Wichita State University’s Office of Tech Transfer and Commercialization partners with Innosphere Ventures to support faculty commercialization efforts
Kansas research university joins Innosphere’s University Partner Program to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship
Innosphere Ventures, the Colorado-based incubator and commercialization program that accelerates business success of science and technology-based startup companies, has announced a partnership with the Office of Tech Transfer and Commercialization (TTC) at Wichita State University (Wichita State) to support the university’s economic development efforts and to help faculty commercialize technologies.
Wichita State serves as Kansas’ only urban-serving research university.
“We’re partnering with Innosphere because they’re a subject matter expert on working with faculty inventors to commercialize technologies,” said Rob Gerlach, Executive Director of the Office of Tech Transfer and Commercialization. “Building relationships with industry partners is key to successfully transferring technology into the commercial marketplace. Wichita State works closely with local, regional and national entities to accelerate discovery and innovation, and we’re excited to have Innosphere as a new partner that can help us bring cutting-edge technology to the commercial marketplace.”
Innosphere’s University Partner Program works directly with technology transfer offices at leading research universities across a multi-state region to connect inventors with business drivers, facilitate introductions to corporate partners, advance technologies to commercialization, and turn startups into high-growth businesses.
“Moving an invention from the lab to the marketplace and forming a successful company can be daunting, so we’re excited to be a resource for Wichita State’s technical founders and faculty as they commercialize technologies and bring ideas to life,” said Mike Freeman, CEO of Innosphere Ventures. “Wichita State’s tech transfer office meets at the junction of academics and industry, creating a unique innovation effort that is focused on researching and solving industry-focused, real-world problems.”
Innosphere Ventures recently released the Kansas Venture Capital Ecosystem Review which covers investment trends shaping the state’s venture ecosystem and reveals challenges for up-and-coming innovation hotspots such as Kansas. The report suggests that the Kansas startup ecosystem has rebounded since the pandemic year, with very strong venture capital activity in the first half of 2021.
Access the complete report below.
About Innosphere Ventures
Innosphere Ventures is a Colorado-based incubator that grows the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by accelerating the business success of science and technology-based startups with a customized commercialization program, a variety of incubation programs, a venture capital fund, and specialized laboratory facilities.
The Innosphere commercialization program connects founders with experienced advisors, corporate partners, and investors. The program teaches entrepreneurs valuable skills on how to access capital, acquire customers, build talented teams, accelerate top-line revenue growth, and plan for a company exit. Innosphere has been supporting startups for 23 years and is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at innosphereventures.org.
About Wichita State University:
Wichita State has a long tradition of innovation and entrepreneurship that spurs the economy and serves the needs of the local community. Wichita State’s vision is to be one of the nation’s most innovative public research universities, known for providing impactful student experiences and driving prosperity for the people and communities they serve. https://www.wichita.edu
Wichita State also partners with others in the Wichita area to support critical efforts associated with in the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, including this year’s upcoming Wichita Startup Week – a five-day event that’s free to the public on October 4th – 8th, 2021.
“Innosphere has taken significant strides to position our organization for even more economic impact by purposefully expanding throughout the Mid-America Mountain Plains Region and by laying the groundwork to launch a second venture capital fund,” said Mike Freeman, Innosphere Ventures CEO. “One of Innosphere’s focus areas is ensuring that we have accessible capital to fuel new ventures that can fuel the future economy.”