To learn more about AgStart and the new incubator facility, click here. 

Bouncer Technologies, a startup founded on technology developed at UC Davis has been acquired by Stripe, a global technology company that builds economic infrastructure for the internet. Bouncer was founded in 2019 by UC Davis Associate Professor of Computer Science Sam King, along with ex-Lyft employees Will Megson and Steven Liu. The company developed a new, secure app called Bouncer Scan that uses machine learning to read credit cards in seconds and reject fraudulent cards, transactions and phones. Stripe plans to integrate Bouncer’s technology into Stripe Radar, a fraud prevention tool whose machine learning models are trained on purchases made at millions of companies around the world every day.... Read More

With the passage of the JOBS Act, startups can seek small investments from a large number of individuals who then become owners in their businesses, with accompanying ownership rights. When considering this option, startup founders need to assess whether they really want to take on a number of new owners in exchange for small amounts of funding. Crowdfunding requires startups to jump through many hoops, both legally and logistically, including a requirement that the offering be made through a broker-dealer or a registered crowdfunding platform, restrictions on the amount of funds certain investors can commit, limitations on the total amount raised, and a detailed offering statement, including financials and other reports. In this talk, led by Jessica Holcombe, a seasoned corporate attorney, UC Davis alumna, and founder of Holcombe Law Group, you will learn about the legal requirements for crowdfunding compared with other sources of financing, including angel and venture capital funding, friends and family rounds, and traditional sources such as bank loans. The talk will also discuss minority shareholder rights.

When:

Tuesday, July 13, 2021, 10:30 – 11:45 am

UC Davis Venture Catalyst is collaborating with the Bay Area Node for the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps program to host the Immersive Short Course training for teams with a university connection and technology innovation based on discoveries in fundamental science and engineering, which will be structured as three online evening sessions taking place on August 2, 4, and 10, 2021.

Applications for the Immersive Short Course are open through July 16, 2021. Selected applicants will be contacted two weeks before the first day of class to schedule a team interview call with the I-Corps instructor.

More than $100,000 of prizes were awarded at this year’s Big Bang! Business Competition hosted by the UC Davis Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship with winners across a wide range of disciplines including food and agriculture, health, energy and sustainability, and education. This year, the competition was open to teams with a founder or team lead affiliated with a college or university in California.

UC Davis scientists have discovered genetic data that will help food crops like tomatoes and rice survive longer, more intense periods of drought. Over the course of the last decade, the research team sought to create a molecular atlas of crop roots, where plants first detect the effects of drought and other environmental threats. In so doing, they uncovered genes that scientists can use to protect the plants from these stresses.... Read More

A new, noninvasive method for measuring brain blood flow with light has been developed by biomedical engineers and neurologists at UC Davis. The new method, functional interferometric diffusing wave spectroscopy, or fiDWS, is less expensive than the existing technology such as MRI and CT scanners and more accurate than NIR spectroscopy.... Read More

The UC Davis School of Medicine launched a new interdisciplinary initiative, the Center for Diagnostic Innovation (CDxI), to bring together industry partners, clinicians, researchers and educators to develop new testing methods to improve patient health. An estimated 70% of all medical decisions are based on laboratory tests and one in 20 Americans experience a diagnostic error each year. The center will focus on tackling these and other diagnostic needs and challenges.... Read More

New research from the Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases at UC Davis shows that it may be feasible to create a vaccine against the Chlamydia, the most common sexually transmitted disease in the US. The researchers were able to immunize mice with Chlamydia in the nose and show that it protected them against a vaginal infection.... Read More

The UC Board of Regents approved the California Environmental Quality Act terms and designs as well as the business terms related to Aggie Square’s mixed-use residential building and the Alice Waters Institute project. The first phase of construction is scheduled to begin in early 2022.... Read More

More than an Ivory Tower: The Impact of Research Institutions on the Quantity and Quality of Entrepreneurship (National Bureau of Economic Research) 

A recent NBER working paper shows that federal funding to universities has a measurable impact on its role in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. Federal research funding of all types leads to a higher quantity of entrepreneurship, but only research funding to universities drives notables increases in the quality-adjusted quantity of entrepreneurship....Read More

SBIR Application Success Rates Decreased From FY 2019 to FY 2020 at National Institutes of Health  (State Science & Technology Institute)

The success rates of both NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) applications between FY 2019 and FY 2020 experienced a 5% decline going from 21.8% to 16.4%. In California, a state with the highest number of applications received, the success rate for Phase I SBIR applications fell from 18% to 11% in this period.... Read More

UC Davis Venture Catalyst supports the development of new ventures fueled by university research and technology. Venture Catalyst offers several innovative programs that bridge the gap between early-stage research and commercialization and provide entrepreneurs the resources, support, and connections needed to successfully form and grow technology-based startups. With a focus on accelerating technology-led economic development in the Davis-Sacramento region, Venture Catalyst also works closely with partners in the regional innovation and economic development ecosystems. 

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