New Mexico Investment Council OKs new startups fund
The State Investment Council drew broad praise on Tuesday for approving a new funding program that could allow up to $40 million or more to flow into startup companies statewide.The council unanimously approved the establishment of a new $20 million “fund of funds” that will provide money to micro funds around the state that invest […]
Ann Arbor-based Millendo scores $62M investment
An Ann Arbor-based start-up drug company with roots in the University of Michigan scored a $62 million buy-in from outside investors because of its early work on treatments for several medical conditions, including some affecting women. The so-called Series B investment secured by Millendo Therapeutics follows an earlier round of investment that raised $16 million in 2012, company officials said. The $62-million […]
University College London sets up £50 million fund for technology commercialisation
University College London (UCL) has established a £50 million fund to invest in intellectual property developed on its campus. The fund will provide money for academics to do initial proof of concept work, licensing projects and forming start-ups. Although UCL research has in the past formed the basis of 67 companies, this is the first […]
Ryerson University Partnership to Promote Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship
Ryerson University has formed a new collaboration with Prince Edward/Lennox & Addington Community Futures Development Corporation , First Stone Venture Partners, and the Eastern Ontario Regional Network to promote research and technological innovation, and to attract and accelerate startups and advance economic development in Ontario regions. “PELA CFDC and the new Upper Canada Equity Fund is […]
Commentary: America’s Seed Fund is powering Texas innovation
Innovation is the critical ingredient to creating and growing a successful start-up, but innovation requires money – money that can be very hard to find, especially if your innovation is “high-risk/high-reward.” Wouldn’t it be great if a venture capitalist investor came to Texas, offering $2.5 billion seed investments in cutting edge technologies created by early […]
Invent Penn State: Power of partnerships in innovation
Earlier this year, Penn State President Eric Barron unveiled Invent Penn State, an initiative to spur economic development in Pennsylvania, propelling Happy Valley into a hub for innovation. This is an audacious goal, and the announcement has created significant activity and a groundswell of optimism from those eager to get involved. Invent Penn State is […]
KAUST, ICD, Anfaal Capital to form venture capital fund
The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), the private sector arm of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB), in collaboration with Anfaal Capital, agreed to establish a Saudi Arabia-focused venture capital fund last Monday. The joint initiative aims to promote and […]
U Michigan Spin-off Akadeum gets $1 million seed
There have been two recent votes of confidence for Ann Arbor-based Akadeum Life Sciences Inc., a 2014 spinoff from the University of Michigan. In October, it finished raising a seed round of $1 million, which will fund product development and beef up sales and marketing. Normally that would be the big news. But that was overshadowed by […]
50 Dartmouth alums invest $1.5M venture capital fund
Nearly 50 Dartmouth College alums contributed more than $1.5 million in the Green D Angels to pool funds to invest in Dartmouth entrepreneurs. The initial close of its second venture capital fund already exceeded the total of $1.5 million raised for an earlier fund. It’s anticipated that 100 Dartmouth alums will participate in the ongoing […]
Investment Firms Nurture University Start-ups
In 2001, in exchange for $30 million to help the University of Oxford build a new chemistry building, the firm now known as IP Group won the right to get stakes in start-ups formed around the chemistry department’s intellectual property. Today, IP Group commercializes technology not only from Oxford but also from 14 other U.K. universities. […]