Bumper year for NUI Galway startups as they reaped €35m in investment funds
In a very successful year for innovation during 2018, NUI Galway start-ups secured €35 million between private equity investment and research funding while the 36 companies based at the university’s Business Innovation Centre now employ 173 people, which represents an increase of 20 per cent over 2017. The year also saw NUI Galway sign more […]
Samsung Ventures Funded Blockchain
Samsung backed blockchain startup Aergo has received $30 million in venture funding, according to release from the company. Aergo is a partner of South Korea based Blocko – an enterprise blockchain provider. Aergo allows businesses to build applications and services by sharing data on a trustless and distributed IT ecosystem. Blocko plans to use the Aergo platform to offer […]
Honda partners with universities to investigate human-like AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) that reasons like a human remains elusive, but Hondahopes to make inroads. The Tokyo company’s U.S.-based Research Institute today announced a collaboration with three academic institutions — the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), and the University of Washington — to advance the field of artificial cognition. MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial […]
Michigan Strategic Fund Approves Extensions for Business Incubators, Grant Programs Supporting Early-Stage and Commercialization of Tech Companies
Aimed at supporting the continued economic growth and stimulation of Michigan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF)—administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)—has approved funding extensions totaling $1.8 million for six statewide programs. Each program strategically capitalizes on resources allocated through state funding to promote early-stage startups and the commercialization of cutting-edge technologies. […]
RGU’s Start-up Accelerator to boost Aberdeenshire innovation
Robert Gordon University’s (RGU) new initiative, the first funded programme of its kind in the north-east of Scotland, will support 28 entrepreneurial teams of students, staff and recent alumni from RGU and North East Scotland College (NESCol). Organisers hope the programme will help the region’s entrepreneurs and innovators create new businesses. The business teams will receive training and expert […]
UNICEF’s Innovation Fund announces first cohort of blockchain investments in emerging markets
Six companies in developing and emerging economies will receive investment from UNICEF’s Innovation Fund to solve global challenges using blockchain technology. The UNICEF Innovation Fund will invest up to $100,000 USD in the six companies; Atix Labs, Onesmart,Prescrypto, Statwig, Utopixar and W3 Engineers to deliver open-source prototypes of blockchain applications within 12-months. Selected from more than 100 applications across 50 countries, these six […]
Elevate Ventures makes three-year investment commitment to Bloomington, Columbus
Elevate Ventures, Bloomington-based incubator The Mill and the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday announced they have entered a three-year agreement to invest $2.5 million to bolster the entrepreneurial ecosystems in Bartholomew, Brown and Monroe counties. The announcement was made at Big Woods at Hard Truth Hills restaurant in Nashville. The regional partners plan […]
Calibrate Ventures Closes Inaugural Early Stage Venture Fund
Calibrate Ventures (“Calibrate”), a venture capital firm focused on backing transformative companies across the consumer and enterprise sectors, today announced the successful closing of its inaugural fund, Calibrate Ventures, L.P. (the “Fund”), with nearly $80 million in total capital commitments. Calibrate was founded in 2017 by veteran investors Kevin Dunlap and Jason Schoettler, who have […]
Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund Benefits Companies in EU
Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen has congratulated the four Limerick “groundbreaking projects” that have received €17.2 million under the first round of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund. The successful Limerick projects are: A consortium including Curran Scientific, Raheen, will receive a maximum of €8.4 million towards a […]
Tsinghua University investment unit to back Japanese high-tech startups
China’s Tsinghua University’s investment unit is set to become one of Japan’s biggest supporters of high-tech startups, with plans to invest 4 billion yuan ($584 million) over several years in artificial intelligence and robotics ventures. Tus-Holdings, the leading research university’s investment arm, established an office late last month with UTokyo Innovation Platform, its counterpart under the University of Tokyo. […]