Dear Colleagues,
University of Michigan startups have been making headlines this month, from HistoSonics’ $250 million financing round to TIME’s recognition of Ambiq Micro’s SPOT chip as one of the Best Inventions of 2025. Rounding out a remarkable month, EVOQ Therapeutics’ new licensing agreement with Sanofi will help advance its promising platform technology for treating autoimmune disorders, offering new hope for patients worldwide. Together, these milestones showcase the extraordinary reach and impact of the University of Michigan’s innovation ecosystem.
Building on this momentum, Innovation Partnerships is fueling the next generation of high-potential startups through the Accelerate Blue Foundry. This program connects entrepreneurs with some of the university’s most promising innovations. If you’re a founder looking for your next big opportunity, we invite you to join us.
You’ll find more details and opportunities in the newsletter below. Thank you for your continued partnership and support of Michigan’s innovation ecosystem.
Sincerely,
Kelly Sexton
Associate Vice President for Research – Innovation Partnerships and Economic Impact
Innovation Partnerships Highlighted by Inc. Magazine for Support of University Innovators
Innovation Partnerships was recently highlighted in an Inc. Magazine article exploring how universities and startups are collaborating to drive innovation and economic growth. The piece showcases Innovation Partnerships’ central role in bridging the gap between groundbreaking U-M research and industry, enabling startup formation and supporting the commercialization of university-developed technologies. These efforts not only fuel Michigan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, but also serve as a model for university-industry collaboration nationwide.
University of Michigan Named #6 in Fast Company Ignition Schools 2025 Rankings
The University of Michigan was recently ranked #6 in Fast Company’s 2025 Ignition Schools awards.
The Ignition Schools rankings recognize colleges and universities driving the next generation of entrepreneurship with cutting-edge research support and robust commercialization programs. Fast Company highlighted U-M’s strong commitment to entrepreneurship, spotlighting Innovation Partnerships for our efforts to empower emerging innovators through mentorship, incubator space and funding opportunities.
Accelerate Blue Foundry Entrepreneur Applications Close November 5
The Accelerate Blue Foundry is designed to bridge the gap between startup founders and some of the most promising innovations from University of Michigan research. Applications are now open through November 5 for interested entrepreneurs to apply and connect with a U-M inventor.
Throughout the program, teams will receive support and mentorship from the Innovation Partnerships’ team. The Foundry will culminate in a pitch day where projects will present to a room of investors for an opportunity to license the technology and launch a new company. Credible startups launched from the Foundry will receive a minimum seed investment of $50,000 from the Accelerate Blue Fund.
U-M Startup General Orbit Company Brings Out of this World Technology to Market
Started by U-M researchers Mark Moldwin and Lauro Ojeda, General Orbit Company is developing radiation-resistant magnetometers, eliminating the need for a boom — an arm used to mount instruments away from a spacecraft — thus reducing cost. This innovation opens opportunities for space applications and is changing the future of the satellite industry.
General Orbit Company was supported by the Michigan innovation ecosystem, including the MTRAC Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub and the Accelerate Blue Foundry.
💸 HistoSonics announces $250M growth financing
→ Learn More 🔗
🏆 Ambiq SPOT Named One of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2025
→ Learn More 🔗
🏆 Voxel51 Technology Named One of Eight Foundational AI Developments of 2025 by Fast Company
→ Learn More 🔗
💸 EVOQ Therapeutics Announces $500 Million Collaboration and License Agreement with Sanofi
→ Learn More 🔗
🔬 ONL Therapeutics Enrolls First Patient in Global Phase 2 GALAXY Trial of Treatment for Geographic Atrophy (GA) Associated with Dry AMD
→ Learn More 🔗
🏆 General Orbit Company Wins PitchMI Detroit Competition
→ Learn More 🔗
📰 Arborsense Featured by WXYZ Detroit for Smartwatch-Sized Alcohol Monitor Technology
→ Learn More 🔗
Michigan State Budget Includes Funding Boost for Universities, Support for MTRAC, T3N Programs
The Michigan Legislature recently approved an $80.97 billion state budget for fiscal year 2025-26. The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity included $15.6 million for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship budget, which supports statewide innovation programs, including Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization(MTRAC) and the Technology Transfer Talent Network, or T3N.
U-M Partners, Startups Celebrated at Michigan Venture Capital Association 2025 Awards
At this year’s Michigan Venture Capital Association 2025 Awards, several U-M partners and startups were honored for their work advancing the state’s innovation ecosystem. Recipients included:
Mike Blue (HistoSonics), Entrepreneur of the Year
Michigan Innovation Fund, Capital Event of the Year – Venture Capital Fund
Ann Arbor SPARK, Community Impact Award
ONL Therapeutics, Capital Event of the Year – Portfolio Company
Ambiq, Exit of the Year
HistoSonics, Mega Deal of the Year
Additionally, Jim Adox, executive managing director at Venture Investors Health Fund and member of the Innovation Partnerships National Advisory Board, was inducted into the Michigan Venture Capital Association Hall of Fame. Adox was honored for his extensive leadership and guidance across Michigan’s economic ecosystem, helping startups to flourish across the country.
Osage University Partners Webinar: Founder Recruitment Models for Academic Spinouts
📅 November 4, 2025
⏰ 12pm
📍 Virtual
This webinar spotlights two pioneering programs designed to close the innovation and entrepreneur gap: CU Boulder’s Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator and the University of Michigan’s Accelerate Blue Foundry. Both initiatives proactively recruit entrepreneurial leaders and match them with promising university innovations to launch scalable startups.
In this session, Amy Dodenhoff (Director of Venture Development, CU Boulder) and Dave Repp (Director of Ventures, Innovation Partnerships, U-M) will share how their institutions are building founder-recruitment pipelines to expand startup formation capacity through these programs, how they each structured their programs, success stories and challenges from program cohorts thus far and much more!
Michigan Institute for Data & AI in Society: Annual Data Science Summit 2025
📅 November 17 – November 18, 2025
⏰ 5:30pm
📍 Michigan Union
The U-M Data Science and AI Summit brings together the U-M data science and AI research community and their external collaborators to build research vision and collaboration. It also showcases the breadth and depth of U-M data science and AI research, from theory and methodology development to the transformative use of data and AI to address scientific and societal challenges across all domains.
A key highlight this year is the U-M Leadership Vision Panel, which will explore how AI and data science are shaping the university’s research landscape and what’s ahead. Featured panelists include:
Arthur Lupia, Vice President for Research and Innovation
Ravi Pendse, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
Karen Thole, Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering
Brad Orr, Associate Vice President for Research – Natural Sciences and Engineering
The event is free for all U-M faculty, staff, students and alumni. Registration is required.
ONO Pharmaceuticals RFP – Funding Opportunity for Rare Genetic Disorder Researchers
In alliance with Innovation Partnerships and Michigan Medicine’s rare disease interest group (MIRARE), ONO Pharmaceuticals is expanding its research and development efforts to identify potential collaborative research efforts with U-M faculty focusing on rare genetic disorders. This opportunity is designed for research in early-stage discovery with an identified target, novel genetic therapeutic approaches and new technologies or platforms that can be applied to multiple targets.
Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis.
