New grants to help UCF, Canvs launch $5M seed fund – Orlando Sentinel

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker visited campus in person to unveil the new matching grants: $500,000 from the i6 Challenge program and just under $250,000 from the Regional Innovation Strategies Program. Pritzker said UCF is one of two universities in the U.S. receiving grants from both programs, because it has programs to support new […]

NJHF commits additional $1 million to fund research and innovation grants in N.J.

The New Jersey Health Foundation, a New Brunswick-based nonprofit that funds health research and innovation, on Monday announced a new $1 million funding round, $500,000 of which will fund a new collaboration with Newark-based Nicholson Foundation to help researchers commercialize their ideas. Jim M. Golubieski, foundation president,  said the new Innovation Grants program will provide […]

Purdue Krannert students realize returns through startup venture fund

Purdue University students are acquiring real-world business experience by performing due diligence on startups applying for funding from the Emerging Innovations Fund, an evergreen fund created to accelerate the commercialization of Purdue’s early-stage innovations. The Krannert School of Management’s “Student Managed Venture Fund” course challenges students to complete reports on startups founded on Purdue innovations […]

Md. venture fund helps bring Indiana tech firm to Frederick

A Maryland state-sponsored venture capital fund is helping a growth-minded technology firm move its headquarters from Indiana. The Department of Business and Economic Development said Monday that the Maryland Venture Fund has invested $500,000 in Blue Pillar, a company that makes software to help large organizations manage energy consumption. Blue Pillar’s business relations chief, Scott […]

Phasing Out Michigan Venture Fund Would Hurt State’s Efforts To Help Entrepreneurs

Jim Adox, Chairman of the Michigan Venture Capital Association, and Managing Director of Venture Investors LLC, said phasing out the Venture Michigan Fund – as proposed by the Michigan House Commerce and Trade Committee this week – would have a tremendous negative impact on the state’s efforts to make Michigan more entrepreneur friendly. “In 2003, […]

Penn faculty startup raises $100K from city’s StartUp PHL fund

The City of Philadelphia’s StartUp PHL angel fund has invested $100,000 in Penn faculty startup Gencore Systems. It’s the first time that the fund, run by First Round Capital’s Josh Kopelman, has backed a startup built on research done at a local university. It’s also notable because Gencore Systems is the first startup to come out of Penn’s […]

Tech Launch Arizona Hosts Summit of Leaders to Advance the Impact of Innovation

The process of taking inventions from university research and turning them into patents that can be converted into products and startup companies is long and complex. Given the uniqueness of each university’s research environment and its surrounding ecosystem of businesses, alumni, donors and entrepreneurs, nailing down “best practices” is not easy, either. But this week, […]

U Wisconsin Discovery to Product aids university in commercializing patents

While the University of Wisconsin recently ranked sixth among 100 universities for the number of patents issued in 2013, bringing more of these patents to market remains a challenge. In 2013, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the nonprofit patent and licensing organization for UW, helped with the issuing of 160 patents, according to a UW […]

New Ohio venture fund could help fill a local investment gap – Cleveland Business News – Northeast Ohio and Cleveland – Crain’s Cleveland Business

The “angels” in charge of Northeast Ohio’s newest venture capital fund have been flying below the radar. But they have been busy. Some investors involved with North Coast Angel Fund have formed their own venture capital firm: North Coast Venture Fund. Over the past year, they’ve raised $5 million and invested in seven technology companies, […]