Every day, Global University Venturing rounds up the smaller investments from across the university innovation ecosystem in its deal net.
Aidemy, a Japan-based artificial intelligence programming course provider, has received ¥830m ($7.6m) in a round led by University of Tokyo Edge Capital (Utec), a venture capital affiliate of University of Tokyo. Utec was joined by two unnamed corporate investors, two investment firms and four private investors. Aidemy has now pulled in $8.6m altogether, following a $840,000 seed round in mid-2018 also led by Utec with contributions from nine unnamed private investors.
Fumi Ingredients, a Netherlands-based developer of vegan-friendly alternatives to egg protein spun out of Wageningen University, has obtained €500,000 ($550,000) from Innovation Industries and Shift Invest. The proteins are made with organic micro-organisms using a formula devised by co-founder Edgar Suarez Garcia during his bioprocess engineering PhD at Wageningen’s University and Research centre (WUR). The founding team was subsequently supported through WUR-run accelerator StartLife.
Purdue Ag-celerator, an investment vehicle linked to Purdue University’s agtech accelerator contest, has backed grape vineyard management technology spinout VinSense and genomics data analytics developer Karyosoft with $500,000 in funding each. VinSense previously secured $80,000 in equity funding or debt in mid-2018 and a $20,000 convertible note at an undisclosed date, on both occasions through Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund, the early-stage vehicle managed by Purdue and Elevate Ventures.
Waam3D, a US-based additive manufacturing process spinout of Cranfield University, has raised an undisclosed sum of funding from engineering and technology services group Accuron to take forward research pioneered by Stewart Williams, professor of welding science and engineering. Williams’s team has created a 3D printing technique for large metal components, using electric-fired arcs to melt wire into the required structure, in an approach dubbed wire arc additive manufacturing.
CageCapture, a UK-based pollutant capture technology developer, has been spun out of University of Liverpool. The spinout will synthesise solid molecules which confine low-concentration pollutants such as formaldehyde – a carcinogen commonly discharged from building materials and certain household goods – through a combination of chemical and physical adsorption. CageCapture’s concept was co-invented by Andrew Cooper, a professor of chemistry at the university who directs its Materials Innovation Factory, and Ming Liu, one of his research associates.
Epipix has been spun out of University of Sheffield to commercialise micro-LED-driven photonics applications, according to ElectronicsWeekly. The company builds on research led by Tao Wang, a professor in the university’s Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering. Epipix has development collaborations in place with unnamed industry partners. The company’s micro-LEDs illume compact displays in portable smart devices, augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D sensors and light-driven communications.
