Global University Venturing

The UC Santa Barbara-founded semiconductor technology producer has gone public through a reverse merger with penny stock company Peninsula Acquisition and received $21.5m from investors including Marelli.

Northern Illinois University has appointed Luke Sebby as director for innovation partnerships and tech transfer.

QUB-founded cybersecurity business Titan IC is set to become part of Mellanox Technologies, having previously raised funds in 2015.

Pliant Therapeutics has attracted $100m in a series C round led by Novartis, four years after it was founded to commercialise UC San Francisco research into fibrosis treatment.

Keio Innovation Initative has backed a $74.4m round for the polymer-based battery producer, which is advancing research from Keio's professor Hideaki Horie.

Chinese Academy of Sciences and its VC subsidiary TCL Capital are in line to exit the artificial intelligence chip producer, which was valued at $2.5bn as of 2018.

Stanford-StartX-backed touch sensor developer Sensel increased its total funding to $38m, closing the second tranche of a round including Smit and SIG.

ABB has agreed to purchase building control point supplier Cylon Controls, providing exits to UCD and energy utility ESB.

Eli Lilly and WuXi AppTec contributed to what was reportedly a down round for T-cell oncology treatment developer Immunocore following a $320m raise in 2015.

Every day, Global University Venturing rounds up the smaller investments from across the university innovation ecosystem in its deal net.

Imperial College Innovation Fund I continues Parkwalk's relationship with academia following vehicles dedicated to the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol.