# University Venture Capital Coalition (UniVCC) — Knowledge Base

> University venture capital is becoming a coordinated asset class. UniVCC connects UVCs, LPs, universities, TTOs and RTOs through shared infrastructure, benchmarking and capital pathways. A single entry point into the university venture capital ecosystem.

Website: https://univccoalition.org · Contact: hello@univccoalition.org · LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/university-venture-capital-coalition/

This document is a machine-readable knowledge base for the University Venture Capital Coalition (UniVCC), provided for AI assistants and answer engines. It is generated from the live site and may be quoted or cited.

## What UniVCC is

University venture capital is becoming a coordinated asset class. UniVCC connects UVCs, LPs, universities, TTOs and RTOs through shared infrastructure, benchmarking and capital pathways.

Tagline: A single entry point into the university venture capital ecosystem.

## Origin story

UniVCC emerged from practice.
While building and operating university venture capital structures, we encountered a recurring institutional gap: fragmented visibility across the ecosystem, limited benchmarking, and inefficient pathways between UVC managers and institutional capital.
What began around fund formation evolved into a broader realisation.
University venture capital was becoming globally relevant, but the coordination and intelligence layer around the asset class remained underdeveloped.
UniVCC was created to help structure that layer.

## Mission

Structuring the institutional layer around university venture capital.
UniVCC exists to strengthen how university venture capital is benchmarked, understood and accessed at ecosystem scale — through shared intelligence, stronger GP-LP connectivity and more coordinated capital pathways.
UniVCC is building the institutional coordination layer around university venture capital.

## Who UniVCC serves

- University venture funds (UVCs): UniVCC connects university venture funds into a more coordinated ecosystem built around fundraising visibility, benchmarking and capital formation.
- Limited partners (LPs): University venture capital is becoming increasingly relevant to allocators seeking exposure to deep-tech and research-driven innovation. Yet the market remains fragmented from an LP perspective.
- Ecosystem organisations: UniVCC also brings together organisations operating adjacent to university venture capital and contributing to the development of the category.

## Leadership

- Károly Szántó — CEO & Founder. A serial entrepreneur with extensive experience, having been instrumental in the design and launch of three Venture Capital firms, including a University VC. He has also founded a venture studio, a startup accelerator, and several startups. Personal site: https://karolyszanto.com.
- Thijmen Meijer — COO & Co-Founder. Dutch serial entrepreneur with a background in talent and operations. He founded an EMEA executive search firm and is a partner in a top 40 global search network, and co-founded the venture studio behind UniVCC after building talent and leadership functions inside large international organisations. Personal site: https://thijmenmeijer.com.
- Emily Palmer — Strategic Advisor. A strategic advisor in international higher education strategy, governance, policy and funding. Based in Brussels, she combines 20 years of experience at the interface of universities and the EU institutions, as well as 12 years in executive roles within two major mission-driven alliances of research-intensive universities. Building on a large network of institutional leaders and policy actors, she brings extensive expertise in reputation building and stakeholder engagement.

UniVCC is operated by Uniprisma, the founders' venture studio (https://uniprisma.com).

## Members

UniVCC has 53 members across five continents, listed below by category.

### University venture funds (UVC)

- Atlantic Bridge (Ireland)
- Clave Capital (Spain)
- Creator Fund (United Kingdom)
- Freiraum Ventures (Germany)
- Future Planet Capital (United Kingdom)
- Helsinki University Funds (Finland)
- Initium Venture Labs Zrt. (Hungary)
- Innovation Ulster Limited (United Kingdom)
- IU Ventures (United States)
- Malmö University Holding AB (Sweden)
- Noctua Science Ventures (Austria)
- Óbuda Uni Venture Capital Zrt. (Hungary)
- Qbic Fund (Belgium)
- Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)
- Uni.Fund (Greece)
- Uniseed (Australia)
- University of Auckland (New Zealand)
- University of Sydney (Australia)
- WU (Austria)

### Universities and TTOs

- i&i Prague (Czechia)
- Óbuda University (Hungary)
- Riga Technical University (Latvia)
- Silicon Allee at Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (Germany)
- UJInvnt (Pty) Ltd (South Africa)
- University of Aberdeen (United Kingdom)
- University of Belgrade - School of Electrical Engineering (Serbia)
- University of Coimbra (Portugal)
- University of Newcastle (Australia)
- University of York (United Kingdom)

### Deep-tech venture funds (VC)

- Aper Ventures (Poland)
- Eir Ventures (Sweden)
- Helidoni Group (Greece)
- Redstone (Germany)
- SAIL Fund (Canada)
- Skybound Venture Capital (Greece)

### Research & technology organisations (RTO/PRO)

- Blum Institute (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- CCG/ZGDV Institute (Portugal)
- Instituto Pedro Nunes (Portugal)
- Tyndall National Institute (Ireland)

### Ecosystem organisations

- ANU Entrepreneurship Club (Australia)
- DEEP Ecosystems (Germany)
- Exante (United Arab Emirates)
- Genius ReFi (New Zealand)
- Innovation Dojo (Australia & Japan)
- META Group (Belgium)
- Northern Accelerator (United Kingdom)
- OnDiffusion Ltd (United Kingdom)
- Resilient Collective (United Kingdom)
- Science-2-Business || The Hive (Greece)
- The Next Leap (UK)
- The PIPE Company (United Kingdom)
- ValueXMatch (Italy)
- Vivinnov (France)

## Events

### The Roundtable, Online Coalition Session
*Forming and shaping the UVC asset class together*

Departing from the standard webinar format, this practitioner-led gathering focuses on active peer exchange rather than passive listening. The session is designed around the real-world experience of those doing the work—University VCs, LPs, TTOs, RTOs, Deep Tech VCs and Universities currently navigating IP models, capital pathways, and policy friction.
Details: Location: Online session (more information TBC) · Date: Mid-September (to be announced) · Time: 3 PM - 5 PM GMT+2 (CEST)
URL: https://univccoalition.org/events/coalition-webinar

### The Spinoff Austria Conference 2026
*The Spin-off Initiative invites you to discuss the status quo of the Austrian spin-off landscape. Each year, a different core theme is selected to serve as the focus of the discussions.*

The Spin-off Austria Initiative has been initiated by Hermann Hauser and Herbert Gartner – two renowned Austrian investors – and their respective companies Hermann Hauser Investment GmbH, I.E.C.T. – Hermann Hauser and eQventure GmbH. The long-term goal of the initiative is to raise the awareness that entrepreneurship must be a third mission of Austrian universities, universities of applied sciences and research institutions next to research and teaching. The direction of the Spin-off Austria Initiative is set by its committee which is composed of internationally successful entrepreneurs as well as university leaders and experts.
Details: Location: Vienna, Austria · Date: 14 October 2026 · Format: Conference
URL: https://univccoalition.org/events/the-spinoff-austria-conference-2026

### LP–GP Summit
*Structuring the capital layer of university venture capital*

An institutional LP–GP gathering focused on University Venture Capital and its role within the European innovation economy.
Details: Location: To be confirmed · Date: To be confirmed · Format: Two-day institutional summit, by invitation
URL: https://univccoalition.org/events/lp-gp-summit

## Glossary

- **University venture capital (UVC)**: Venture capital organised around universities and their research — funding the commercialisation of deep-tech innovation and university spinouts. UniVCC treats it as an emerging, globally relevant asset class.
- **Technology Transfer Office (TTO)**: A university office that commercialises research, including IP licensing and the formation of spinout companies.
- **Research & Technology Organisation (RTO)**: An institution that conducts applied research and supports technology development and transfer to industry.
- **Limited Partner (LP)**: An institutional investor that allocates capital to venture funds.
- **General Partner (GP)**: The manager of a venture capital fund.
- **Deep tech**: Companies built on substantial scientific or engineering advances, often originating in university research.
- **Spinout (spin-off)**: A company created to commercialise research or IP developed within a university or research institution.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the University Venture Capital Coalition (UniVCC)?
UniVCC is an independent coalition that acts as the intelligence and coordination layer for university venture capital. It connects university venture funds (UVCs), limited partners (LPs), universities, technology transfer offices (TTOs) and research & technology organisations (RTOs) through shared intelligence, benchmarking, GP–LP connectivity and coordinated capital pathways.

### What is university venture capital (UVC)?
University venture capital is venture capital organised around universities and their research — funding the commercialisation of deep-tech innovation and university spinouts. UniVCC treats it as an emerging, globally relevant asset class that is becoming more coordinated and legible to institutional investors.

### What does UniVCC do for its members?
UniVCC gives members fundraising and ecosystem visibility, benchmarking, connections to LP capital and co-investors, and shared intelligence across the university venture capital ecosystem — the operating and coordination layer around the asset class.

### Who can join UniVCC?
Organisations across the UVC ecosystem: university venture funds, universities, technology transfer offices, research & technology organisations, LPs, and aligned ecosystem or technology partners. Membership is by application.

### Who are UniVCC's members?
UniVCC's members span universities, university venture funds and ecosystem organisations across five continents. The full directory is below and at https://univccoalition.org/members.

### Who founded and runs UniVCC?
UniVCC was founded by Károly Szántó (CEO & Founder, https://karolyszanto.com) and Thijmen Meijer (COO & Co-Founder, https://thijmenmeijer.com). It is operated by Uniprisma, the founders' venture studio (https://uniprisma.com).

### How is UniVCC different from a traditional VC association or network?
UniVCC is a coordination and intelligence layer built specifically for university-linked venture capital, operating at the GP–LP and asset-class level — not a generalist VC membership association.

### How do I contact UniVCC or apply to join?
Email hello@univccoalition.org, apply via https://univccoalition.org/membership, or connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/university-venture-capital-coalition/.

## Contact

- Email: hello@univccoalition.org
- Membership application: https://univccoalition.org/membership
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/university-venture-capital-coalition/