Mercia investors warm to group’s approach to university start-ups
If only investors had it that easy: gaining some exposure to the next hot start-up without the risk that it might fail. Several University spinout groups such as Imperial Innovations and IP Group have had mixed fortunes as investors took fright after the 2008 financial crisis. Now, Mercia Technologies, which listed on Aim last December, […]
$474M Fund Will Support Oxford University Spinouts | TechCrunch
A new £300 million U.K. fund has been set up to support high tech startups looking to spin out of the University of Oxford. The fund is being raised by Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI), a newly formed company that is working in partnership with Oxford University and its commercialization arm, Isis Innovation. The two entities will work to establish new IP-driven […]
University of Edinburgh refreshes £6million venture fund
The University of Edinburgh has approved a £6million recapitalisation of its in-house venture capital fund Old College Capital (OCC), which provides growth and development finance into companies associated with the university. The fund, established in 2011 with support from the university and its endowment, works in partnership with investors interested in businesses with high growth […]
Mercia launches start-up competition for Life Sciences Sector
Mercia Fund Management (MFM), one of the leading UK technology investors, announces the launch of its quarterly start-up competition, The Pitch, with the chance for the winner to receive £3000. This quarter’s competition focuses on businesses within the Life Sciences sector. Mercia is currently inviting applications from the life science sector, specifically biotechnology, medical devices […]
Drugmakers, UK start $100M venture to fund creation of Alzheimer’s drugs
Major drugmakers, the British government and a top Alzheimer’s research charity are pooling more than $100 million to create a global fund to accelerate efforts to find a treatment or even a cure for the mind-robbing disease within a decade. The new Dementia Discovery Fund will function like a venture capital fund. It will identify […]
Two UK universities become investors in Mercia Technologies
They join the University of Leicester, Coventry University, Birmingham City University and Staffordshire University as investors in Mercia Technologies, which floated on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) on 18th December 2014. The six are among the nine UK universities and research centres with which Mercia Technologies has collaborative relationships. They provide a consistent pipeline of […]
University of Oxford Isis Fund II reaches funding target of £2m, closes — Medical Sciences Division, Oxford
The fund achieved its initial target in less than four weeks and will close at almost twice that level. Isis Innovation executive director Linda Naylor said: “In 2014, Isis Innovation oversaw a record £2.6m in proof-of-concept funding flow into over twenty new Oxford technologies and ventures. The first University of Oxford Isis Fund was a […]
York University invites next phase of the Academic Innovation Fund
Do you have a great idea or concept for how to expand and advance York University’s priorities in eLearning, experiential education (EE) and enhancing the first-year experience? Why not consider putting your ideas into action by developing a project submission for consideration as part of phase two of York University’s highly successful Academic Innovation Fund […]
Cambridge image fusion tech improves experience of colour-blind viewers
One in 12 of the male population globally (or the 1 in 200 females) suffers from colour blindness. The level of frustration felt by these people stems from their inability or decreased ability to see colour, or perceive colour differences, under normal lighting conditions. One example of the problem caused by colour blindness is the […]
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 […]