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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.
 

About Our Startups

Since 2006, we have launched more than 190 startup companies based on UMN technology, marking a milestone in our efforts to assist faculty and staff systemwide in commercializing their inventions.

  • Three out of four of our startups are based in Minnesota
  • 75 percent are still active today—well above the national average
  • Our startups have raised more than $1.15 billion ($654 million in startup investment capital and $498 million from IPOs and acquisitions, FY2006-2019)

“The University Tech Comm has been a formidable partner in building Claros Technologies and another upcoming venture. I have been working with Tech Comm for 7 years now, from initial IP filing to a Series A fundraising and I have witnessed a remarkable evolution and effort to accommodate innovators and startups and enhance their chances of success. I am grateful for that.” - Abdennour Abbas, PhD, Founder and Chief Technology Officer for Claros Technologies

Between 2017 and 2021, nine UMN companies were acquired or IPO'd:

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