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Entrepreneurship is flourishing among researchers and students at Aarhus University, but many academic startups face challenges in finding early-stage funding. The AU Launch grant, introduced in 2022, provides life-giving financial support to help academic startups prove their business potential. This year, the grant will be awarded for the second time to bridge the lack of venture capitalFuel for startups' rocket ride. Venture capital is pro investors who create pool funds to seek innovation, and to mentor. It is high risk, high reward journeys.... More for academic startups.
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The AU Launch grant aims to address the unique challenges that research-based startups often face. These startups often build on groundbreaking knowledge and ideas, typically take longer to develop, and market conditions can be difficult to assess in the early startup period.
“Many knowledge-intensive startups have experienced a gap in the funding landscape, where it has been difficult to find venture capital for the first important steps on the entrepreneurial journey. With AU Launch, we can bridge this gap and give many of our talented academic entrepreneurs a better starting point,” says Jonas Brandt, Head of Business Development at The Kitchen, Aarhus University’s hub for entrepreneurship, on The Kitchen’s website.
Read also: Every faculty at Aarhus University gets its own innovator – TechSavvy
The grant provides up to DKK 250,000 per application round and up to DKK 400,000 per year, with the possibility to apply multiple times. The money is targeted at startups that need financially intensive support, for example for specialized consulting, lab rental or the purchase of advanced equipment.
The application deadline for this year’s AU Launch scholarship is September 18, 2024, and there will be a new application round later this fall.
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