Gap funding at universities is a direct response to the capital gap formed by fleeting sources of traditional technology and start-up development capital. These funds are active at over 100 universities and supplement important stages innovation evaluation and commercialization. They have demonstrated impact in commercialization rates, return on investment, attraction of third-party investors, and economic development/job creation.
The goal of the Gap Funding Activity Reports is to advocate for and inform practitioners and the general public on the importance of this funding mechanism to the future of technology and start-up development.
We will use this time to develop the report and assess information of value, including:
- Positioning of university-affiliated gap funding with other traditional forms of funding like angel, venture capital
- Market-level info on investment activity and funding levels
- Technology areas of investment
- Targeted industry sectors
- Best practice fund examples
Participants reported 28 projects funded this quarter for a total of $2.9M
Full report: Q3 2013