AKT IP Ventures Launches Targeted $20 Million Fund to Incubate Emerging IP-Based Tech Companies
AKT IP Ventures today announced the launch of a targeted $20 million incubation investment fund that will finance the creation and operation of IP-based businesses in the mobile, multi-touch, wearables, IoT, big data and medical technology sectors. As an incubator and operator of emerging IP-based businesses, AKT IP Ventures offers a unique, constructive and creative […]
Phasing Out Michigan Venture Fund Would Hurt State’s Efforts To Help Entrepreneurs
Jim Adox, Chairman of the Michigan Venture Capital Association, and Managing Director of Venture Investors LLC, said phasing out the Venture Michigan Fund – as proposed by the Michigan House Commerce and Trade Committee this week – would have a tremendous negative impact on the state’s efforts to make Michigan more entrepreneur friendly. “In 2003, […]
Penn faculty startup raises $100K from city’s StartUp PHL fund
The City of Philadelphia’s StartUp PHL angel fund has invested $100,000 in Penn faculty startup Gencore Systems. It’s the first time that the fund, run by First Round Capital’s Josh Kopelman, has backed a startup built on research done at a local university. It’s also notable because Gencore Systems is the first startup to come out of Penn’s […]
U-M spinoff Arborlight gets $1.7M in VC funding to commercialize new lighting technology
Arborlight wants every indoor space to be able to reap the benefits of natural — or as close to natural — sunlight, and thanks to a $1.7 million venture capital investment, the company is one step closer to that goal. The Ann Arbor-based technology company recently announced that it landed the investment, led by the […]
Tech Launch Arizona Hosts Summit of Leaders to Advance the Impact of Innovation
The process of taking inventions from university research and turning them into patents that can be converted into products and startup companies is long and complex. Given the uniqueness of each university’s research environment and its surrounding ecosystem of businesses, alumni, donors and entrepreneurs, nailing down “best practices” is not easy, either. But this week, […]
Connecting Gap Funding to Institutional Impact
We are developing a construct for aligning gap funding (and other tactical) university commercialization programs to the core missions of the institutions they serve—research, education, societal benefit. Please add you comments and we will update this presentation with impact measures from the upcoming Mind the Gap Report update.
University of Chicago’s Innovation Fund Associates Program Gets $250,000 Donation | Chicago Inno
The University of Chicago received a donation Tuesday that will help give students experience in venture capital and investment decision making. The Chicago Innovation Exchange, UChicago’s tech hub and business incubator, announced that it has received a $250,000 donation from Booth School alumnus George Kadifa for the University of Chicago’s Innovation Fund Associates program. The program pairs […]
Duke University’s plan to turn alumni into startup investors
W hen entrepreneur Damien Hoffman left Duke University in 1999, it was a rude awakening. The Dot Com Bubble was bursting “so I went through that rodeo.” Today, he’s the founder of The Cheat Sheet, a media company with more than 15 million monthly users. And he’s ready to pay that success forward. On Wednesday, […]
Qatar Proof of Concept Fund to stimulate SMEs growth
“We share the ambition and a belief in the economic power of SMEs. It’s no secret that a lot of Qatar’s economy is driven by oil and gas but more and more, we see wealth created in sectors other than oil and gas, and support for SMEs from the highest levels seems to be growing […]
MS Research Australia recently awards three University researchers ~$50K in ‘Incubator’ grants
Five research projects led by University staff will commence this year thanks to recent funding awarded by MS Research Australia. Additionally, one of last year’s successful grant recipients, an exercise-based treatment for the disease, has shown great promise in recent trials. MS Research Australia recently awarded three University researchers ‘Incubator’ grants. These grants provide seed […]