Cincinnati University (UC) is seeking a fresh cohort of early-stage startups to join its Technology Commercialisation Accelerator. Applications are due September 1, 2014.
The accelerator was first established in 2012, and has since become a significant part of the university’s commercialisation strategy. It is being support by Third Frontier, a $2.1bn initiative by the Ohio government to support technology startups, universities and non-profit research institutes, and the university’s own UC 2019 initiative – 2019 being of particular importance as it will be UC’s bicentennial anniversary. It also uses proceeds from the Southern Ohio Creates Companies Pre-Seed Fund proceeds and seed-stage investor CincyTech.
Since its inception, the accelerator has successfully helped four companies into the market. The accelerator offers startups several services, such as advice from entrepreneurs-in-residence and funding awards from $25,000 up to $40,000. It also facilitates access to external resources.
Eligible startups are exclusively those using a technology developed by full-time faculty at the university.
Dorothy Air, associate vice-president for entrepreneurial affairs and technology commercialisation, has described the accelerator in the past by saying: “Our primary goal is to get technologies out of the university that have been funded through public resources and transition them into technologies that can benefit society.”