INSIDER
Amazon contributes $200,000 to University of Michigan philanthropic venture fund
Read full article: Amazon contributes $200,000 to University of Michigan philanthropic venture fundANN ARBOR Amazon has made the first corporate gift to the University of Michigans Accelerate Blue Fund, a philanthropic venture fund aimed at investing in and commercializing technologies developed at the U-M. Accelerate Blue will make investments in U-M tech startups working on various technologies in areas like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, mobility and sustainability. Returns on investments go back into the fund which creates a source for evergreen funding -- funding that is done incrementally. Through the $200,000 donation from Amazon, Accelerate Blue has collected around $1 million, half of its 2020 goal. The Accelerate Blue Fund was approved by the Universitys Board of Regents in October 2019 and created by University of Michigan Tech Transfer, a U-M unit responsible for commercializing U-M research discoveries.