October 18-20 | Tucson, AZ

The Research Institution GAP Fund and Accelerator Program Summit

Bridging the Gap: Commentary on University Technology and Start-up Gap Funding for 3/8/16

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October 23-25, 2024 / Atlanta, GA

The annual summit for research institution gap fund and accelerator programs, including proof of concept programs, startup accelerators, and university venture funds

The Story

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So This Happened Last Week…

    • It should come as no surprise that Australia grapples with the same VC issues realized by the US, Ireland, the UK, and others in attracting venture capital and management talent into the commercialization gap felt by most university technologies/start-ups.From our US research, only 3% of the dollars and 7% of VC deals over the past decade went into deals at this stage. Are we wasting much of our time and resources chasing an investment source that no longer (or maybe hasn’t ever) really fit this space? Shouldn’t the real focus be on working with public agencies, angels, and other unique investment vehicles in the near-term, and building relationships with our VC partners as advisors until the right pieces are in place to approach these investments?

 

 

    • Shout out to Bruce Gjovig, who has advocated for student entrepreneurship and venture experience, for as long as I’ve been alive! I had the opportunity to speak to his group about gap funding in 2006 and to see firsthand the exciting things going on at the University of North Dakota.  Nice piece covering their student venture fund here

 

Other Stuff to Know…

  • Proud to meet a support and advocacy milestone of 150 research institutions that are currently using the Mind the Gap Report to support their gap funding program pitches. Thank you for your leadership in the optimization of gap funding in early-stage innovation!

 

  • We will be holding six web-workshop series throughout 2016/17 that will detail the “how tos”:. Events will be 60-90 minutes with full access for your entire university/organization:
  1. Create and Manage a Proof of Concept Gap Fund
  2. Create and Manage a Start-up Investment Gap Fund
  3. Secure and Sustainin Gap Funding Support from Your State and Region
  4. Turn “Friends of the University” into Gap Fund Investors
  5. Capture and Report Results that Matter to Stakeholders
  6. Attract External Investors to Gap Funded Projects and Start-ups

 

This is a new way of communicating our weekly gap funding news. What do you think?

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