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.
We have a newsletter! If you’d like to get Park news quarterly to your inbox, please subscribe here. See what you missed in the latest edition.
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.
- Design-Zyme founder and CEO Pete Petillo partnered with P. Scott Hefty, professor of molecular biosciences and director of the National Institutes of Health-funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Chemical Biology of Infectious Disease at the University of Kansas.
- The ultimate goal of the SBIR grant is to have a self-adjuvanting Lyme disease vaccine ready for preclinical development.
- Petillo and Hefty said the partnership between industry and academia is vital to both research advancements and commercialization efforts.
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 CommercializationMeet 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
- Park company Icorium Engineering was selected for this year’s Pure Pitch Rally, which is happening today. Read the preview from Startland News and check out the live stream of the event here.
- Check out coverage of the Park’s lunch and learn with Ancestry.com founder Paul Allen from Startland News.
- Just down the hill, Dillons and community partners broke ground for the new store near 21st and Iowa. Read more from The Lawrence Times.
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
- KC SourceLink: GEWKC 2024 Insiders’ Guide for Aspiring Entrepreneurs, Seasoned Business Owners
- Startland News: Six cap table management tips
- SSTI: Business R&D continues to rise despite inflationary concerns; federal share wanes
Have news and notes to share? Let Lindsey Slater, vice president of strategic communications, know by clicking here.