U News #1 | New accelerator launched at Arkansas
Duke University reports record licensing revenue of $102.5 million, 325 invention disclosures, 90 licensing agreements, and 104 issued patents.
From the University of Arkansas:
Cartwheel Studio and the University of Arkansas’ Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation are launching the “Bounds Accelerator” with a focus on leveraging emerging technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality, and virtual reality. The name comes from the old phrase about growing a company “by leaps and bounds.”
The 16-week program will bring together entrepreneurs, industry leaders, tech experts and start-ups to advance digital transformation in the retail value chain. The program begins January 11 and is bookended by an in-person orientation and demo day event on April 29 in Bentonville, with weekly remote learning and mentoring sessions.
Funded through grants from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) and support from Coinbase Ventures, Haun Ventures and the AI Foundation, the “Bounds Accelerator’s” goal for the first cohort is to attract 10 strong participants, with a minimum of three start-ups located in Arkansas. These participants should be at the Seed-to-Series A stage and strongly focused on building next-generation technology to solve challenges within the retail, transportation, logistics, manufacturing and supply chain sectors.
Josh Stanley, Chief Executive Officer of Cartwheel Studio, noted Arkansas is in a unique position to aid technology startups thanks to a bevy of major companies located in the state.
“Arkansas has global reach within the retail value chain, thanks to local industry leaders like Walmart, Tyson Foods, ArcBest, J.B. Hunt and others,” he said. “There’s no better place on earth to run an emerging tech accelerator targeting supply chain or retail-related concepts than right here.”
Application deadline is November 3 at this link.
From Duke University:
“Breaking the $100 million revenue milestone is a big accomplishment and speaks highly of the innovative faculty and the value of their research, as well as the staff of OTC for getting these deals done,” said Robin Rasor, Associate Vice President for Translation and Commercialization. “Royalty revenue goes back to inventors and their labs, departments, and schools, further supporting new innovation.”
OTC also supports start-ups spinning out of the university. This past fiscal year, OTC helped spin out 15 new start-up companies: nine from the School of Medicine, three from the Pratt School of Engineering, and three from all other units. And, in spite of the economic headwinds, Duke start-ups had a strong showing. The cohort of 124 currently active pre-IPO (initial public offering) companies raised more than $395 million, and three were acquired.
From the University of Chicago:
Samir Mayekar, an accomplished leader with a track record of driving innovation and impact across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, has been named Managing Director of the University’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, effective November 6.
Most recently, he served as Deputy Mayor for the City of Chicago, where he focused on economic and neighborhood development. Mayekar was a driving force behind initiatives such as the city’s INVEST South/West initiative, which marshaled resources from across city departments, community organizations, and corporate and philanthropic partners to support commercial corridors across several South and West Side neighborhoods.
From the University of California, Berkeley:
The University is teaming up with NASA’s Ames Research Center and developer SKS Partners to create research space for companies interested in collaborating with scientists and engineers at the two organizations to generate futuristic innovations in aviation, space exploration and how we live and work in space.
The Berkeley Space Center will include up to 1.4 million square feet of research space on 36 acres of land at NASA Ames’ Moffett Field in Mountain View, leased from NASA. The new buildings, some of which could be ready for move-in as early as 2027, will house not only state-of-the-art research and development laboratories for companies and UC Berkeley researchers, but also classrooms for UC Berkeley students. These students will benefit from immersion in the Silicon Valley start-up culture and proximity to the nation’s top aeronautical, space and AI scientists and engineers at Ames.
Ever since Naval Air Station Moffett Field was decommissioned in 1994 and NASA Ames acquired an additional 1,200 acres, the federal agency has been focused on developing those acres into a world-class research hub and start-up accelerator. Initiated in 2002, NASA Research Park now has some 25 companies on site, including Google’s Bay View campus.
Click here to learn more.
Like what you've read?
Forward to a friend!