WiBotic, a spinout of University of Washington, has emerged out of stealth mode after one year of developing its wireless charging technology that provides autonomous charging for robots, according to Geekwire. WiBotic has been supported by Washington’s CoMotion startup hub and attracted $750,000 in seed funding from W Fund, Wisemont and Washington Research Foundation.
Aromyx, accelerated by Stanford University’s StartX and Plug and Play Ventures Materials, is raising $3.6m on angel investment platform Propelx. Aromyx is creating a biochip that reproduces human taste and olfactory receptors. The technology has applications in consumer sectors such as food and beverage, agricultural industries and the chemical sector. At the time of writing, Aromyx has obtained $1.2m towards its goal.
UPMC Enterprises, the investment arm of Pittsburgh University’s Medical Center, has led a $5m round for cancer diagnostics company Cernostics. The money will go towards an accelerated development of Cernostics’ test for a condition called Barrett’s Esophagus that can lead to cancer. Cernostics and UPMC have collaborated on the creation of the platform. Novitas Capital also contributed to the round.
The Technology Innovation Agency, a part of South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology, has provided R5.9m ($400,000) to South Africa-based anti-piracy technology developer Custos Media Technologies. The company relies on blockchain technology to detect and prevent illegal copying of digital media files. Custos, a spinout of Stellenbosch University, previously closed a funding round earlier this year that involved Stellenbosch’s TTO Innovus Technology Transfer, Digital Currency Group and an angel investor.
