Message from Associate Vice Chancellor Dushyant Pathak

I recently announced my departure from the university, and this will be the last Venture Catalyst newsletter that I will be sending you. While you will continue to hear from the team going forward, I do hope our paths will remain connected. I know I speak for my colleagues in Venture Catalyst, in hoping you will continue to engage with the team’s excellent efforts, and I encourage you to continue your support of what I’ve worked with my colleagues to build at UC Davis since coming on board in early 2012. Thanks so much for your support, collegiality and collaboration.

PHOTO: Fatma Kaplan and Karl Cameron Schiller, cofounders of Pheronym recently relocated from Florida to become a tenant in the UC Davis-HM.CLAUSE Life Science Innovation Center and participant in the Venture Catalyst START program.

Fiscal Year 2018-2019 marked the conclusion of the three-year campus deployment period for the $2.2 million of innovation and entrepreneurship expansion funding received by UC Davis from the State of California under the University of California Innovation and Entrepreneurship Expansion legislation (AB 2664), approved in 2016. Implementation of this funding, managed by UC Davis Venture Catalyst, was organized under a unique collaborative framework that included 13 key campus and community partners. Supplementing the $2.2 million, campus partners and Venture Catalyst were able to secure an additional $4 million in matching funds from external sources, allowing the campus to put a total of $6.2 million to work to support 25 new and expanded innovation and entrepreneurship programs. The majority of these programs have developed a mechanism for sustainability, providing extended opportunities to spur economic development in the region and state, enabled by UC Davis innovation drivers in the years ahead.

Over the past three years, new and expanded programs have directly enabled the launch of 30 startups, led to the development of 47 products, accelerated 86 companies, provided training to over 1,400 aspiring entrepreneurs, delivered close to 3,800 hours of mentoring to innovators, and awarded $1.25 million of proof-of-concept grants and awards to teams of researchers and students. Since deployment of these funds, startups launched or supported through these programs have raised over $1.2 million of funding to advance their technology ventures.

With this funding, Venture Catalyst launched new initiatives including the Biotech Innovation Gallery (BIG ^TM ) Accelerator program and startup showcase, expanded programs like the Worldwide Accelerated Research Partnerships (WARP ^TM ) program, and added over 27,000 square-feet of incubator space which included the deployment of more than 53 pieces of advanced equipment and instrumentation within the Distributed Research Incubation & Venture Engine (DRIVE ^TM ) Network. To enhance services available to incubated startups, Venture Catalyst also launched the Discounted Access to Research Translation Services (DARTS ^TM ) program, a partnership with 32 campus core facilities offering competitive rates for access to services and equipment.

Featuring:

There are many pitfalls for a startup founder, but one of them, your corporate records and hygiene, can definitely be managed if you are mindful. Many founders are consumed in their day-to-day activities with the business, which is understandable, but having an eye for good record-keeping, proper contract management, use of standard forms, following through with paperwork on equity commitments, getting all invention assignment agreements in place, and other more “mundane” activities will be very important to investors and other professional counter-parties with whom you will do deals if your company is successful. This talk, led by Elton Satusky, a Partner with the law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, will provide some general practical tips, tricks of the trade, red flag warnings, and other helpful information to keep you disciplined, organized and ready for that first major due diligence event.

WHEN:

Tuesday, September 17, 2019, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

WHERE:

UC Davis Office of Research

1850 Research Park Drive

Davis, CA 95618

EVENT COST: Free (Registration Required)

Featuring:

Focus on Funding for Innovative Cancer Projects

This talk will offer an opportunity for participants to engage with the National Cancer Institute’s Small Business Innovation Research (NCI SBIR) Development Center, which provides funding, networking, and mentoring assistance to small businesses with innovative cancer technology projects. NCI SBIR Program Director Dr. Kory Hallett will discuss new and existing NCI funding opportunities, SBIR application tips and suggestions, and other commercialization resources for small businesses such as the I-Corps at NIH entrepreneurship program.

WHEN:

Thursday, September 26, 2019, 2:30PM - 3:30PM

WHERE:

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Goodnight Auditorium

2279 45th Street

Sacramento, CA 95817

EVENT COST: Free (Registration Required)

Researchers at UC Davis have partnered with a federally compliant pharmaceutical company to analyze the chemical and biological profiles of cannabis for the benefit of law enforcement, health care providers and scientific professionals. The agreement with Biopharmaceutical Research Company, which is registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, is among the first of its kind. UC Davis and BRC researchers will analyze legally acquired cannabis materials in BRC’s labs to understand the chemical composition of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, cannabidiol or CBD, and other cannabinoids. In order to leverage these strengths and promote transdisciplinary collaborations, UC Davis is establishing a Cannabis and Hemp Research Center..... Read More

VentureWell, an organization that supports science and technology innovators, featured Marc Facciotti, an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, in its faculty spotlight. Facciotti has participated in several VentureWell programs and served as a principal investigator for several student E-Teams as well as for several Faculty Grants, one of which focused on building a more inclusive early-stage pipeline for undergraduates interested in innovation and entrepreneurship in the biomedical engineering field.... Read the Interview

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is sudden kidney failure or damage causing a build-up of waste in blood and a fluid imbalance in the body. Many burn victims suffer acute kidney injury (AKI), but early recognition of AKI remains challenging. Now an Artificial Intelligence (AI)/ Machine Learning (ML) model developed at UC Davis can predict acute kidney injury quicker and more accurately. The average diagnosis time using the ML algorithm was just 18.8 hours, compared to 42.2 hours with traditional methods..... Read More

U.S. News & World Report has again ranked UC Davis Medical Center among the nation’s top hospitals for 2019-20. The annual rankings recognize hospitals that excel in treating patients with the most serious and complex injuries and illnesses. U.S. News ranked the Medical Center #1 in Sacramento and #6 in California. It is also ranked among the nation’s top 50 hospitals in 10 adult medical specialties.... Read More

About Venture Catalyst 

 

UC Davis Venture Catalyst facilitates the translation of University research and technology by enabling the development of new ventures. Venture Catalyst engages with the Davis and Sacramento business, governmental and economic development community to highlight the development of technologies and ventures coming out of UC Davis that will drive tomorrow’s regional job creation. Working closely with these partners, Venture Catalyst is invigorating the technology-based entrepreneurial ecosystem of the entire region. 

The Venture Catalyst START™ Suite of programs and services provides the ABCs to equip UC Davis entrepreneurs with the tools they need to form and grow robust startups. The program gives founders the START they need to create a well-structured company and ensure the company is prepared for success. 

 

Contact Venture Catalyst 

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