Gifts to Venture Development Fund could mean state tax credit
Helpful tools for mental and behavioral health professionals. An adjustable desktop shade for using screens in offices with natural light. An app to improve health by spending time in nature. Those are just some of the ways that new enterprises supported by the University Venture Development Fund benefit society. Oregonians who give to the fund […]
Even in a flat economy, the U Oregon continues to spin off innovation
By many measures, it’s been a tough year to be in business. But at the University of Oregon, researchers are continuing to transform their discoveries into commercial success. In the 2021 fiscal year, from July 2020 through June 2021, the UO filed for 14 new patents and UO researchers launched two new companies based on […]
Oregon’s First Commercialization Gap Fund to Support Science and Invention Based Startups
The Fund made 15 investments in 12 months, with check sizes varying from $50,000 to $250,000—supporting key points in business development and providing companies with the capital to hit their technology milestones. Of these startup companies, one-third are led by women, and 27% have minority or immigrant founders. Through Elevate Capital’s work with the Gap Fund, the process […]
Oregon Venture Fund adds new principal as it aspires to bigger investments
Oregon hasn’t produced many prominent startups in the past two decades, but among those that have thrived, a large portion have one thing in common: an early investment from the Oregon Venture Fund. The regional firm manages $250 million in investments and says it has produced a 34% average annual return for its investors since […]
Portland Seed Fund stands to reap a windfall from Seattle company’s $6.5 billion sale
A major technology deal in Seattle could have big implications for entrepreneurship in Portland. Identity authentication startup Auth0 sold Wednesday for $6.5 billion in stock to Okta, a larger rival that provides its own security technology. Founded in 2013, Auth0 received early funding from the Portland Seed Fund, which backs early stage companies in the […]
University of Oregon opens new bioengineering and health research center
The University of Oregon (UO) is celebrating the official opening of the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact. “This marks a transformational moment in our university’s 144-year history,” UO president Michael H. Schill said. “The Knight Campus builds upon our proud history of exceptional basic science and immediately broadens and deepens our impact […]
Cascade Seed Fund raising sixth fund to invest in more Pacific Northwest startups
Early-stage entrepreneurs in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest have a new source of funding available. Cascade Angels Fund today announced that it is rebranding as Cascade Seed Fund, which just raised $5.4 million for an initial close of its sixth fund. The Bend, Ore.-based firm aims to make an average investment of $250,000 in young tech […]
Portland Seed Fund raises $13.9M for third fund, looks to invest in more early-stage startups
Portland Seed Fund has raised its largest fund yet as the firm looks to invest in more startups up and down the west coast. PSF just closed its third fund, raising $13.9 million, nearly double the size of its second fund and triple the size of its first. The firm, founded in 2011, is one of […]
I3 seed funding program awards grants to five research teams
Five interdisciplinary teams have been awarded seed funding to pursue innovative research projects. The recipients of the 2019 Incubating Interdisciplinary Initiatives awards, known as I3 awards, were announced by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation. The program will award up to $50,000 to the following UO research teams: Heidi Kaufman, English, with […]
U Oregona Interdisciplinary research seed funding program returns
A popular seed funding program designed to make it easier for UO faculty members to launch multidisciplinary projects is back with a new emphasis on helping researchers and scholars connect with one another. The 2019 Incubating Interdisciplinary Initiatives, or I 3, award program will kick off with a Feb. 4 information and “speed networking” session. “We […]