Discovery Capital Funding

Discovery Capital is a matching equity seed stage investment program for select UMN startups designed to accelerate the process of turning breakthrough research into commercial products by providing seed funding needed in the highly critical early stages.

Jointly managed by the Technology Commercialization Venture Center and the Office of Investment and Banking (OIB), Discovery Capital invests in UMN startups that submit a business plan and make a successful pitch to a volunteer advisory board.

Some of the factors that influence the decision to invest in a company include:

  • Potential market size for the product
  • Competitive landscape
  • Quality and business acumen of the leadership team
  • How close the technology (science) is to commercialization and what hurdles still remain
  • Whether matching funds, a requirement of the program, have been secured

Money for Discovery Capital comes from previous UMN licensing income, ensuring that income from successful technologies is cycled back into the system that supports new ideas and promotes UMN innovation.

Since 2015, Discovery Capital has invested $5.37 million in 15 startup companies, across a wide range of fields, including biotech, clean tech, rare earth metal replacement, medical software, medical devices, agtech, edtech, geothermal heat pumps, and NK cell cancer therapy.

If a UMN innovator or UMN startup executive is interested in an investment from Discovery Capital, email [email protected] to receive the program documents and schedule a meeting with the Discovery Capital manager.