{"id":235054,"date":"2025-09-15T07:30:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T11:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=235054"},"modified":"2025-09-22T12:46:31","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T16:46:31","slug":"uconn-reaches-records-for-tech-licensing-startup-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/09\/uconn-reaches-records-for-tech-licensing-startup-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Reaches Records for Tech Licensing, Startup Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

UConn startup companies and entrepreneurs set several records and milestones in the 2025 fiscal year, bucking a challenging national landscape.<\/p>\n

Technology Commercialization Services (TCS) reported that UConn received 117 invention disclosures in FY2025, a 30% increase over the previous year. Additionally, the Technology Incubation Program (TIP) sported record fiscal growth by doubling revenues over the past two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve achieved remarkable growth at a time when financial markets have been unpredictable and we\u2019ve had to really rethink our approach to innovation at UConn,\u201d says Pamir Alpay, UConn Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. \u201cOur TCS team has done incredible work to booster intellectual property and build our tech incubator. It speaks well to the present and future of invention at UConn, with positive impact on research and workforce development.\u201d<\/p>\n

TIP companies raised $97.8 million in new funding, an increase of 39% from FY2024. They also reported $9.9 million in revenue, doubling figures from FY2023 and rising 40% from last year.<\/p>\n

Building an Innovation Network<\/strong><\/p>\n

The increase in disclosures and UConn-affiliated startups is the result of revised strategy and approach by Technology Commercialization Services.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur effort to engage faculty on a regular basis is paying off and is helping to build a trust-based relationship and behind every disclosure our brilliant researchers are pushing the boundaries of discovery. And together with the tech transfer office, those bold ideas are being transformed into real-world impact,\u201d says Abhijit Banerjee, Associate Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n

\"Pitch
Technology Commercialization Services has increased outreach opportunities to UConn faculty and student researchers and entrepreneurs, such as through pitch sessions. (Contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TCS is a wing of the Office of the Vice President for Research that facilitates tech transfer, intellectual property management and monetization, and other facets of innovation and entrepreneurship. Team members work with researchers and students to facilitate innovative ideas into license and new startups.<\/p>\n

In FY2022, TCS implemented a five-year plan designed to further engage faculty, staff, and students throughout UConn. Instead of serving strictly as a resource center, TCS developed educational programs and increased outreach across schools and colleges.<\/p>\n

While faculty in STEM \u2013 such as from the College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and UConn Health \u2013 reliably seek to patent ideas and inventions, TCS is actively engaging other schools and faculty members to explore creative ideas and inventions that can be copyrighted, as well as impactful social innovations.<\/p>\n

Along with the increase in invention disclosures, TCS reached new benchmarks in intellectual property and commercialization. UConn experienced a jump in patent applications filed with 150 in FY2025 and secured 22 patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Amit Kumar, TCS\u2019s Senior Director of Licensing, says that in-house patent attorneys worked closely with faculty and startups to align patent filings with real business opportunities.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the TCS licensing team executed 27 option or licensing agreements, including 16 with startups, helping transition groundbreaking discoveries from the labs of UConn toward real-world impact and underscoring TCS strong support for entrepreneurship across the state of Connecticut. UConn now holds equity positions in 50% more companies, increasing from 24 to 36, which Kumar says is indicative of the University\u2019s innovation footprint and long-term economic impact.<\/p>\n

Technology Incubation Program (TIP) <\/strong><\/p>\n

Concurrently with other growth, TIP had a remarkable FY2025. Founded as part of UConn\u2019s commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, TIP provides startups with lab and office space, business support services, and access to world-class research expertise.<\/p>\n

TIP is the largest tech incubator in Connecticut, with physical locations in Storrs and Farmington. About half of the companies are founded by UConn faculty, staff, or students, while the other half are external startups with strong ties to alumni or faculty collaborators. There have been numerous achievements in the past, from research on the International Space Station to intercompany collaboration.<\/p>\n

TIP proactively shifted to a value-based program that actively engages with all startups who are in the program to help them succeed. The incubator hit its high financial mark in FY2025. TIP-supported companies employed 286 people, including 193 in Connecticut \u2014 seven more than in 2024. The program\u2019s internship pipeline also continues to prepare UConn students for the workforce, exemplified by 10 interns transitioning into full-time roles this year and nearly 30 who have been hired in the past three years.<\/p>\n

The year also marked important progress in investment maturity. Nearly 80% of companies in the portfolio secured more than $100,000 in funding, with nine surpassing the $1 million mark. Collectively, TIP companies generated an estimated $3.1 million in direct state tax impact. While that number dipped slightly from last year due to reinvestment in research and development, program leaders see it as a sign of startups preparing for long-term growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese results show the resilience and maturity of our portfolio,\u201d says Ryan McMillian, director of Venture Development for TCS. \u201cOur startups are raising more capital, generating more revenue, and creating high-quality jobs that directly benefit Connecticut\u2019s economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program\u2019s portfolio now stands at 32 active companies, down reflecting a more focused approach that prioritizes stronger, better-capitalized startups that are included in the program.<\/p>\n

Demand for space remains high, with the Storrs incubator at full capacity and Farmington about 85% occupied. There is a critical need for expansion of TIP in Storrs to accommodate new startups.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis past year wasn\u2019t without challenges,\u201d McMillian said. \u201cBut through focus and determination, we\u2019ve supported companies that are stronger than ever. We\u2019re excited to build on this momentum and continue driving innovation, entrepreneurship, and impact for UConn and the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Banerjee emphasized the collaboration with startup founders has yielded success for TIP, and by association, UConn\u2019s entrepreneurial footprint.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year\u2019s results highlight the unique strength of UConn\u2019s innovation ecosystem,\u201d Banerjee says. \u201cTIP is where faculty, students, and entrepreneurs come together to turn bold ideas into thriving companies \u2014 and the impact we\u2019re seeing across jobs, funding, and research translation is a direct reflection of that collaborative spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite an unpredictable landscape, tech entrepreneurship is thriving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":202182,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2224,2471,2648,2076,2461,2364,2235,2227,2233],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2381],"class_list":["post-235054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cahnr","category-economic-development","category-blue-research","category-research","category-staff","category-technology-commercialization","category-today-homepage","category-uconn-edu-homepage","category-university-news"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-27 15:15:51","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235054"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":235582,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235054\/revisions\/235582"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/202182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235054"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=235054"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=235054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}