GAP Community News
The University Gap Funding/Accelerator Weekly update, a resource for those interested in university-affiliated translational research, proof of concept, startup, and venture gap fund/accelerator program
University Gap Funding and Accelerator Community News
Mind the Gap Summit: Turn Alumni, Foundations, and Friends of the University into Gap Fund Investors
Donations, endowments, and direct investments from alumni, private foundations, and other stakeholders of the research institution into supporting gap funding programs, is the largest and growing source of proof of concept and startup funding programs. These friends of the university contribute over 50¢ on every dollar into the formation of these funds.
Proof of concept and startup gap funding programs embody the intersection between research institution innovation, societal benefit, and philanthropy. They offer a natural link to engage alumni, foundations, corporations, and friends of the universities.
These funds and programs require coordination between the Tech Commercialization Offices, Corporate & Foundation Relations , Development Offices, and Alumni Offices and are a great example of the emerging trend of campus-wide collaboration in innovation partnership and commercialization priorities.
Join us as we take a multi-perspective approach to how groups are best structuring their programs for philanthropic partnerships as a major source for innovation funding and support.
Think Tank to Shark Tank: Universities and the Entrepreneur Economy
Since the recession in 2008, the American labor market has shifted significantly. The era of the lifelong career is all but over as the gig economy takes hold. What’s more, entrepreneurialism is becoming an increasingly popular pathway to success. Shark
Creation of Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) 30 years ago help fuel Oklahoma startup firms
Author, visionary, and predictor H.G. Wells has been called the father of science fiction. In his most famous book, “The Time Machine,” Wells propels his main character forward by more than 800,000 years to imagined worlds. When Wells was drafting
Former INSEAD students set up $700K fund to invest in alumni start-ups
Two INSEAD alumni have started a new investment firm called InseadAlum Ventures in Singapore with a capital of nearly $700,000 to invest in start-ups founded by ex-students of the international business school. InseadAlum Ventures will invest between $35,000 and $140,000
Invest Georgia plows $3.25 million into Mosley Ventures
Atlanta-based Mosley Ventures has received a $3.25 million investment from Invest Georgia, a state-run venture capital fund. The General Assembly created Invest Georgia back in 2013, an initiative of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, to boost investment in Georgia-based growth and
New Michigan state-backed funds to deploy $4.2 million to early-stage companies
Detroit-based nonprofit will manage a new statewide fund created to provide needed early-stage capital to startups in Michigan. Despite the name and initiatives focused primarily on community development in its hometown, Invest Detroit will spread funding from the $4.2 million,
The UAE announces legal system for venture capital funds
The move comes as part of the projects of the first batch of government accelerators launched earlier by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to expedite the
Two Purdue agricultural startups receive $100,000 from inaugural Ag-celerator fund
Two Purdue agricultural-based startups received investments totaling $100,000 from the Purdue Ag-celerator, a plant sciences innovation fund operated by Purdue Ventures, the capital access arm of the Purdue Foundry, with assistance from the Purdue College of Agriculture, Purdue Research Foundation’s
University of Akron unveils $500K Spark Fund program to fund student, faculty innovations
The University of Akron Research Foundation is unveiling a new program called the Spark Fund to help develop new innovations and technologies among graduate students and faculty.The program, which aims to foster innovations leading to university start-ups, will pay to prototype
Irish Research Council awarded €30m to researchers in 2016
The Irish Research Council’s full-year figures for 2016 detail funding allocated to researchers across the country. In total, in 2016, the Irish Research Council (IRC) granted €30m in funding to 373 new researchers. Details released in late December showed that