Valley of death looms for Australian ideas

When Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis pounced on Australian biotech Spinifex Pharma for $US700 million ($915.69 million) this week, one fact stood out: without federal government funding, this Australian pain therapy innovator may never have made it out of the lab. Cash is still being thrown at research and development, but after the Abbott government axed […]

TEDCO program lets startups borrow veteran executives – Baltimore Sun

Plenty of small businesses seek out bank loans. But now Maryland startups can borrow an executive. A new program is lending young companies some human capital to help advance their businesses. The Maryland Technology Development Corp., better known as TEDCO, has provided a half-dozen companies with experienced executives as often as two days a week […]

University of Michigan’s Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund Invests in Reveal Design Automation

The Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund, in collaboration with the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business, today announced that it has invested in Reveal Design Automation, an Electronic Design Automation (EDA) start-up developing software tools for formal verification of complex semiconductor […]

New NH venture fund model links alumni investors

Talk to anyone in the startup ecosystem about potential barriers to forming a company and they’ll point to the lack of seed and early-stage funding. It’s one of the most critical components for turning an idea or prototype into a business, but few investors are willing to take the risk to invest in the potential […]

CIT GAP Fund Invests In Type Zero Tech, Diabetes Software solution

Virginia’s Center For Innovative Technology (CIT), the nonprofit corporation which receives state funding to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in Virginia, has invested via its CIT GAP Fund in Charlottesville, Va.-based TypeZero Technologies. TypeZero is a health-tech startup that specializes in developing tech to manage and treat Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. While financial details of […]

Seven projects could receive $200K in funding through U Wisconsin’s Ideadvance Seed Fund

The Ideadvance Seed Fund, aimed at helping more people on University of Wisconsin campuses commercialize their ideas, has identified seven projects that could receive a total of as much as $200,000. Sleep Environment Innovations LLC, a company that came out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, qualified for stage two funding of as much as $50,000, […]

Alabama Innovation Fund has $4.5M to award grants for technology growth

The Alabama Innovation Fund has $4.5 million to support programs that seek to leverage research performed by the state’s universities and other institutions to generate new ventures, create jobs and spur additional economic development opportunities. Created in 2012 as part of the “Accelerate Alabama” strategic growth plan, the Alabama Innovation Fund awards grants to bolster […]

Oregon BEST Funds New Polymer Aimed at Ag’s Water Woes

As the California drought drags on and moves north in the Pacific Northwest, Oregon BEST is helping fund research for a Portland startup that has developed a biodegradable superabsorbent polymer (SAP) for agricultural applications that can soak up 300 times its weight in water, then release the moisture back into the soil near plant roots […]

FL angel Investment network looks to bridge capital gap

Interest appears promising for an effort to amass investors seeking to fund high-growth start-ups in the capital region. On Friday, a membership launch for Tallahassee’s new chapter of the Florida Angel Nexus attracted roughly 60 attendees, a mix of potential investors and professionals aware of financing challenges facing early stage start-ups. Jason Stamm, an entrepreneur […]