Every day, Global University Venturing rounds up the smaller investments from across the university innovation ecosystem in its deal net.
University of Tokyo Innovation Platform (UTokyo IPC), the university’s open innovation unit, has supplied ¥500m ($4.6m) to its Japan-based children’s entertainment spinout Onedot, a carveout of household product maker Unicharm. The investment comes through UTokyo IPC’s AOI I Fund. Onedot publishes video content for children and parents with an emphasis on building healthy habits such as nutritious meals and maternity yoga.
AOI I Fund also invested ¥200m ($1.9m) in Fimecs, a University of Tokyo spinout working on a pharmaceutical compound discovery platform leveraging assets from drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical. Fimecs is targeting compounds that induce the production of proteolytic enzymes in the body. While proteolytic enzymes are capable of various biological functions, research has struggled to find trigger compounds.
Sarissa Biomedical, a UK-based handheld stroke diagnostics technology spinout of Warwick University, has secured £1.2m ($1.5m) from government-backed MEIF Proof of Concept and Early Stage Fund and private-sector investors including Wren Capital and the Wood Family, Insider Media reported yesterday. Sarissa’s device contains a disposal biosensor chip that analyses a blood sample within about five minutes. The tool can be used on-site when patients suffer a suspected stroke, enabling treatment to be readily provided. Mercia Technology Seed Fund, a vehicle operated by Mercia Asset Management, which also runs MEIF Proof of Concept, supplied Sarissa with an undisclosed amount of funding in 2010.
Digzyme, a Japan-based bioinformatics spinout of Tokyo Institute of Technology, has secured ¥30m ($280,000) in a seed round from VC firm Anri and investment and corporate services firm ReBoost.
– Additional reporting by Liwen-Edison Fu
