Venture Fund
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Peter Devine: We never imagined Uniseed would be around this long
Peter Devine, who recently stepped down as CEO of Uniseed after two decades, reflects on his career and lasting impact on the Australian ecosystem.
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UNSW Sydney launches two spinout investment funds
The university is committing A$35 million to two funds, with High Street Ventures targeting a A$100 million close.
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IIT Madras launches ₹6 billion deep tech fund
IIT Madras has joined forces with Unicorn India Ventures to launch a deep tech fund that aims to invest in more than 25 companies.
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UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Fund quietly kicks off fundraising
The fund, launched in June last year, has secured its initial capitalisation.
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ZOHO.VC achieves first close for Nuremberg-based fund
ZOHO.VC is the investment fund of Zollhof, the incubator-turned-startup-factory affiliated with the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen–Nuremberg.
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Fraunhofer’s TT49 achieves €72 million first close
TT49 is the successor to the Fraunhofer Technology Transfer Fund and has a target size of €90 million.
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Swedish government puts SEK40 million into university holding companies
Sweden’s university holding companies act as the commercialisation and investment arm of their respective institutions.
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Montana Children’s Health secures €30 million to commercialise paediatric healthcare research
The vehicle is the first to receive a capital commitment through the EIF and Madrid government’s Innvierte Technology Transfer & Deep-Tech fund of funds.
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Tulane-focused 1834 Ventures raises $10 million
Launched in August last year, Tulane University-focused 1834 Ventures is now halfway towards its $20 million target.
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Mila partners with Inovia Capital for Venture Scientist Fund
The fund, in development since October last year, will invest in early-stage AI technologies and physical infrastructure developers.
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Epidarex secures £50 million from British Business Bank for new fund
Epidarex Capital focuses on early-stage life sciences spinouts from medical research institutions in the US and the UK.
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Penn joins BioNTech and OUP to launch $50 million PxB Fund
The Penn-BioNTech Innovative Therapeutics Seed Fund follows the announcement of Penn’s $10 million StartUP Fund last month.
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Kangwon National University receives state capital for new fund
Kangwon National University Technology Holding, the Korean institution’s commercialisation arm, will work with Trigger Investment Partners.
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PSV Hafnium closes €60 million fund
The fund was launched in 2024 with an initial €55 million and a hard cap of €80 million, closing at the lower end of the scale.
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University of Manchester is quietly raising a pre-seed fund
The University of Manchester already has a stake in Northern Gritstone but is in the process of raising a separate pre-seed fund.
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Penn launches $10 million StartUP Fund
The University of Pennsylvania has long resisted launching its own venture fund, but has now announced a $10 million investment fund for spinouts.
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IIT Bombay creates ₹2.5 billion Y Point Venture Capital Fund
The Y Point Venture Capital Fund will primarily invest in early-stage, deeptech IIT Bombay spinouts, but also back startups from other institutions.
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U2V launches €60 million fund targeting European spinouts
University2Ventures has been set up by the partners of Earlybird X, which launched in 2021 to similarly invest in university spinoffs.
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Fitz Gate closes Fund III anchored by Rice’s Office of Innovation
Rice University’s Office of Innovation is one of the anchor investors in Fitz Gate’s Fund III, which has brought the firm’s AuM to around $70 million.
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NZ Innovation Booster adds the University of Auckland to LPs
NZ Innovation Booster started at Wellington UniVentures, before partnering with Otago Innovation, and now Auckland UniServices.
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Tanarra Capital explores fund of funds for spinouts
Tanarra Capital currently manages the University of Melbourne’s Tin Alley Ventures and is keen to expand its focus on university startups.
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Fudan University launches two funds, worth a combined $242 million
The Chinese university has set up a CN¥1 billion fund and a $100 million vehicle in order to significantly bolster its innovation ecosystem.
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TNO Ventures backs Keen’s Defense & Safety Fund
The commercialisation arm of Dutch applied research organisation TNO is making its fourteenth LP commitment.
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UTokyo IPC closes the ASA Fund, backs Red 1 Healthcare
UTokyo Innovation Platform has achieved a final close of its Academic Startup Acceleration Fund, and concurrently made an LP investment in the Red 1 Healthcare fund.
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Entertech VCIF launches to back Turkish startups
The fund has been created by Entertech Istanbul Technopark, which is owned by Istanbul University and Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa.
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UNSW Canberra backs the ACTivate Capital Fund
The ACTivate Capital Fund was set up by the government of the Australian Capital Territory to invest in startups and spinouts in Canberra.
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Breakthrough Victoria backs the SYNthesis BioVentures Fund I
Created by Monash University’s Prof Andrew Wilks, the SYNthesis BioVentures Fund I works with Australian research institutes to scale their spinouts.
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Polytechnique Ventures secures €21 million for second fund
The École Polytechnique-aligned fund has a final target of €30 million to €40 million, which would roughly double its assets under management.
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University of Dubai launches deep tech fund
The AED100 million Dubai Tech X Fund will invest in deep tech and AI spinouts in an effort to bolster the regional innovation ecosystem.
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IIMA Ventures launches the Aerospace & Defence Acceleration Fund
IIMA Ventures, the innovation arm of IIM Ahmedabad, has partnered with Jaivel Aerospace to create a fund that will back up to ten startups.
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Hong Kong University of Science and Technology launches new fund
The Gobi-Redbird Innovation Fund has secured the backing of the government-owned Hong Kong Investment Corporation.
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Mila explores the launch of a venture fund
The AI-focused research institute in Quebec has brought in corporate VC expertise to help develop the fund.
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Sugar Free Capital secures $32 million to back MIT founders
The firm was launched by Sheena Jindal, an alumna of MIT who was previously a partner at Comcast Ventures for three years.
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Creator Fund raises $41 million for pan-European fund
The venture fund targets startups built by PhD students, and Creator Fund is targeting a $55 million final close by early 2026.
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Stockholm universities launch Trio Impact Invest
Karolinska Institute, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University have joined forces to launch an early-stage venture fund.
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Kenya draws up plans for $100 million commercialisation fund
The Kenya National Innovation Agency is looking to raise $100 million fund to accelerate research commercialisation into spinouts.
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Robert Langer, prolific MIT spinout founder, launches $77.5 million fund
T.Rx Capital has closed its inaugural fund at $77.5 million to build and invest in healthcare startups, with Langer’s son also among the firm’s co-founders.
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NUS Enterprise further expands VC ecosystem
The National University of Singapore’s innovation arm has partnered with SG Growth Capital and Lotus One to put more money into spinouts and funds.
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Next Ventures inks strategic partnership with OHSU
The venture capital firm has closed its second fund at $60 million and signed a strategic deal with Oregon Health & Science University.
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Venture Investors Health Fund raises $80 million to back spinouts
Venture Investors Health Fund has secured $80 million to invest in spinouts from institutions such as the University of Michigan.
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University of Utah launches $200 million fund
Named University of Utah Ventures, powered by Epic, the fund is managed by Epic Ventures and will invest in founders from the university’s ecosystem.
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Tech transfer office Inven2 helps launch Aleap Ventures
The University of Oslo’s tech transfer office Inven2 is among the investors in Aleap Ventures, which will invest in life sciences spinouts.
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Origgin Ventures targets Japanese spinouts with $30 million fund
The Singapore-based venture firm has set its sights on Fukuoka and is partnering with local investor Interuniversity Ventures to run the fund.
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Aarhus launches Delphinus Venture Capital
Aarhus University Research Foundation has partnered with Heartland, Norlys, and Salling Group to launch the evergreen fund.
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1834 Ventures launches to support Tulane startups with $20 million
1834 Ventures is not affiliated with Tulane University but is working closely with the Tulane Innovation Institute and the Tulane Venture Fund.
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Portal Innovations kicks off $100 million Velocity Fund
Portal Innovations, established by John Flavin who previously set up the Polsky Center, partners with institutions like UChicago to support spinouts.
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Medical University of South Carolina launches two funds totalling $30 million
The $20 million 1824 Health Ventures Fund I and the $10 million South Carolina Health Innovation Fund will both be managed by Bob Crutchfield.
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CIC launches £250 million Fund III, commits £100 million to Cambridge spinouts
Cambridge Innovation Capital will put at least £100 million into University of Cambridge spinouts as part of its third fund.
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Monash University launches A$15 million Pre-Seed Fund
Monash University has established Monash Ventures, which will manage the new A$15 million Pre-Seed Fund backed by Breakthrough Victoria.
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Brandon Capital collects A$439 million for sixth fund
Australasian life sciences VC Brandon Capital has a partnership with more than 50 research institutions that provide access to deals.
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Michigan State University unveils $10 million fund
The university is doubling down on its partnership with Henry Ford Health to create a $10 million fund and innovation hub.
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National University of Singapore commits S$150 million to venture capital initiative
NUS is putting a third of the money into existing VC firms, while the bulk will go into a new university venture fund.
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UTEC unveils Fund 6, reaches AuM of more than $1 billion
University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners has raised ¥47 billion ($326 million) for its sixth fund, its largest to date.
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Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology gains ₩12 billion fund
The fund was created by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Korea Venture Investment, with the South Korean government providing half of the capital.
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Catalio closes Nexus Fund IV with $400 million
Catalio Capital Management specialises in launching and investing in life sciences spinouts through a network of researchers that act as venture partners.
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Northern Gritstone and Parkwalk Advisors team up for the Northern Universities Venture Fund
Parkwalk Advisors, which already has more than £500 million under management, will manage a new fund in partnership with Northern Gritstone.
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Garden State Venture Partners formed to manage the Rowan Innovation Venture Fund
The shake-up will see the fund’s management team grow to three people, with Michael Connallon Jr and Shawn Hill joining existing manager Ernie Holtzheimer.
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Biotope Ventures reaches 5€ million first close for Fund II
Biotope Ventures, the accelerator and investment arm for Belgian research institute VIB, has raised 5€ million towards a 9€ million goal for its second fund.
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The Berkeley Chancellor’s Fund is a unique UC Berkeley approach to venture capital
The Berkeley Chancellor’s Fund will be wholly owned by the UC regents, operating as a philanthropic model that will donate all returns to the university.
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Kanazawa University achieves close for Vision Incubate
Vision Incubate, a venture firm wholly owned by Kanazawa University in Japan, has closed its VI-1 fund with ¥2 billion thanks to LPs including UTokyo IPC.
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Longview Innovation joins Anzu, forming the North America University Innovations Fund
Longview Innovation is joining forces with Anzu Partners and launching the North America University Innovations Fund.
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Cancer Focus Fund targets $250m for second vehicle
The Cancer Focus Fund is affiliated with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and is targeting about five times as much cash for Fund II.
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Harper Court Ventures brings $25 million to startups from the University of Chicago
Spinouts from the University of Chicago will have access to a new $25 million venture fund launched today by MFV Partners.
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Károly Szántó: Hungary will be the blueprint for university funds in Eastern Europe
Károly Szántó, the COO of Óbuda University’s venture fund and studio OUVC, has a plan to supercharge investment activities in Central and Eastern Europe.
