UI awards $625,000 in funding to help faculty members turn inventions into businesses

A desalination device that also creates electricity and a screening system to detect symptoms of delirium are among the University of Iowa faculty inventions that were awarded a total of $625,000 in gap funding by the University of Iowa Research Foundation (UIRF). In place since 2007, the UI Commercialization GAP Fund Program has been highly […]

Announcing Release of Mind the Gap 2015 Report

The innovation system that transitions breakthroughs in research from the lab into the marketplace is constrained by the lack of available early stage capital and developmental support. This “gap” extends from where the government funding of basic research ends to where existing companies or investors are willing to accept the risk to commercialize or invest […]

Invent Penn State: Power of partnerships in innovation

Earlier this year, Penn State President Eric Barron unveiled Invent Penn State, an initiative to spur economic development in Pennsylvania, propelling Happy Valley into a hub for innovation. This is an audacious goal, and the announcement has created significant activity and a groundswell of optimism from those eager to get involved. Invent Penn State is […]

KAUST, ICD, Anfaal Capital to form venture capital fund

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), the private sector arm of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB), in collaboration with Anfaal Capital, agreed to establish a Saudi Arabia-focused venture capital fund last Monday. The joint initiative aims to promote and […]

Research Funding: UChicago’s Big Ideas Generator Funds Moonshot Projects | Chicago Inno

University of Chicago neuroscience researchers had a bit of a crazy idea. In their previous work they found evidence that the formation of the myelin sheath, which facilitates rapid nerve conduction, might originate elsewhere in the cell than scientists currently believe. A discovery such as this would fundamentally change our understanding of the structure of […]

New Seed Fund to Speed UVA Innovation and Research to the Market

Starting in 2016, the University of Virginia will be propelling entrepreneurship into the market like never before. The University’s new Seed Fund will deploy $10 million over 10 years to help commercialize UVA technologies and opportunities. “UVA’s research enterprise helps drive the economy locally, nationally and globally, while producing discoveries that lead to new technologies, […]

U Mississippi Rebel Student Venture Capital Fund Grants $6,500 in Rewards

The University of Mississippi student-led start-ups presented to the RVCF, each receiving grants and mentorships to assist in the development of their new business ventures. Of the six businesses there were three smart phone apps, Impster, Nimble Fashion, and Okay2Eat; one light, sound, and entertainment business, Vault Entertainment; a marketing start-up, Ault Wilson Marketing; and a […]

U Michigan Spin-off Akadeum gets $1 million seed

There have been two recent votes of confidence for Ann Arbor-based Akadeum Life Sciences Inc., a 2014 spinoff from the University of Michigan. In October, it finished raising a seed round of $1 million, which will fund product development and beef up sales and marketing. Normally that would be the big news. But that was overshadowed by […]

50 Dartmouth alums invest $1.5M venture capital fund

Nearly 50 Dartmouth College alums contributed more than $1.5 million in the Green D Angels to pool funds to invest in Dartmouth entrepreneurs. The initial close of its second venture capital fund already exceeded the total of $1.5 million raised for an earlier fund. It’s anticipated that 100 Dartmouth alums will participate in the ongoing […]