NUS Graduate Research Innovation Programme (GRIP)’s Post

⚡ Latvian universities and UniLab are moving in the right direction (but we've always known that)! 👉 Technology transfer is becoming a European priority - in recent years, investors from different countries have created venture funds to support the development of university start-ups. Here's an example from Poland, where Warsaw University of Technology and VC plan to support 18 startups in the next 3-5 years https://lnkd.in/gRwkvFK6 Latvijas Universitate / Rīga Stradiņš University / Rīgas Tehniskā universitāte (Riga Technical University) / Latvijas Biozinātņu un tehnoloģiju universitāte #UniLab #startups #Izglītība #ZinātnesKomercializācija #founders #accelerator #venturecapital #Investīcijas #Accelerace

The ‘Unlocking Growth & Scale for Indian PHY’GITAL Tech Startups’ webinar marked an exciting step forward in strengthening the ties between India’s thriving startup ecosystem and Western Australia (WA)—one of the most dynamic innovation hubs in the Indo-Pacific. Vish Sahasranamam, Co-founder & CEO, Forge Innovation & Ventures kicked off by emphasising WA’s strategic role as the perfect launchpad for Indian startups - it being poised to become for the Indian Ocean trade zone what California has been for the Asia Pacific - providing startups with opportunities to access international markets, investments, and a robust innovation ecosystem. Building on this, Nashid Chowdhury, Investment and Trade Commissioner, India-Gulf Region Invest and Trade Western Australia, outlined WA’s $410 billion economy, supported by strong government backing, offering startups the infrastructure and sectoral opportunities—particularly in energy, decarbonization, and defence—to scale and thrive. Sandra Draper, Director, Innovation & Emerging Industries,Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Government of Western Australia underscored the government’s long-term commitment to innovation, specifically through the New Industries Fund and the WA Innovation Strategy - ensuring startups receive essential resources and support to commercialise their innovations and build global networks. Renu Kannu, Business Partnerships Lead- CORE Innovation Hub, introduced the startups to the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct (AARP), Australia’s largest R&D and testing facility for automation, robotics, and AI - and how this cutting-edge infrastructure enables startups to fast-track their technology development in a collaborative, low-barrier environment. The webinar concluded with Chandra Sundareswaran, Director, Centre for Learning Enterprise and Partnerships, Curtin University highlighting how West Tech Fest ties it all together, serving as a global platform to spark collaboration and innovation where Indian startups can engage with investors, build partnerships, and access international markets, reinforcing WA’s position as a hub for global growth - followed by an AMA session. Why This matters to Indian PHY’GITAL Tech Startups WA is not just an opportunity for startups to grow—it’s a strategic entry point to global markets. The region’s commitment to innovation across mining, energy, defence, space, and decarboniation aligns perfectly with the ambitions of Indian deep-tech startups. With the right ecosystem support, startups have access to world-class infrastructure, funding opportunities, and a network that spans the Indo-Pacific. We strongly believe that this initiative will drive innovation that impacts global industries, fostering long-term partnerships, and unlocking new pathways for sustainable growth. Want to explore scale & growth Opportunities at WA for your Startups apply at https://lnkd.in/gZ9we-AM Deadline: 21st October, 2024

Moving technology from lab to market, how Deeptech Venture ecosystem works. Yesterday, with my colleague Victor Kmita, I took part in the DeepTech Ventures Summit at Luxembourg; the 2-day event to united the #DeepTech industry in the Flemish region. Robotics, cutting-edge health tech, microgravity, quantum computing and photonics - are some tips of the iceberg in this area of future technologies. DeepTech can push collaboration limits for industries where research is too expensive to be done solely, so competitors may join the effort in the pre-commercial state. “Pre-competitive research is too costly to do alone," Laurent Vancaillie, Senior Development Manager at imec. IMEC is an independent not-for-profit R&D in nanoelectronics & digital technologies with 941 million in revenue. 73% of financing comes from the industry. IMEC helps businesses worldwide to save dozens of millions of euros with a great research base in the heart of EU flemish engineering in Leuven, Belgium, with offices in Boston, Berkley, Boston, Florida, San Franciso, San Jose, Tokyo, Bangalore and Cambridge. The secret sauce is people. “We rarely see failure related to technology; most teams fail because of what happens to the team when it comes under pressure. “It’s people's business,” says Sven De Cleyn, Program director at imec. Understanding the team dynamics and helping researchers and scientists to find a cofounder with a business and marketing background helps to launch the business and commercialize the idea. The right team can scale. Minds, management & money are the non-negotiables of any venture ecosystem; Asier Rufino, CEO & co-founder of TECNALIA Ventures, calls them 3Ms. Joab Rosenberg brings an example:” There are 65000 AI companies at the moment and only 500 companies across the globe”. Regardless of the fact, quantum computing is a game changer for the tech industry, just like PC was 40 years ago. Joab's team from Quantum Leap focuses solely on investing in Quantum projects and educates entrepreneurs with business backgrounds on quantum superpowers to ignite new ideas. Deep tech is about real science & real change; thus, to get funded on the initial round, you need to find an investor with an engineering background to understand the idea. Afterwards, you need to find those who know that moving technology from lab to market is anything but linear and takes plenty of time, more than any SaaS needs. “You need to put money after money; it can take 20 years to get in return”, nailed Andreea Monnat, CEO of Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) during the “Funding landscape” panel. A new market occurs, where companies like ENDEVAAR, run by Gabriel Samlali, helps to qualify high-potential deep-tech startups for top VC funds. Deep and low-tech are siblings and mutual enablers.   Great thanks to the Technoport SA and partners for pushing this forward. #innovation

🚀 Webinar Invitation: Unveiling new Deep Tech Incubators program by the Israel Innovation Authority 🌟 Calling Visionary Investors and Corporates Worldwide! This event will introduce the next generation of Deep Tech Incubators program. Our program is seeking partnerships with innovative thinkers who are keen to establish and support new Deep Tech Startups. These Startups aim to solve some of the world’s biggest problems. This initiative is strategically designed to mitigate the high risk associated with establishing and investing in Deep-Tech startups, that develop disruptive new technologies with big potential, but with a long time to market, strict regulation, and other risk factors 💡Webinar Benefits: •An introduction to the Israeli hi-tech sector and activities of the Israel Innovation Authority •A comprehensive overview of the call for proposals to establish new Venture Incubators •A detailed review of the grants and incentives offered to the selected Venture Incubators and their future portfolio companies. This program targets consortia of Venture Capital Funds and large corporations with synergistic capabilities and objectives, with the goal of establishing and investing in Deep-Tech startups, based on unmet needs, as defined by the consortia. Join us in this new program, where your expertise and investment can be leveraged to catalyze the growth of next-gen deep technologies. 📅 Save the Date: •Date: May 29, 2024 •Time: 18:00 Israel Time ✨ Register now and join us in shaping the future! https://lnkd.in/dgkRQ3Mg #DeepTech #InnovationFunding #VentureCapital #GlobalInvestment #IsraelInnovationAuthority #IsraelInnovation #DeepTechIncubators 

Some 140 private equity and venture capital investors from across Europe met in Paris February 8 to discover the Continent’s deep tech talent and discuss how to better support and fund Europe’s tech champions. Three scale-ups were awarded prizes at Tech Tour Growth50 Europe 2024: France’s SiPearl, which is developing a high-performance, low-power microprocessor that will be at the heart of European supercomputers, contributing to Europe’s technological sovereignty; DNA Script, a French life sciences technology company developing a new, faster, powerful, and versatile way to design and manufacture nucleic acids with the aim of making biology programmable; and UK-based Carbon Clean, which specializes in industrial carbon capture systems. The Innovator’s Editor-in-Chief moderated a session entitled “Growing and Funding Europe’s Tech Champions (pictured here) with Michiel Scheffer, President of the Board of the European Commission’s European Innovation Council (EIC), Philippe Huberdeau, Secretary General Scale Up Europe at the Presidency of the French Republic, @Lars Froelund, MIT, EIC Fund Board Member and a Special Advisor for Digital & Technological Sovereignty to European Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, and Terersa Cunha, Operational Leader at the EIC Scaling Club, a new EIC-funded curated community that brings together 100 European deep tech scale-ups with corporates and investors. The Paris event was a kind of coming-out party for the EIC Scaling Club, which has already attracted a core group of corporates, including Shell, Bosch, TotalEnergies, German and French car manufacturers, and semiconductor manufacturer ST, as members. “The value for the corporates is to follow growth companies in ten different market segments,” says William Stevens, CEO of The Tech Tour and Leader of the EIC Scaling Club. “Each corporate typically joins three to five groups. Other advantages include forming relations with fellow Club members and key institutions and policymakers at European and EU member state levels. “ https://lnkd.in/ef7gf672

【Deep Tech VC- innovation and impact drive mammoth investments】- part 2 We do have clarity about the reasons behind regulatory oversight, but how come governments, VCs, and even corporates are diverting so much of their attention and resources to deep-tech? This is primarily fueled by two reasons - 1. Deep-tech startups actually need the support and resources. This is because deep-tech, characterised by stretched-out R&D periods and heavy tech investment, unsurprisingly has quite lengthy gestation periods (which you could say is similar to the traditional medical industry), making it a marathon as compared to long sprints of traditional VCs. From a funding perspective, deep-tech investments take 25-40% longer time between their rounds on average as per a BCG report. Not only time, deep-tech startups also require an unparalleled amount of resources, with a significant portion of investments going over $100Mn, and few crossing even over $1Bn. 2. Secondly, and more importantly, this channelling is generated due to the potential. And no, not just the return potential we discussed earlier, but the impact potential. These companies, through their long and complex research processes, are trying to solve complex real-world problems through radical innovation. Let’s take energy for instance. Today, fusion - a deep tech vertical - could provide a near-limitless, safe, clean, source of carbon-free baseload energy and is recognized as a potential game-changer in addressing climate change and rising global energy demand. This is what Helion, an American deep tech nuclear fusion energy startup is trying to achieve, and why Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI invested in it. Moreover, deep tech as an asset class fares attractive relative to other technology investments because premiums are low and valuations are moderate (in terms of exit values as compared to investments. Many of these technologies have yet to enter the mainstream, and marketplaces have not become crowded with competing funders. The heightened risks of this sector are offset by these standout benefits. And this is what pulls more and more VCs to deep tech as an investment focus. Ultimately, the key realisation here is that the infant-stage deep-tech venture capital is thriving, driven by its potential for high returns and significant global impact. Yet, it brings forth a high- risk high-return situation, with funds outperforming traditional VCs, but also requiring multi-round investments, longer gestation periods, higher capital outflow, and traversal of considerations such as disruptive potential and ecosystem influence. But as the haze clears out, the reality kicks in. As deep tech continues to address critical global challenges, it is poised to remain a highly attractive and influential sector within the broader VC landscape. Deep tech VC is here, and it is here to stay.

Enabling deep-tech SEED stage companies bloom 🌼 Following our recent announcement of the stimulus package to boost Israeli tech industry and the Startup Fund that aims to assist in the establishment and funding of early-stage deep-tech companies at various development stages, from ideation to growth, in sync with the market. We are launching today a program that will provide grants to SEED stage companies that are developing R&D intensive technologies, facing inherent high-risk challenges. For these Seed companies The Innovation Authority will be covering 50% of the total funding round, with a budget ceiling of NIS 5 million. The seed funding is designed to enable these companies to achieve an initial techno-economic POC, continue building a robust prototype and conduct a pilot to test their product. This program is a joint investment of the Innovation Authority alongside venture capital firms or private investors, aiming to reduce risk for investors and promote the closing of a robust investment round. ❗ We've lowered the private sector's investment risk. Now it's your turn! Some of the most promising technological companies are waiting for you to "jump in."

EIC-EIT: Europe’s Deeptech Powerhouse By providing non-dilutive grants, equity funding, and critical resources, EIC is transforming the deeptech funding landscape in Europe. The model is a blueprint for the future of innovation, supporting companies that are building the technologies that will shape the world. The Hybrid Financing Model: A Perfect Fit for Deeptech. The EIC’s combination of grants (non-dilutive) and equity funding helps startups balance risk while preserving equity, making it easier to bring disruptive technologies to market. EIC Pathfinder also funds early-stage high-risk projects with up to €3 million in grants, offering a safety net for pioneers in emerging fields. The EIC, is a key partner tp traditional VCs, providing deeptech startups with flexible funding to overcome scaling challenges. These models help bridge the funding gap, ensuring innovation thrives alongside VCs or Family Offices Key Highlights of the EIC's Impact: - €1.5 billion allocated to over 1,000 deeptech startups across Europe. - Average €17.5 million in funding per company, including €2.5 million in non-dilutive grants and up to €15 million in equity investments. - In 2023 alone, the EIC committed over €500 million to 250 deeptech projects, in sectors like AI, quantum computing, biotech, and clean energy. (source: Les Echos) The EIC is a key partner to traditional VCs and Family Offices, providing deeptech startups with flexible funding to overcome scaling challenges. These models help bridge the funding gap, ensuring innovation thrives.

Some 140 private equity and venture capital investors from across Europe met in Paris February 8 to discover the Continent’s deep tech talent and discuss how to better support and fund Europe’s tech champions. Three scale-ups were awarded prizes at Tech Tour Growth50 Europe 2024: France’s SiPearl, which is developing a high-performance, low-power microprocessor that will be at the heart of European supercomputers, contributing to Europe’s technological sovereignty; DNA Script, a French life sciences technology company developing a new, faster, powerful, and versatile way to design and manufacture nucleic acids with the aim of making biology programmable; and UK-based Carbon Clean, which specializes in industrial carbon capture systems. The Innovator’s Editor-in-Chief moderated a session entitled “Growing and Funding Europe’s Tech Champions (pictured here) with Michiel Scheffer, President of the Board of the European Commission’s European Innovation Council (EIC), Philippe Huberdeau, Secretary General Scale Up Europe at the Presidency of the French Republic, @Lars Froelund, MIT, EIC Fund Board Member and a Special Advisor for Digital & Technological Sovereignty to European Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, and Terersa Cunha, Operational Leader at the EIC Scaling Club, a new EIC-funded curated community that brings together 100 European deep tech scale-ups with corporates and investors. The Paris event was a kind of coming-out party for the EIC Scaling Club, which has already attracted a core group of corporates, including Shell, Bosch, TotalEnergies, German and French car manufacturers, and semiconductor manufacturer ST, as members. “The value for the corporates is to follow growth companies in ten different market segments,” says William Stevens, CEO of The Tech Tour and Leader of the EIC Scaling Club. “Each corporate typically joins three to five groups. Other advantages include forming relations with fellow Club members and key institutions and policymakers at European and EU member state levels. “ https://lnkd.in/ejXUYAPH

Deep tech startups are on the frontier of innovation, tackling the world's toughest challenges with breakthroughs in AI, biotech, and more. But these ventures require serious investment and time to flourish. That's where venture capital shines. #AI #startupfunding #venturecapital