Park Points – October 21, 2024

Welcome back to another edition of Park Points, a quick recap of news, information, and events relevant to KU Innovation Park’s mission and vision.

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ICYMI: Park company Design-Zyme earns $3 million SBIR award

Design-Zyme, located at KU Innovation Park’s west facility, recently announced a successful collaboration with KU researchers, resulting in a $3 million SBIR award to develop a Lyme disease vaccine.

Tech momentum in the Sunflower State

The Park’s very own Chris Rehkamp took a trip downstate earlier this month to participate in a panel at the Ad Astra Tech Summit. A recap from Startland News of the event shared how Kansas stacks up in the tech industry.

  • Kansas ranks 29th in the country for the number of tech workers, at just over 70,000, and 35th in population. That’s according to the KC Tech Council’s KC Tech Specs V.07 released this year.
  • Kansas also comes in at 12th for the percentage of tech jobs added from 2022 to 2023.
  • While the startup ecosystem is active, venture capital has plenty of room for growth. In 2022, 77% of capital raised was in just two states: California and New York.
  • KU Innovation Park is trying to help close that gap by launching its newest initiative, the Oread Angel Investors network.

Read the full recap of the summit from Startland News.

Resource of the week: KU Center for Technology Commercialization

Meet the team! KUCTC supports KU and KU Medical Center innovators with intellectual property protection, licensing, and new venture creation. Click here to meet their team and learn more about using their services.

In the news
Events at the Park
  • That Gelato & Sorbetto Guy will return to the Park on Tuesday, October 22, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
  • Uplift Coffee will return to the Park on Tuesday, November 5, from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. Uplift is usually at the Park on the first Tuesday of the month.
  • 1 Million Cups Lawrence is at the Park every Wednesday at 9 a.m. Organizers are always looking for companies to present, so get up and practice your pitch in front of a friendly crowd of local entrepreneurs and business leaders! Apply to present here.

See the Park’s full event calendar here.

What we’re reading

Have news and notes to share? Let Lindsey Slater, vice president of strategic communications, know by clicking here.