Transition in Tech Transfer: Will MIT Ever Start a Venture Fund?

By the end of June, Lita Nelsen will retire from MIT’s Technology Licensing Office, where she has worked for 30 years. She has been director of the office since 1993 and has seen a lot of things. Nelsen recently sat down with Xconomy to talk about trends in tech transfer and entrepreneurship. One timely issue: […]

4 universities form Triangle Venture Alliance to fund startups 

Boosted by a $250,000 federal grant, four Triangle Universities are forming the Triangle Venture Alliance which plans to work with alumni in funding startups. The alliance is the second major boost to emerging ventures in the Triangle in two days, NCSU having announced a new $1M fund and accelerator as well on Tuesday. Duke disclosed […]

New early-stage venture fund forming with eye on Pittsburgh startups

Pittsburgh-area entrepreneurs will soon have another funding option for growing early phase startup companies. Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has thrown its support behind the creation of a $100 million venture capital fund, which will help meet a need for early stage business startup capital in the Pittsburgh area. Philadelphia-based SG3 Ventures anticipates awarding its first round […]

Rogue launches new venture fund with Oregon State

Portland investment firm Rogue Venture Partners is launching a new startup fund with Oregon State University. Rogue has already raised $4 million for the current fund and hopes to raise between $10 million and $20 million by the end of that, according to Tom Sperry, the firm’s managing director. He said Oregon State has committed […]

Maryland TEDCO’s $1 billion economic impact could be bigger

The Maryland Technology Development Corp. contributed $1 billion to the state’s economy and created more than 4,000 jobs in 2015, according to a new study. In a December report, nonprofit research firm Battelle described TEDCO’s economic impact as a significant and growing contribution to Maryland’s economy, but also pointed to room for improvement. TEDCO lags […]

Purdue University $10M Fund Focuses on Startups

Purdue University has announced a $10 million fund for entrepreneurs to launch businesses. The Purdue Startup Fund will be jointly funded by alumni of the university and the Purdue Research Foundation. Purdue Foundry Director of Venture Capital and Funding Resources John Hanak says he expects the new fund to boost startup activity. “What makes this […]

University of Chicago to Get $50 Million From Venture Capitalist 

Nearly four years ago, the venture capitalist Michael Moritz donated $115 million to his alma mater, the University of Oxford, to bolster the British university’s financial assistance efforts. Now Mr. Moritz, the chairman of Sequoia Capital, and his wife, Harriet Heyman, are providing a similar gift for an American institution. The University of Chicago plans […]

MichBio report outlines path to continued life sciences industry investment, gap funding

A new roadmap aims to reboot efforts to build Michigan’s life sciences industry and compete with similar clusters around the U.S. and the world. While the industry has come far in the last decade-plus and offers “strong assets,” it remains uncompetitive compared to other states and requires a renewed private- and public-sector effort to grow and […]

University City Science Center awards $600k in funding to 4 researchers 

Four university researchers just received a nice financial boost from the University City Science Center. The researchers will receive a share of the $600,000 award to develop technologies that could lead to new gene and cell therapies, as well as help nurses and physical therapists do their jobs more effectively. Half of the $600,000 will […]

U Hawaii Accelerator Awarded Funds to Expand Outreach

The University of Hawai‘i’s proof of concept center/venture accelerator XLR8UH was recently awarded a $500,000 grant from the Economic Development Administration to expand its successful commercialization efforts statewide, including underserved rural communities on the Neighbor Islands.The grant is part of the EDA’s 2015 Regional Innovation Strategies Program, a cutting-edge federal program that supports initiatives to stimulate innovation […]