Every day, Global University Venturing rounds up the smaller investments from across the university innovation ecosystem in its deal net.
Motion Lib, a Japan-based haptics technology spinout of Keio University, obtained ¥180m ($1.6m) in funding yesterday from university venture fund Keio Innovation Initiative and DBJ Capital, the investment arm of state-owned financial institution Development Bank of Japan. Motion Lib is working on a chip called AbcCore that the spinout is targeting at sectors such as elderly care, where robots would be able to precisely control the amount of strength they exert when physically interacting with a user. The company is carrying out more than 50 R&D collaborations across a wide range of industries.
Anapneo Therapeutics, a US-based sleep apnoea treatment developer spun out of University of Chicago, is set to receive $250,000 in funding from the institution’s George Shultz Innovation Fund. Anapneo is working on treatments for obstructive and central sleep apnoeas, disorders characterised by pauses of breathing or shallow breathing during sleep. There is currently no cure for the conditions and patients living with obstructive sleep apnoea often have to resort to wearing a breathing mask at night. The investment brings the George Shultz Innovation Fund’s total investments to more than $7m, spread across 62 portfolio companies.
Thierry Heles
Thierry Heles is editor-at-large of Global University Venturing and Global Corporate Venturing, and host of the Beyond the Breakthrough podcast.
