University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill

Location

Chapel Hill, NC

  

Project Name

Create an entrepreneurial hub in the Research Triangle area

  

Award Amount

Federal Share

Local Match
 

$750,000

$190,055

KickStart Venture Services at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill will leverage the research innovation at North Carolina’s Triangle J Region to create a vibrant, resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem that allows advances in high-tech R&D and commercialization in COVID-stressed and post-pandemic times.

Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill have long fostered a strong environment for research innovation and IP generation. Kickstart Venture Services will partner with Duke’s New Ventures Program (NVP) to create an entrepreneurial hub with all the technical and intellectual resources needed to sustain startup activities during and post-pandemic.

A five-pronged approach involves:

  1. Matching university-born intellectual property (IP) to management counsel, creating more than 18 startups, six with a COVID focus
  2. Mentoring startups in obtaining non-dilutive capital for the commercialization of academic inventions
  3. Providing startups with entrepreneurial training tools, including experiential training for 20+ students
  4. Establishing a database of resource partners that can be reliably drawn upon for R&D support
  5. Staging technology showcase events to facilitate industry partnerships and early-stage deals

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