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THE VALLEY OF DEATHBRIDGINGCrossing the “Valley of Death” is a major challenge in moving promising university technology from the lab to commercial and investment partners
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UNIVERSITY GAP FUNDS AND ACCELERATORSCOLLABORATION THROUGHUniversities are implementing gap funding and accelerator programs to bridge this system weakness. Smart corporations and investors are collaborating with universities at this stage to tap into future technologies, investments, and insights
Developing and Sharing Best Practices
Create and expand access to best practices, insights, tactics, and benchmarking to support program improvement and stakeholder development
Increase public/private awareness of the capital and support gap for university innovation and build consensus around gap funding as a solution
Connect university translational research, proof of concept projects, and startups to sources of capital, talent, and commercialization partnerships
University Gap Funding and Accelerator Community News
IllinoisVENTURES funds startups across University system
Tom Parkinson was looking for an opportunity to work with tech-based startups in a research university setting. He found IllinoisVENTURES and became the senior director of the program. IllinoisVENTURES is a capital firm devoted to assisting entrepreneurs, including faculty, students and alumni from the three campuses of the University of Illinois [...]
15 Key Questions Venture Capitalists Will Ask Before Investing In Your Startup
Venture capitalists make decisions constantly about whether or not to invest in various startups. The majority of the time, the answer is no. There can be many reasons for this decision, including that the startup is not within the firm’s focus or stage of desired investment. But assuming the company is within the [...]
University of Cambridge-Backed €175M Fund to Supercharge Local Life Sciences Ecosystem
The money will support the 25 companies in the fund’s portfolio, including the biotech Bicycle Therapeutics, whose peptide-toxin molecules are in clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors. The money will also fund new enterprises in the Cambridge ecosystem. Further details about the funding were not disclosed. This is the [...]
ASU launches new accelerator
Arizona State University and SparkLabs Group, a network of accelerators and venture capital funds, has launched a new startup accelerator program for students and alumni. SparkLabs Frontier-ASU will provide training, mentors and investment funding for participants in the university's schools and programs, including the engineering, business and global management schools. [...]
MSU launches Student Venture Capital Fund within Broad College of Business
A new partnership between Red Cedar Ventures — the wholly owned venture investment subsidiary of the Michigan State University Foundation — and the Center for Venture Capital, Private Equity and Entrepreneurial Finance, or CVCPEEF, is now delivering venture funding experiences directly into the classroom. Launched in Spring 2019, students taking Entrepreneurial Finance will [...]
Entrepreneurs capture funding, support in new venture competitions at Tufts UniversityNow
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (April 16, 2019)—Five new ventures, including a noninvasive alternative to traditional methods of spay and neuter and a “hard” kombucha, took home top prizes at Tufts University’s annual entrepreneurship competitions: the 15th annual $100k New Ventures Competition and the Tufts Food and Entrepreneurship Competition. Twenty-six finalist teams, comprised of undergraduate and graduate [...]
UT Health San Antonio Plans New Accelerator for Faculty Research
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is starting an internal accelerator program for inventors who work at the institution, with the goal of picking a first group of five to eight prospective entrepreneurs around May. The accelerator, which UT Health is calling TechNovum, will run its [...]
New Velocity venture fund invests $200,000 in four startups
The University of Waterloo’s entrepreneurship program, Velocity, has announced direct equity investments of $50,000 each for the four winners of the annual Velocity Fund Finals (VFF). This is the first time that Velocity has made direct equity investments. The original prizes were a $25,000 grant, however, the entrepreneurship program has doubled the [...]
U Michigan chip design startup raises $6 million in venture funding
Movellus Inc., a University of Michigan startup, has secured $6 million in Series A venture funding for a total of $10 million so far. The company provides technology that helps accelerate and optimize semiconductor chip design. Its applications include cloud computing, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. The $6 [...]
3 things we learned mapping Baltimore’s startup ecosystem–Universities are central
Even in a midsized city such as Baltimore, there are hundreds of resources available to help entrepreneurs grow their startups, small businesses, and nonprofits. From accelerators to mentorship programs, these resources are offered by universities, government agencies, nonprofits, and other local companies to help strengthen and grow the city’s entrepreneurial [...]
Who We Serve
Research Universities, Hospitals, and Institutions
Accelerators and Incubators
Government Economic Development and Innovation Agencies
Angel Investors and Venture Capital
Corporate Innovation and Venture Groups
What We Support
Proof of Concept (POC) Gap Fund Programs
Startup and Venture Gap Funds
Translational Research Gap Fund Programs
Government-supported Innovation Initiatives and Funds
Angel Investors and Angel Networks
Corporate and Venture Capital
Student Venture Funds and Crowdfunding