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Venture Center

At the Venture Center, we take ideas and technology that stem from University of Minnesota research, prepare them for the market, and launch new businesses around them.

Since 2006, we have launched 170 startup companies based on UMN technology, marking a milestone in our efforts to assist faculty and staff systemwide in commercializing their inventions. Between 2017 and 2019, eight UMN companies were acquired or IPO'd:

UMN Startups are MN Cup Finalists

Congratulations to MN Cup division winners BlueCube Bio and CounterFlow Technologies! Both UMN startups will present their final pitches on September 22 as they compete for the MN Cup Grand Prize.
  

BlueCube Bio, a cryopreservation company, was founded by Allison Hubel, professor of mechanical engineering and director of UMN's Biopreservation Core Resource.

 

 

CounterFlow Technologies, which manufactures spray nozzles for industrial applications, was founded by UMN researchers Alison Hoxie (UMD), Paul Strykowski, and Vinod Srinivasan.

 
About Our Startups

  • Three out of four of our startups are based in Minnesota
  • 78 percent are still active today—well above the national average
  • Our startups have raised more than $405 million in investment capital total

See a complete list of University startups launched to date and the startup pipeline of companies we are currently working to launch. 
 

What We Do

  • We provide a wide range of services and support to UMN researchers— including faculty, graduate students, and post-docs—to assess the commercial potential of their ideas, identify funding opportunities, and establish new companies based on their inventions 
  • We assess every University-based technology that comes through our office to develop a fitting commercialization plan. As part of the Startup Process, we work closely with our entrepreneurial UMN inventors to determine whether the technology has potential to succeed as a startup company
  • We operate the Discovery Launchpad, a startup incubator and program of formal coaching for UMN researchers interested in forming a startup company 
  • We partner with other programs throughout the UMN startup ecosystem to provide educational opportunities to UMN researchers and offer our own startup workshops.
  • We work with external entrepreneurs, business advisors, and potential investors to help find additional resources and support to launch University startups