Osage University Partners has added IU Ventures to its lineup of academic partners in a deal enabling it to back IU Ventures clients as a co-investor.
IU Ventures, the fund management and innovation support arm of Indiana University, has become an associate partner of spinout-focused investment firm Osage University Partners (OUP).
The move is intended to help IU Ventures-linked businesses secure external funding for their objectives, and OUP will also supply other resources under the partnership.
IU Ventures emerged from the rebrand of Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation in August 2019 to oversee the university’s Philanthropic Venture Fund as well as its angel network and entrepreneurial support services.
The division currently has 14 businesses in its portfolio, not including legal document processing software developer Doxly, which was bought by document management technology business Litera Microsystems in August 2019.
OUP was formed in 2009 to back emerging companies aligned with its academic partners, but the IU Ventures agreement marks the first time it has joined forces with a university venture fund.
Equipped with about $600m in funds under management, OUP works with tech transfer offices for more than 100 institutions including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Chicago.
