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University Gap Funding and Accelerator Community News
6 Student Ventures Awarded Fall 2025 Orange Innovation Fund Grants
The University has announced the recipients of the Fall 2025 Orange Innovation Fund, a competitive grant program that fuels early-stage ideas developed by student entrepreneurs. The fund supports innovative projects across campus that demonstrate strong potential to commercialize research. The fund, administered through the University Libraries, is designed to help student founders
UT Discovery to Impact Opens Off-Campus Lab Space for Private Sector to Accelerate Life Sciences Research
The University of Texas at Austin’s Discovery to Impact unit has opened a 10,000-square-foot off-campus wet lab in North Austin aimed at accelerating life-sciences commercialization by offering private-sector companies access to university research infrastructure and expertise.What’s new: The facility features 33 modular benches, high-end equipment (e.g., Agilent Cytation C10),
Monash University biotech spinout Rage lands $29 million Series A
The round was led by IP Group Australia and super fund Hostplus, with support from existing investors including Monash Ventures. The funds will go towards first-in-human clinical trials for Rage’s nasal therapy to treat inflammatory lung diseases The startup’s name is an acronym of Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE), a
La Trobe University launches fund to invest in start-ups
The Omni-System has been developed by start-up company Gaia Project Australia (GPA) in collaboration with La Trobe researchers from the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (SCEMS) and the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment (SABE). The company’s flagship product is set to revolutionise Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), with

GAP Commentary: Can Universities Really Run Venture Studios? A Look at What It Would Take.
Whenever I see the term “university venture studio”, I have a click-whirr response that brings me back to when this conversation really started for me. It was 2023, during a panel at Covergence, where we explored whether the venture studio model could realistically migrate into a university setting. Two questions
University of Calgary – UCeed Startup Investment Funds celebrate five years of impact with $30M under management and first portfolio exit
In just five years, UCeed has redefined how universities fuel innovation and drive economic growth in Canada. What started as a bold idea to accelerate research from lab to market has grown into Canada’s largest university-based investment fund of its kind, powered by philanthropy and rooted in UCalgary’s culture of
Seattle startup insiders lead new Service Provider Capital fund investing in PNW tech startups
Seattle’s startup lawyers and bankers have long helped founders raise capital. Now they’re pooling some of their own money to invest in promising early stage tech companies across the Pacific Northwest. A trio of longtime Seattle startup service providers — Minh Le of Stifel Bank and Craig Sherman and David Wickwire of Wilson Sonsini — are teaming
Universities are a natural home for innovation’s riskiest steps – UK Perspective
At the end of October, UK science minister Patrick Vallance announced the Dementia Patient Flow R&I Challenge. The call is the latest under the government’s flagship £500 million R&D Missions Accelerator Programme. The government’s challenge, backed with £5m of public money, is for researchers and innovators to step up with bold ideas
Tulane Awards $150K to Advance Innovation through Provost’s Proof of Concept (PPOC) funding
Three research teams from the Tulane University School of Science and Engineering have received Provost’s Proof of Concept (PPOC) funding from the Tulane Innovation Institute to advance their research into real-world applications that address global challenges and could potentially save lives. These projects include protecting Louisiana’s coastline from storms, using AI to convert privacy-compliant healthcare
Galvanizing Impact: Vanderbilt’s Catalyst Grants fuel research
“The Innovation Catalyst Fund is a powerful accelerator that helps our faculty turn bold ideas into tangible impact,” says Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver. “From adaptive learning tools to lifesaving medical technologies, these projects exemplify how our commitment to innovation is shaping a better future.

The Innovation Blind Spot: Why Corporates and Investors Are Overlooking the GAP Map
Everyone talks about “innovation ecosystems,” but the conversation and capital still flow to the same familiar hubs: Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin, New York. Meanwhile, the Midwest, Great Plains, and Southeast are producing a steady stream of world-class research, technologies, and startup founders. These regions aren’t short on innovation. They’re short
Indiana U Angel Network Invests in PrecisionCare AI to Advance Breakthrough in Soft Tissue Therapy
The IU Angel Network, an investment vehicle of IU Ventures, today announced an investment in PrecisionCare AI, a Boomerang Ventures portfolio company pioneering Quantifiable Soft Tissue Manipulation (QSTM™)–a first-of-its-kind technology delivering objective, data-driven insights for physical therapists. Based on years of research, QSTM is designed to optimize treatment, personalize care,
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