Tallman Trask, the university's chief administrative and financial officer, told news provider Herald-Sun the only place that investments are made out of at Duke is DUMAC, the limited liability company that manages the university's $5.7bn endowment, and he'd be "astonished" if it came out of anywhere else.

US-based Duke University has joined a venture capital (VC) consortium investing $20m in Plum District, a deals website for mothers.

US-based Plum District’s series C round was led by VC firms General Catalyst Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) and Comcast Ventures, the corporate venturing unit of US cable company Comcast.

KCPB and General Catalyst were previously the investors for Plum District’s $8.5m series B round in January, while Plum District’s series A round raised $2.1m in July 2010.

Plum District offers a daily deal service that is similar to Groupon’s, but aimed at mothers. The deals are negotiated with outside merchants by the company’s ‘mom consultants’.

The equity will be invested in enhanced customer services and technology, as well as in expanding Plum District’s span from the 27 US markets in which it currently operates.

Tallman Trask, the university’s chief administrative and financial officer, told news provider Herald-Sun  the only place that investments are made out of at Duke is DUMAC, the limited liability company that manages the university’s $5.7bn endowment, and he’d be "astonished" if it came out of anywhere else.

News provider TheStreet said in October, the University of Michigan announced an initiative, Michigan Investment in New Technology Startups, to invest up to $500,000 directly in companies created by faculty and students to a total of $25m within the next few years.

The University of Michigan’s Tech Transfer Office, helped 11 start-ups form in fiscal 2011, 10 in fiscal 2010 and eight in fiscal 2009, with an aggregate of 104 in 11 years.

Other universities that have invested directly in start-ups include the University of Rochester and the University of Texas, TheStreet added.

Bryan Allinson, executive director for technology commercialization at the University of Texas, told TheStreet: "Universities have taken more ownership over start-ups and that’s increasingly another tool in our toolbox versus direct licensing to industry."