Research Institution Gap Funding and Accelerator Programs (GAP) Insights

Investment Overview CroíValve, a Trinity College Dublin spinout and clinical-stage medical device company, has expanded its Series B financing through: • $20 million Series B expansion financing • $7 million in European Innovation Council (EIC) and DTIF grant funding This brings: • Total Series B financing to $36 million •

Investment Overview Lumenai, a startup incubated through the Oxford University Innovation Startup Incubator, has secured pre-seed investment from Corpora.ai to expand commercialization of its Human Capability Indexing (HCIx) technology. Founded by Antonia Manoochehri, Lumenai has developed a behavioral intelligence platform that measures human capabilities often overlooked by traditional hiring and

Summary Research originating from Harvard University and supported by the Harvard Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator (BBA) has helped produce one of the most promising new approaches to treating previously “undruggable” diseases. Chemical biologist Greg Verdine developed a novel technology known as stapled peptides, or helicons, that enables therapeutics to reach and

The University of California, Berkeley has received a transformational $13.5 million commitment from alumni Matt and Lisa Sonsini to expand the Academic Innovation Catalyst (AIC), a program designed to help researchers move breakthrough discoveries from the laboratory toward commercialization. While the funding itself is significant, the larger story is what

Program Overview The George Shultz Innovation Fund, managed through the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center, awarded $500,000 across two startups in its 2026 competition. The fund was established to help promising University of Chicago technologies navigate the commercialization gap between academic research and external investment. Program Impact Since Launch: •

Program Overview Penn State’s Commercialization GAP Fund awarded 12 research teams with $75,000 each to accelerate proof-of-concept technologies toward commercialization. The program is funded by the Penn State Research Foundation and administered through the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT). According to Bin Yan, Director of OTT and Associate Vice President

Award & Investment Overview University of Michigan spinout Volt Harbor has secured $2 million in seed financing from MFV Partners to accelerate commercialization of its MAC-BESS energy storage platform. Founded by former University of Michigan professor Al-Thaddeus Avestruz, Volt Harbor has licensed six patents from the university and is developing