August Innovation

Mind Your Matter

News

Intelligent Design:

Innovation Ventures Restructures

Innovation Ventures has restructured to better serve the university’s research and clinical community. To fulfill our mission more effectively, we have consolidated our teams into two core functions: HealthTech Commercialization and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship, directed by Dr. Aenor Sawyer, will encompass the Catalyst & InVent Funds, our Entrepreneurship Program, the Rosenman Institute, and the Innovator Enrichment program.

The HealthTech Commercialization team, led by Assistant Vice Chancellor Peter Kotsonis, now includes all the functions of the former Office of Technology Management and Advancement, as well as the Office of Strategic Alliances.

Both Assistant Vice Chancellor Kotsonis and Dr. Sawyer report directly to Dr. David Morris, Vice Chancellor of Business Development, Innovation, & Partnerships.

We believe this infusion of new energy will foster innovation, generate more technologies, and expand the medical toolbox to address global healthcare challenges.

Have a look at our new org chart for a better understanding of how we are organized.

Org Chart

Customer Discovery:

I-Corps Programming at UCSF

An Interview with Seo Yeon Yoon, I-Corps Hub Instructor

The UCSF National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps program will host its training course focused on healthcare products this October. The course is an immersive virtual customer discovery training. Participants learn how to conduct customer interviews to identify their top customer segment and value propositions, validate their commercial market, and accelerate finding product market fit.

"The more wrong you are, the more you're getting out of the program. That's the secret recipe."

Seo Yeon Yoon

Seo Yeon Yoon, PhD, Director of Life Science Angels and UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, is the program director. Nathan Prorok sat down for a conversation with Seo Yeon Yoon about the I-Corps program and its application within the life sciences.

Read the Interview

Interested in I-Corps?

Apply now for the UCSF NSF I-Corps October Training Course!

The I-Corps program will host its training course focused on healthcare products, including therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, digital health, and platform technologies, on October 6, 9, and 20 from 5 pm to 8 pm via Zoom.

The course is an immersive two-week virtual customer discovery training. You'll learn how to conduct 20 customer interviews to identify your top customer segment and value propositions, validate your commercial market, and accelerate finding product market fit.

Teams that complete I-Corps are three times more likely to be awarded a Small Business Innovation Research grant. Additionally, nearly 1,400 teams have launched startups which have cumulatively raised $3.16 billion in subsequent funding.

Apply Here

Strategic Partnership to

Support Start-Up Companies

UCSF Announces a New Strategic Partnership with BEVC

We're thrilled to announce a dynamic partnership between BEVC (a venture capital firm) and UCSF to fuel the next generation of groundbreaking ventures. This collaboration unites BEVC’s deep expertise in early-stage investment with UCSF’s cutting-edge research and vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem.

BEVC has already made multiple commitments to UCSF companies, including their participation in Montara Therapeutics $20 million oversubscribed expansion of its Series Seed financing in March of this year. BEVC’s health focus encompasses software and AI, therapeutic platforms, diagnostics, research tools, as well as biomanufacturing of advanced therapies. BEVC makes first commitments in the pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A investment rounds and continues to support companies through their later rounds.

Speaking about this partnership, BEVC Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Widya Mulyasasmita, said, “UCSF has a legacy of transforming scientific breakthroughs to companies that have reshaped healthcare. We’re pleased to partner with UCSF to combine exceptional research, credible founders, and aligned capital at inception to turn academic discoveries to real-world outcomes.”

David Morris, Vice Chancellor of UCSF Innovation Ventures, added, “This partnership comes at the perfect time for UCSF. Getting that first check into a start-up is critical to UCSF moving innovation from the lab and into the hands of patients and providers. We’re thrilled to be working with such an impressive team with an enviable track record. Our start-ups are already benefiting from this partnership.”

UCSF believes this partnership will unlock a wealth of untapped potential, transforming innovative ideas into thriving businesses. Stay tuned for upcoming events, funding opportunities, and success stories emerging from this powerful collaboration!

Connect

UCSF Hosts Inaugural AIM Meeting with Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy

On July 30th, UCSF hosted its first Alliance Innovation Meeting (AIM) with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI), marking a significant milestone in our strategic partnership.

The meeting brought together scientific and operational leadership from both organizations to align on shared goals, explore emerging opportunities in cancer immunotherapy, and strengthen collaboration pathways that accelerate translational research. Attendees included UCSF’s Kole Roybal, Julia Carnevale, David Morris, Peter Kotsonis, Gemma Rooney, and Olivia Roberson. Representing PICI were Kevin Marks, Ira Mellman, John Connolly, Tarak Mody, and Christen DiPetrillo. This inaugural AIM meeting reflects our joint commitment to advancing cutting-edge immunotherapies from the lab to patients through collaborative innovation.

Upcoming

UCSF Global Life Sciences/Healthcare

Entrepreneurship Course

Registration deadline September 3 - Global Life Sciences/Healthcare Entrepreneurship Course.

The UCSF Global Life Sciences/Healthcare Entrepreneurship Course: Virtual Master Class Direct from Silicon Valley has brought the best startup business practices from Silicon Valley to participants in 41 countries. This 10-week, part-time professional online program begins October 1 and covers the business fundamentals for life sciences and healthcare startups.

The course offers an exclusive life sciences/healthcare startup focus with specialized topics; high-touch, live sessions: interactive lectures, small discussion groups, and mentoring; guest lectures by investors and entrepreneurs; insights into the winning mindset and culture of Silicon Valley; and a global alumni network.

For more information or to register

Join Us

Startup Accelerator is Open

Applications are now open for UC LAUNCH

The University of California's premier startup accelerator, designed to help early-stage founders across all UC campuses turn ideas into fundable companies, has opened the application process.

Each semester (Fall + Spring), 20+ of the most promising UC startups are selected. Over three months, teams refine their value propositions, protect IP, connect with industry experts, launch MVPs, validate scalable business models, and pitch to investors. The program culminates in Demo Day, where teams compete for up to $60K in cash prizes before a live audience

Information Sessions:

In person: Tuesday, August 26 | 4-5 pm | Berkeley Haas, Room N500 (Chou Hall)
Virtual: Wednesday, September 3 | 5-6 pm | 5-6 pm | via Zoom
Registration link for Information Sessions.

Application Deadline: Thursday, September 5

Apply

UCSF Success

Catalyst Awardees Featured in the New York Times

Learn more about how the deep-brain stimulation innovations from Catalyst Awardees Prasad Shirvalkar and Edward Chang are impacting real-world patients with chronic pain.

Treating Chronic Pain Is Hard. An Experimental Approach Shows Promise.

Read NYT

Dispatch Bio Launches to Develop a Universal

CAR T for Solid Tumors

Innovation Ventures congratulates Dr. Kole Roybal and all the co-founders on the launch of Dispatch Bio. Dispatch Bio is engineering a universal treatment across solid tumors, leveraging its first-in-class Flare platform.

Dispatch Bio was established through a pivotal collaboration with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) and the convergence of groundbreaking technologies across the PICI network, including UCSF. Dispatch Bio has raised $216 million from investors, including ARCH Venture Partners, PICI, Bristol Myers Squibb, and leading academic institutions. Innovation Ventures successfully negotiated a critical license for intellectual property from Dr. Kole Roybal’s lab at UCSF, which is foundational to the company. This partnership underscores UCSF’s commitment to translating cutting-edge research into transformative healthcare solutions. We wish the Dispatch Bio team every success in their mission to develop curative therapies for cancer patients.