Virginia Innovation Partnerships puts $861K in 18 university research projects
A statewide network designed to accelerate innovation and economic growth has awarded $861,086 to 18 university research projects across the commonwealth. The Virginia Innovation Partnership, created last fall as part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s i6 Challenge, provides proof-of-concept funding to advance early-stage research, also connecting academic researchers with mentors, corporations and investors to accelerate commercialization of the […]
Clearside Biomedical, GA Tech venture spin-out, lands $7.9M investment
Clearside Biomedical, Inc. an Atlanta-based ophthalmic pharmaceutical company launched from research at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, has received $7.9 million in funding to continue drug and technology development for treatment of ocular diseases. The new funding is in addition to a $4 million venture capital investment received by Clearside Biomedical in […]
WARF, State of Wisconsin create new early-stage venture capital fund for information technology
The State of Wisconsin Investment Board and Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation are creating an early-stage venture capital fund focused on information technology. Called 4490 Ventures, a reference to the 44° N latitude and 90° W longitude lines that approximate the center of the state of Wisconsin, the $30 million fund will focus on early-stage companies […]
UCSD student fund invests $25K in Savara Pharmaceuticals, a Texas start-up
After launching its student-run Rady Venture Fund three years ago, UCSD’s Rady School of Management says today it has invested $25,000 in its biggest deal so far—a $16 million Series B investment in Savara Pharmaceuticals of Austin, TX. Savara, founded in 2007, is in mid-stage development of an inhaled antibiotic to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in […]
Washington Post coverage of sequester impact on university research
About $30 billion a year flows from Washington to universities for research and development in fields from agriculture to astrophysics. This funding has helped make leading U.S. research universities, including Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and the University of Maryland in College Park, the envy of the world. But the federal budget sequester that took effect […]
Michigan Accelerator Fund invests $4.8M into seven companies
In a quest to fill West Michigan’s early-stage funding gap, the $15 million Michigan Accelerator Fund I has invested $4.8 million in seven companies, with an additional $3 million earmarked for add-on investments in those companies.
Life Sciences Discovery Fund supports $750K in health-related technologies
SEATTLE, Washington, March 11, 2013 — The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) today announced nearly $750,000 in Proof of Concept grants to three Washington organizations to support transition of promising health-related technologies from concept to commercial product. Also announced was up to $1.4 million in matching funds to the University of Washington to foster technology […]
CT Innovations puts $950K into six start-ups
Six more fledgling New Haven County tech firm got a combined $950,000 financial lift from Connecticut’s quasi-public technology-investment promoter. Connecticut Innovations Inc. in Rocky Hill announced Monday the investment through its Pre-Seed Fund.
Purdue University backs $250K for life sciences companies through Emerging Innovations Fund
Two life sciences companies that are commercializing Purdue University innovations can receive up to $250,000 in investments from the Emerging Innovations Fund, an evergreen fund created to accelerate the commercialization of early-stage discoveries.
Google acquires U Toronto start-up, DNNresearch
The University of Toronto computer science department confirmed today that Google has acquired one of their startups lead by professor Geoffrey Hinton. DNNresearch Inc. was incorporated in 2012 and includes two of Hinton’s graduate students, Alex Krizhevsky and Ilya Sutskever. The startup focuses on deep neural networks (or “deep learning”) and will assist Google in the realm […]