Ann Arbor-based Millendo scores $62M investment

An Ann Arbor-based start-up drug company with roots in the University of Michigan scored a $62 million buy-in from outside investors because of its early work on treatments for several medical conditions, including some affecting  women. The so-called Series B investment secured by Millendo Therapeutics follows an earlier round of investment that raised $16 million in 2012, company officials said. The $62-million […]

Hong Kong launches $256m tech fund for startups

Hong Kong has launched a HK$2 billion (US$256.94 million) innovation and technology venture fund, aimed at investing in and growing Hong Kong-based startup ventures andreflecting a growing ecosystem. The Hong Kong Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (HKVCA) welcomed the announcement by Hong Kong’s chief executive, Leung Chun-Ying,  at his 2016 Policy Address. This comes amidst recent growth in Hong Kong’s startup […]

University College London sets up £50 million fund for technology commercialisation 

University College London (UCL) has established a £50 million fund to invest in intellectual property developed on its campus. The fund will provide money for academics to do initial proof of concept work, licensing projects and forming start-ups. Although UCL research has in the past formed the basis of 67 companies, this is the first […]

Israel ready to fund joint R&D investment fund

If the federal government does not grab the opportunity presented by Israel to set up a jointly funded research and development fund we will know all the talk out of Canberra about innovation is hollow rhetoric. Israel would welcome an R&D partnership fund. That was made clear to Chanticleer on Monday during an interview with […]

Enterprise Ireland ranked third best venture capital fund in world for seed investment

Investors are ranked by the number of seed rounds since 2010. Executive director at Enterprise Ireland, Kevin Sherry, said that getting funding for start-up companies is a crucial function of EI. “A key focus for Enterprise Ireland is providing seed capital to start-up companies and we are delighted to have been ranked third among top […]

Commentary: America’s Seed Fund is powering Texas innovation

Innovation is the critical ingredient to creating and growing a successful start-up, but innovation requires money – money that can be very hard to find, especially if your innovation is “high-risk/high-reward.” Wouldn’t it be great if a venture capitalist investor came to Texas, offering $2.5 billion seed investments in cutting edge technologies created by early […]

UI awards $625,000 in funding to help faculty members turn inventions into businesses

A desalination device that also creates electricity and a screening system to detect symptoms of delirium are among the University of Iowa faculty inventions that were awarded a total of $625,000 in gap funding by the University of Iowa Research Foundation (UIRF). In place since 2007, the UI Commercialization GAP Fund Program has been highly […]

Invent Penn State: Power of partnerships in innovation

Earlier this year, Penn State President Eric Barron unveiled Invent Penn State, an initiative to spur economic development in Pennsylvania, propelling Happy Valley into a hub for innovation. This is an audacious goal, and the announcement has created significant activity and a groundswell of optimism from those eager to get involved. Invent Penn State is […]