More than 40% of Europe’s top universities have a venture #fund to invest in their #spinouts — including the University of Oxford which boasts the world’s largest university venture fund, Oxford Science Enterprises, with more than £850m ($1.1bn). It puts Europe ahead of the US, where just 34% of the top research universities have access to a dedicated fund. But it's not as straightforward as that. Europe has more venture funds that involve two or more institutions (think Qbic Fund | Venture Capital, VIVES Funds, Northern Gritstone, Atlantic Bridge-managed University Bridge Fund or i&i Biotech Fund). 💶 Do more funds mean more companies? Not quite — yet. European universities spun out 677 startups in 2021 (the most recently available figure), putting it behind the US (996 that same year). So Europe is still lagging, but that 677 was a marked increase from the previous year (612) whereas in the US, the number dropped from 1,117 in 2020 to 996 in 2021. Find out more in our in-depth analysis below. And make sure to fill out our survey so we can bring you more analyses soon: https://lnkd.in/eMGVti4w
Global University Venturing
Internet News
GUV covers spinouts and university venture funds, and hosts the podcast Beyond the Breakthrough with Thierry Heles.
About us
Global University Venturing covers spinouts and university venture funds, providing news, features, data analyses and more through its website, the podcast Beyond the Breakthrough with Thierry Heles and the GUV Gazette monthly newsletter. Global University Venturing was launched in 2013.
- Website
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https://globalventuring.com/university
External link for Global University Venturing
- Industry
- Internet News
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- London
- Type
- Privately Held
- Founded
- 2013
- Specialties
- technology transfer, university spinouts, commercialization, research, and university venture funds
Locations
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Primary
London, GB
Employees at Global University Venturing
Updates
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Universities taking equity stakes in #spinouts is a perennial bone of contention in research innovation, and one which takes attention away from the cutting-edge science and technological breakthroughs emerging out of academic institutions. Gregg Bayes-Brown, a veteran of university innovation communications, argues it is time to remove the disagreements from the discourse with a zero equity policy approach. Here is more on why and how this could work: https://lnkd.in/e_w2ybUX
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The lack of university equity and hands-off approach that Swiss university ETH Zürich took in #spinout Optiml, a net zero real estate investment and renovation planning tool, helped the startup raise #VC funds, says CEO Dr. Evan Petkov.
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UK think tank Onward has recommended the UK government redirect higher education funding to create a maximum four new university #spinout venture funds to boost spinout creation across the UK. It is hoped this would create a more level playing field for venture capital investment, which is concentrated in the Golden Triangle of London, Oxford and Cambridge. The success that Oxford Science Enterprises, the venture fund partnered with the University of Oxford, has had in boosting spinouts from the UK university is clear evidence of the effectiveness of university venture funds in spinout success: https://lnkd.in/dD6_qYHF #spinoutinvestment
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It's not just the US or Europe where university venture funds have been making an impact: we look at Stellenbosch University and its University Technology Fund (UTF) — the first of its kind in #Africa and a “paradigm shift" for the institution, Anita Nel, RTTP at the Innovus Technology Transfer Office at Stellenbosch University says. Four years in, the first fund has already dramatically boosted spinouts at the university's LaunchLab incubator, says Brandon Paschal. And even more impressively: nearly half of Stellenbosch's active spinouts were launched following the creation of the UTF. The success means it's time to raise a follow-on fund now — with a few key differences. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/dvpGZZVz
Stellenbosch University venture fund reshapes tech innovation in South Africa -
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Global University Venturing reposted this
Interesting report out today from think tank Onward (and brilliant to see my own research quoted in it), outlining the need for the UK government to support university venture funds by re-allocating HEIF/Regional Innovation Fund/POC fund to create an £88m University Innovation Accelerator Fund. I'm generally minded to agree with the recommendation — more funding is needed outside the golden triangle (and even in the golden triangle, it's made a massive difference). But as I noted in my own analysis of European university venture funds published yesterday, these funds can't just provide cash if they truly want to build an ecosystem: https://lnkd.in/gdsgjgsf I'm also not entirely convinced that a low headcount is responsible for fewer spinouts. While it can certainly play a role, I note that ETH Zurich celebrated a record-breaking 43 spinouts in 2023 (more than Oxford, Cambridge or UCL) and they've just 16 staff (seven of which don't even work on licensing to spinouts).
Venturing Out
https://www.ukonward.com
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Pack Ventures, the independent VC fund that invests in University of Washington #spinouts is raising a second $30m fund to invest in startups in the greater Seattle region: https://lnkd.in/eBYFhWgE CoMotion at University of Washington
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UK spinout investor Northern Gritstone is planning to raise extra capital through a general partner-limited partner structure. CEO Duncan Johnson talked about how bringing on limited partners will help it support #spinouts in its portfolio that are seeking later-stage financing. https://lnkd.in/eAkqqn_u
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Sophie Collet has joined the University of Bath's commercialisation arm as its director. She comes from the University of Bristol, where she led the fellow UK university's commercialisation efforts: https://lnkd.in/e7a73Bcz #techtransfer University of Bath
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Hiring the right talent for your spinout is crucial. If you’re lucky, you’ll find that talent locally. But what do you do when all the experts live in another country? #universityventuring #talent #spinout https://lnkd.in/erTX3zng