Michigan universities capitalize on growth of state venture capital industry
When EDF Ventures launched in Ann Arbor in 1987 to invest in university-based technologies, the University of Michigan had one person working part time on technology transfer. And at the time, the only other local venture capitalist in Southeast Michigan was Ian Bund. “We were considered an oddity,” said EDF co-founder Mary Campbell. ” ‘You’re […]
Xfund Closes $100M Fund as Venture Firms and Universities Get Cozier
[Updated, 1:05pm] Big universities are trying to figure out this venture capital thing. Should they form partnerships with specific venture firms? Should they start their own funds and incubators? How best to do that? The latest exhibit is the venture firm Xfund (originally called Experiment Fund), which is affiliated with Harvard University and says it […]
Boris launches London tech start-up fund
The mayor’s office says the fund is expected to help over 150 small businesses over the next three years, creating up to 2,600 new jobs. The £85 million pot will recieve £25 million from the mayor’s office through its ‘Growing Places Fund’, as well as up to £60 million from the private sector. The fund is intended […]
Mercury Bets On Midcontinent With New 105M Seed Fund
Early-stage science startup venture capital firm Mercury Fund will close its Mercury Fund III with $105 million in commitments it says it will use to target some of the biotech markets most promising startups and entrepreneurs in the Southwest, Midwest and Rocky Mountain regions. “We are grateful to our new and existing investors for their […]
Feds announce new $15 M fund for social innovation research | Academica Group – Research and Consulting for Higher Education
The federal government last week announced the launch of the new Community and College Social Innovation Fund, designed to fund applied research at colleges and polytechnics that addresses social issues including poverty, crime prevention, community safety, and economic development at the community level. The $15 M fund will be administered by SSHRC as a pilot […]
Medical device startup benefits from Philadelphia seed fund
Two years after the city of Philadelphia launched a $3 million seed fund, the fund has invested in a medical device company — one of four companies to receive investments topping $700,000 and the only healthcare business among them.Velano Vascular received $400,000 from the fund. The medical device company is developing a needle-free approach to […]
New Eagle Repays Funding to Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund After Successful Product Launch, Sales
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Ann Arbor SPARK business accelerator client New Eagle recently repaid the $250,000 Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund award that it received in 2012. The money will be reinvested in to the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund to support other entrepreneurial endeavors in the state. New Eagle, an engineering firm […]
University of Cincinnat Accelerator Gets $1 Million from Ohio’s Third Frontier Program
The University of Cincinnati (UC) Technology Commercialization Accelerator has received a funding renewal of $1 million from Ohio’s Third Frontier Commission, double the amount the accelerator received in an initial round of funds from the Third Frontier in 2012. The award comes via the Third Frontier Entrepreneur Signature Program, which runs through CincyTech and will […]
Houston venture capital firm opens Ann Arbor office headed by U Michigan Graduate
University of Michigan graduate and serial entrepreneur Adrian Fortinio will lead a new office for the Houston-based Mercury Fund–a venture capital firm–according to a report in Crain’s Detroit Business. Fortino co-founded FlockTag and was a vice president at Invest Detroit before being tapped to lead Mercury’s new Ann Arbor office. The firm, which raised more […]
Venture’s funding reaches $2.5 million with help from Next Level Ventures
VIDA Diagnostics, a venture out of the University of Iowa Research Park (UIRP) BioVentures Center, recently received $2 million in funding from Next Level Ventures (NLV), a Des Moines venture capital firm created to invest in Iowa companies. This $2 million investment and the $500,000 Iowa Innovation Fund granted in September total $2.5 million dollars […]