Every day, Global University Venturing rounds up the smaller investments from across the university innovation ecosystem in its deal net.
Universal Quantum, a UK-based quantum computing spinout of University of Sussex, has emerged from stealth with £3.6m ($4.5m) in seed capital from Hoxton Ventures, Village Global, Propagator VC, Luminous VC, 7percent and assorted angel investors. Founded in 2018, Universal Quantum hopes to build a large-scale quantum computer, advancing research by chief scientist and chairman Winfried Hensinger and chiex executive Sebastian Weidt.
Space Walker, a Japan-based spacecraft developer, has raised ¥325m ($3m) of pre-seed capital from Kyushu University’s QB Capital unit, human resources firm Agent, management consulting firm D&GrowthCapital and assorted angel investors. IT processing services firm I-net Corporation previously supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for Space Walker in October 2019 alongside $3.5m from computing technology supplier Sanwa Supply, digital advertising agency Bascule, Bliss Link, AbbaLab and angel investor Kenji Kasahara in a separate deal.
U-Map, a Japan-based spinout of Nagoya University which has created an advanced material called Thermalnite that helps reduce heating in electronic devices, received ¥300m ($2.8m) on Friday from investors including Kyoto University Innovation Capital, the venture capital arm of Kyoto University, and Real Tech Fund, the vehicle formed by biofuel supplier Euglena, research provider Leave a Nest and investment firm SMBC Nikko. The round also featured financial services firms Shinsei Bank, Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank’s OKB Capital unit and Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings’ Tokai Tokyo Investment subsidiary.
Loewi, a Germany-based personalised nutrition spinout of Technical University of Munich, has received an undisclosed amount of seed financing from public-private partnership High-Tech Gründerfonds and an unnamed family office. Loewi has developed technology to analyse data relevant to a user’s health, including a blood test and online questionnaire, to generate personalised nutrition plans and therapies.
– Additional reporting by Liwen-Edison Fu and Robert Lavine
