures LLC

[fusion_text]The Michigan State University Foundation (MSUF) announced today the formation of its new, $5M venture investing subsidiary, Red Cedar Ventures. Its newest program features both a pre-seed fund and an opportunity fund focused on helping Michigan State University-based startups and technologies overcome critical funding gaps, accelerate growth, and provide follow-on, growth-stage capital. “We have been […]

Tsinghua University’s Redbud Capital To Launch $150M Venture Fund-Of-Funds 

Redbud Capital, an investment platform under Tsinghua Holdings, has teamed up with the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of Yiwu City and Zhejiang China Commodities City Group to launch a RMB1 billion (US$150 million) fund-of-funds focused on venture capital. The new vehicle will invest in venture funds, says an announcement without elaboration. It’s […]

Tel Aviv University Launches New IoT Tech Investment Fund with 5 Corporate Giants

Tel Aviv University’s technology transfer company, Ramot, launched a new Internet of Things (IoT) investment fund on Monday in partnership with five international tech giants. According to Ramot, the fund will focus on locating exceptional Israeli initiatives in early stages of development (pre-seeding, seeding), and help build them up to the point of exit into […]

Mind the Gap Summit: Create and Manage a Startup Gap Fund

Startup Formation gap funds assist in the formational steps of spin-outs — even prior to becoming a legal entity. This gap fund type could be seen as a startup-focused extension of proof of concept funding that further develops the business application of the technology through market research, product development, business development, management, space, and equipment to attract third party interest and capital
These funds are primarily administered by the technology transfer office and associated venture centers. External public-private arrangements to support business creation are administered by sponsoring agency or through close collaboration with the research institution
 
Startup Growth gap funds invest in scaling and growing established spin-outs. Research institutions have created, spun out, or partnered with seed funds and accelerators, both public and private, to fill this void in early stage startup capital and to directly invest in their own startups. Some institutions are even beginning to invest in non-institution startups.
Centrally managed Startup Growth gap funds are limited based on the required capital. To overcome this challenge and mitigate risk, research institutions may partner with existing early stage venture firms or corporate investor groups

Florida Institute Funds carbon capture technology

The Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research (the Florida Institute) announced today that it has finalized a funding agreement with Partnering in Innovation, Inc. (Pi-Innovation), an Orlando-based company with technology developed at NASA Kennedy Space Center. The Florida Institute supports new company creation based on publicly-funded research, and bridges early funding gaps for […]

Camden Partners has a new venture fund for Maryland startups

Warnock, George Petrocheilos, David Oros and Jacob Vogelstein founded the Camden Partners Exelixis Fund. Helping startups from the region’s research institutions such as Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland Baltimore, UMBC and Fort Meade is a key focus of the fund. “We know we’ll have a direct impact on Baltimore and Maryland and the ecosystem,” Petrocheilos said. Along with the […]

ENTREVESTOR: Nova Scotia tops up innovation funding

Nova Scotia’s life sciences sector is one of the big winners of the announcement last week that Innovacorp has received fresh capital for its venture capital funding. The province announced it will provide $40 million over the next eight years to the Nova Scotia First Fund, the main investment vehicle for the provincial innovation agency. […]

Corporate VC Fund launched to support University of Wolverhampton uni spin-outs

A new investment fund to support university spin-outs has been launched by steel company Caparo and the University of Wolverhampton. The £400,000 CIC Investment Fund will award cash in return for shares, with either Caparo or University of Wolverhampton staff joining the board of each spin-out it invests in. Lord Paul of Marylebone, chancellor of […]

Dakota Venture Group celebrates 10 years

UND’s student group, the Dakota Venture Group recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. The group, which was first established in 2006 as a student-controlled educational investment opportunity, currently manages more than $1.8 million, according to a news release. “Over the years, the Dakota Venture Group has shown what UND students are capable of learning and accomplishing,” […]

Edinburgh University DEM software tech spin-out to launch off £450,000 in investment

Particle Analytics has developed intelligent software that allows organisations across a range of industries to simulate the movement of bulk solids and particles in a more advanced, efficient and cost effective way. The technology aims to enhance the efficiency of conventional Discrete Element Modelling (DEM) software reducing the time needed for simulations from days to […]