Lorrain Community College Innovation Fund Announces $150K In Six Start-ups
The Innovation Fund, Northeast Ohio’s most active pre-seed fund for technology startups, has awarded $25,000 grants to six young companies. The funding will be used to help the companies validate their technology ideas through the imagining and incubating stages and into demonstrating. “The grants we’ve awarded are so critical to the initial growth of these startups,” […]
University of Akron Student-run Venture Fund Invests In Ohio Start-ups
Student Venture Fund at The University of Akron (SVFUA) is a student-run nonprofit Evergreen fund that provides experiential learning to Akron-area graduate students and pre-seed validation to high potential start-ups that benefit the Northeast Ohio region. Our goal is to create synergistic links between the university, business communities and entrepreneurs to spur education, entrepreneurship and economic […]
GE Aviation and University of Cincinnati Research Institute receive $5M Ohio Third Frontier grant to form research institute
GE Aviation, in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati Research Institute (UCRI), has created the GE Aviation Research Center at the company’s world headquarters in Evendale, Ohio. The Research Center enables GE Aviation engineers and scientists to collaborate with UCRI faculty members and UC students on the Evendale campus to pursue innovations that have direct […]
University of Dayton Alumni Fund Offers $175K To Viable Business Ideas
Now in its seventh year, the competition offers nearly $175,000 in total support with a $25,000 top prize along with expert advice on transforming a great idea into a viable, marketable, innovative business plan. The competition was recognized last year as one of the 15 largest college business plan competitions by Under30CEO, a news and […]
Osage Venture Partners expanding its novel venture firm model
Osage University Partners closed its first fund with $100 million in January 2011. The venture fund has since invested or reserved about half of that $100 million, says managing partner Bill Harrington (pictured above right), an experienced life sciences venture firm executive who joined the firm in 2012. The fund’s life sciences portfolio companies include Kolltan; MC10 of Cambridge, MA, which […]
Ohio TechAngel Fund raises fourth fund with support form Ohio Third Frontier, $610K to back university POC work
The Ohio Third Frontier program has seeded a fourth fund with a $3 million award to the Ohio TechAngel Funds as part of the latest round of distributions from the state bond-backed technology initiative. The Third Frontier Commission approved the award this week as part of $24 million for its Pre-Seed Fund Capitalization Program, which […]
Xavier X-Lab demonstrates key support program success factors
No fund, but Xavier X-LAB demonstrates a systematic approach to early stage concept development through an “internal accelerator/competition” program. From our experience, this program implements three key fundamentals of successful, university-led, gap programs: 1.Engages Innovation Community: An ideal gap program incorporates an extended network of technical, business, and investment professionals into the process. These individuals […]
University of Dayton gets support from Connor Group on new seed fund
The University of Dayton’s entrepreneurship program has made its first investment through a new seed fund to help a new Dayton-based manufacturing business get off the ground. The Connor Group Foundation Seed Investment Fund will provide a $50,000 loan toUDECX LLC. UDECX manufactures a modular decking system with easily assembled decking and patio kits constructed of […]
Few Awards Lead to Frustrations at Third Frontier Fund, Others Point to Recent Program Changes
Many of the people in charge of the Ohio Third Frontier program aren’t happy. Several members of the Third Frontier Commission and Advisory Board expressed deep frustration over the relatively meager number of awards that the technology-focused economic development program has made during fiscal year 2012, which ends on June 30.
Third Frontier moving to loans
The Dayton region has received nearly $128 million in Ohio Third Frontier funds since 2002, but emerging changes at the bipartisan economic development program have slowed the pace of statewide funding for the current fiscal year.