Research Commercialization Academy (BETA 0.01)

Author: Mike Nichols

Source: http://www.grbj.com

Interest: The Michigan Pre-See Capital Fund — a state equity investment fund that backs technology-based startups — recently put a total of $1 million into four companies across the state. Fusion Coolant Systems, Local Orbit, New Eagle Products and Seelio all were awarded money from the fund.

Link: http://www.grbj.com/articles/76149-michigan-pre-seed-capital-fund-invests-1m-in-four-startups

Author: http://blog.startupprofessionals.com

Source: http://blog.startupprofessionals.com

Interest: A good place to start looking is the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which is a lifeline for high-tech startups. A more general approach is to check out Grants.gov, which is a searchable directory of more than 1,000 federal grant programs. An advanced search tool is provided to search for a grant by eligibility, by issuing agency, or category.

Link: http://blog.startupprofessionals.com/2013/02/government-grants-cost-no-equity-but.html

Author: National Academy of Inventors

Source: National Academy of Inventors

Interest: The National Academy of Inventors will hold its 2nd annual conference in Tampa at the Embassy Suites Hotel in the University of South Florida Research Park, Feb. 21-22, 2013. The conference is open to members and non-members. The conference will feature presentations and panels by over 20 distinguished scientists and academic leaders on innovation, with keynotes by two well-known speakers: Robert Langer of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee, a

Link: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mits-robert-langer-and-us-commissioner-for-patents-focarino-to-speak-at-nai-conference-191265701.html

Author: Deanna Pogorelc

Source: MedCity News

Interest: A piece in Forbes this week calls attention to a recent trend in technology commercialization at universities: the use of crowdfunding. The article focused on a collaboration between the University of Utah’s Technology Commercialization Office and the crowdfunding site RocketHub, which resulted in the University Tech Vault, a portal specifically for projects that come out of the university.

Link: http://medcitynews.com/2013/02/crowdfunding-university-research-tech-commercialization-6-sites-that-are-doing-it/

Author: Kristina Torres

Source: www.ajc.com

Interest: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Legislation filed Monday would dedicate $100 million over the next five years to boost Georgia’s nascent technology center in a plan pushed by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. House Bill 285, which is being sponsored on Cagle’s behalf by Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, would create a new state-sponsored venture capital fund. To seed the new fund, the state would offer up either tax credits or draw from its One Georgia fund, which it uses to boost economic development.

Link: http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/bill-would-create-venture-capital-fund/nWLx5/

Author: ROBERT CYRAN

Source: www.dealbook.nytimes.com

Interest: American venture capital needs a reboot. A decade of insufficient shrinkage hasn't fixed wimpy performance. At 6.1 percent annually over 10 years to September, according to Cambridge Associates and the National Venture Capital Association, V.C. fund returns undershoot boring stock indexes like the Nasdaq and the Russell 2000.

Link: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/venture-capitals-sluggish-performance/

Author: http://www.innovationamerica.us

Source: http://www.innovationamerica.us

Interest: A New Jersey foundation that funds research coming out of the state’s medical school has agreed to replenish its investment arm with $5 million to pump into biotechnology startups at the pre-seed stage — one of the most difficult stages for companies to get funding. The New Jersey Health Foundation’sFoundation Venture Capital Group in New Brunswick, New Jersey invests up to $500,000 in pre-seed stage companies spinning out of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. It is poised

Link: http://www.innovationamerica.us/index.php/innovation-daily/27297-nj-foundation-pumps-another-5m-into-early-stage-biotech-investment-arm-medcity-news?utm_source=innovation-daily---your-daily-newsletter-highlighting-global-innovation-news-and-trends&utm_med

Author: http://www.innovationamerica.us

Source: http://www.innovationamerica.us

Interest: As the nation's economy continues its sluggish recovery, community colleges have emerged as important engines for entrepreneurial activity and job creation. An innovative new program, created and proven in a community college in northeastern Ohio, is hitting the road to help schools and the communities they serve to launch and grow technology-based startups.

Link: http://www.innovationamerica.us/index.php/innovation-daily/27306-kauffman-foundation-lorain-county-community-college-select-3-schools-to-pilot-entrepreneurship-education-funding-program-sfgate?utm_source=innovation-daily---your-daily-newsletter-highlighti

Author: http://www.innovationamerica.us

Source: http://www.innovationamerica.us

Interest: With Georgia’s promising technology center still hamstrung by a lack of cash, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle is pushing legislation to combine state money and private dollars into a new venture capital fund. It could be a game-changer for the kind of jobs the state covets, but it also comes with high risk.

Link: http://www.innovationamerica.us/index.php/innovation-daily/27309-is-georgia-ready-to-fund-venture-capital-wwwajccom?utm_source=innovation-daily---your-daily-newsletter-highlighting-global-innovation-news-and-trends&utm_medium=gazetty&utm_campaign=02-02-20

Author: Martin Zwilling

Source: http://innovationamerica.us

Interest: If your startup is looking for an Angel investor, it makes sense to present your plan to flocks of Angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up. Or does it? Actually numbers and locations are just the beginning. The challenge is to find the right Angel for you, and for your situation. Here are some basic principles:

Link: http://innovationamerica.us/index.php/innovation-daily/26997-start-here-if-you-are-looking-for-angel-investors-business-insider?utm_source=innovation-weekly&utm_medium=gazetty&utm_campaign=01-27-2013

Author: Catherine Zandonella

Source: Office of the Dean of Research, Princeton University

Interest: Nine new technologies with promising societal or commercial applications will get a boost from a Princeton University program aimed at bridging the gap between the laboratory and the marketplace. The recipients of this year's Princeton's Intellectual Property Accelerator Fund will each receive grants to support activities — such as building a prototype or conducting additional data collection — with the goal of transforming innovations into commercially viable technologies for development by c

Link: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S35/89/52G24/index.xml?section=topstories

Author: http://www.drdobbs.com

Source: http://www.drdobbs.com

Interest: Crowdfunding operation FundaGeek is trying hard to gain some share of voice in the rapidly crowding venture capital and start up investment space. Positioned as a software development development (double use intentional) zone, the portal (or website to be more accurate) says it suits all software project types from traditional "shrink-wrap" software, web-based applications, open source software, mobile apps, video games, and so on.

Link: http://www.drdobbs.com/web-development/crowdfunding-software-development-develo/240146956

Author: Peter Cohan

Source: http://www.forbes.com

Interest: This “sparked the idea to build a business that would redefine the way we think about buying, owning, selling, and recycling electronics.” In 2008, Ganot became President and CEO of the company. Since then, Gazelle has become a leader in a product category dubbed “reCommerce.” Ganot estimates that $1 billion worth of old phones and other electronics devices were bought in 2012 and he expects that figure to rise to $5 billion by 2015.

Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2013/01/24/boston-start-up-gives-cash-for-high-end-electronics/

Author: Staff Editor

Source: http://banklesstimes.com

Interest: Less than one-third of executives with investment banks say that the JOBS Act, which passed last April, has boosted the number of IPOs on U.S. exchanges, according to a recent survey by accounting and consulting firm BDO USA. Conversely, a similar survey in mid-2012 showed 55 percent of investment bankers predicting that the JOBS Act would increase the number of businesses going public.

Link: http://banklesstimes.com/2013/01/23/jobs-act-needs-a-jumpstart-itself/

Author: University Research Corridor

Source: http://www.heraldonline.com

Interest: Michigan's University Research Corridor (URC) generated $15.5 billion in economic impact statewide, exceeded $2 billion in annual research expenditures and awarded more than 31,600 degrees in one year, placing it at or near the top of seven university innovation clusters in the U.S., according to a new Economic Impact Report released today.

Link: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/23/4563240/michigans-university-research.html

Author: Robert L. Smith

Source: www.cleveland.com

Interest: Capital for health care ventures was in tight supply in 2012, but money flowed more freely than ever into Greater Cleveland, where pioneers in medical innovations captured a lion's share of scarce investment dollars.

Link: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/01/clevelands_healthcare_industry.html

Author: Eric T. Wagner

Source: www.forbes.com

Interest: Burning a hole at the top of a long list of needs for a startup entrepreneur is good old Benjamin Franklins. Yes — stacks of capital needed to fund dreams of a vast and bright future.

Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericwagner/2013/01/09/12-tips-on-raising-venture-capital-for-your-startup/

Author: News Editor

Source: Latest News, RSS, Sci/Tech

Interest: Inventors and scientists are getting $15 million worth of help from the State of New York to turn their high-tech, clean-energy ideas into successful businesses. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, NYSERDA, will invest $5 million in seed money at each of three new Proof-of-Concept Centers at Columbia University, the Polytechnic Institute of New York University and High Tech Rochester.

Link: http://ens-newswire.com/2013/01/03/new-york-funds-three-new-clean-energy-idea-incubators/

Author: Erica Swallow

Source: www.forbes.com

Interest: For many startups, raising a round of funding is a day of celebration. It’s exhilarating knowing that someone believes enough in your idea to put money behind it. Raising a round, though, doesn’t mean that a startup has “made it” or that the entrepreneurs behind the venture are on their way to tech stardom.

Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericaswallow/2012/12/27/bootstrapping-startup-venture-capital/

Author: Frost & Sullivan

Source: Frost & Sullivan

Interest: In the current state of the global economy, in which fundraising has become tight and there are decreasing opportunities to exit, venture capital (VC) firms are extremely cautious in choosing their investments. This briefing will investigate the historical trends of VC investments and key areas of investment in the European and North American healthcare industry.

Link: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/12/13/4482305/analysis-of-venture-capital-investment.html