Japan unveils $88 bln university fund in growth strategy

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed on Monday to establish an $88 billion university fund to promote Japan as a science and technology nation as part of a growth strategy needed to distribute wealth to the wider public. Some of the growth initiatives, like the university fund, will likely be featured in the planned stimulus […]

$6.5M state investment in Michigan Rise to fuel more startup funding

An additional $6.5 million state investment gives pre-seed fund Michigan Rise more capital to back a strong pipeline of startup companies. Created a year ago and administered by the Michigan State University Foundation, Michigan Rise has at least 10 startups awaiting investments. The Michigan Economic Development Corp. expects Michigan Rise to invest $2.5 million in 15 startups in […]

CIT GAP Funds Invests in BloomCatch to Advance the Next

The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds, the direct investment program of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA) Investment Division, has invested in Centreville, Va.-based BloomCatch. BloomCatch is a versatile mobile plant identification app that combines cutting edge machine learning with live human experiences to connect plant parents to plant experts […]

Polsky Center Teams Up with $15 Million Great Lakes Innovation Hub to Catalyze Innovation in the Midwest 

The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation has joined the Great Lakes Innovation Corps Hub, which was established by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support innovation in the Midwest ecosystem. The $15 million Hub is one of five across the country that the NSF announced today – a decade after originally launching the Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. Since 2011 more […]

CIT GAP Funds Invests in ArchiveCore to Simplify Healthcare

The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds, the direct investment program of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA) Investment Division, has invested in Roanoke, Va.-based ArchiveCore. ArchiveCore’s cloud-based distributed ledger technology reduces administrative delays and costs in the process of credentialing healthcare professionals. The startup will use this GAP Funds investment […]

Michigan MEDC Strategic Fund Approves $6.5M for High-tech Startups 

The Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) in Lansing announced the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) has approved a grant amendment for $6.5 million for the Michigan State University Foundation to support high-tech startup companies and innovative technologies in Michigan at the university level through the Pre-Seed III fund. The Pre-Seed Fund was created to provide early-stage […]

Rowan Innovations: Moving great ideas from the lab to the marketplace 

Rowan University researchers are developing promising ideas and new technology in their labs—the trick is getting their new inventions out into the marketplace. The National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program accelerates the commercialization process. Since 2018, Rowan researchers have earned 10 national I-Corps awards, plus another through the National Institutes of Health—more than any other R2 […]

New Loyola Angels Fund will support venture capital education 

Loyola University Maryland has created the Loyola Angels Fund, which supports the launch of a yearlong interdisciplinary undergraduate learning opportunity that ultimately provides student innovators with angel investment experience while serving as a funding vehicle for local under-resourced entrepreneurs, especially Baltimore-based Black-, Brown-, and female-owned businesses. Loyola recently expanded its fundraising goal, from $100,000 to […]

National Security Academic Accelerator pilot program advances ASU faculty and student ideas, technologies

The recently launched National Security Academic Accelerator (NSA2) pilot program at Arizona State University created a unique opportunity for ASU faculty, researchers and students. A partnership with the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), NSA2 was created as a means for working with top research institutions to support and advance development of dual-use ventures capable of serving both commercial and […]

University City Science Center is launching a VC arm to invest in health equity startups

University City Science Center, an organization central to the region’s burgeoning life sciences sector, announced Wednesday the creation of its fourth “strategic pillar” — a venture capital arm that will deploy funds to startups addressing health inequities for underserved populations. This addition of a capital arm adds to the nonprofit’s existing work, which it describes […]