UC Ventures

The University of California is an economic powerhouse that produces five new inventions every day. Read about our latest discoveries, innovations and startups.

By University of California

US retail jobs are bad — but it doesn’t have to stay that way
Fiat Lux - By Stan Paul, UCLA
“The United States has a bad jobs problem, and retail jobs are at the heart of it.” That’s the first line of a new book, “Where Bad Jobs are Better: Retail Jobs Across Countries and Companies,” co-authored
Animations that are true to life
Fiat Lux - By Jason Alvarez, UC Merced
Imagine going to see the latest Pixar movie. You’re sitting in the theater enjoying the film, when you begin to notice the astounding level of detail in the animation. On screen, water is rippling and
Revolution Foods, Back to the Roots remake school meals
berkeley.edu
When the Today Show aired a back-to-school segment on how school food is being disrupted by healthier options, producers turned to two companies …
Why ‘Dreamers’ at UC should feel very lucky
sacbee.com - By Foon Rhee
When María Blanco took a new job at the end of 2014, no one knew that a billionaire reality TV star would launch a long-shot presidential bid by …
Squid ink may replace dental poking and prodding
newatlas.com - Ben Coxworth
You know when you go to the dentist, and they shove that little measuring-stick-like tool up between each of your teeth and the overlapping gum …
Above Devastated Houston, Armies of Drones Prove Their Worth
WIRED - Aarian Marshall
Less than a week after the last drops of Hurricane Harvey fell, Houston is just beginning to assess the damage. At least 46 people have died. More …
Cyborg bacteria turn into tiny, zero-waste solar panels
Fiat Lux - By Robert Sanders, UC Berkeley
To help humans capture more of the sun’s energy than natural photosynthesis can, UC Berkeley scientists have taught bacteria to cover themselves in tiny, highly efficient solar panels to produce useful
Fighting memory loss with virtual reality
Fiat Lux - By Elaine Schmidt, UCLA
We’re all familiar with the image of someone donning virtual reality goggles to enter a new environment while seated at their computer. At UCLA, Nanthia Suthana is one of the first neuroscientists in world
UCLA study helps Californians save electricity — and money — this summer
Fiat Lux - By UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, UCLA
Electricity demand fluctuates each day, and consumers who want to unplug during peak times to save money and help the environment now have a new tool at their disposal. Chai Energy, a partner of the UCLA
Startup@BerkeleyLaw Expands Outreach to Underrepresented Entrepreneurs | Berkeley Law
berkeley.edu
Startup@BerkeleyLaw, a fast-growing initiative at Berkeley Law that helps new ventures take flight, has launched a program to help underrepresented …
Berkeley’s Sugarlogix is engineering a sugar that’s good for you
berkeleyside.com - Cirrus Wood
Kulika Chomvong and Chaeyoung Shin want the world to eat more sugar. The two are cofounders of Sugarlogix, a startup cultivating prebiotic sugars, …
Low-cost smart glove translates American Sign Language alphabet
Fiat Lux - By Liezel Labios, UC San Diego
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a smart glove that wirelessly translates the American Sign Language alphabet into text and controls a virtual hand to mimic sign language
The Innovator Gap
MIT Technology Review - Ilan Gur
The world’s most potent technologists are stranded in today’s innovation ecosystem. An innovator I know—let’s call him Tom—had trained for a decade at …
Providing clean water for a growing population
Fiat Lux - By Sarah Nightingale, UC Riverside
Engineers at the University of California, Riverside have developed a new way to recover almost 100 percent of the water from highly concentrated salt solutions. The system will alleviate water shortages
Pioneering a new dimension in virtual reality: The nanoscale
Fiat Lux - By Nicole Freeling, UC Newsroom
Like many other tech entrepreneurs, UC San Diego Class of 2017 engineering grad Dennis Chiang got his start in a basement. But he and fellow classmates behind the UC San Diego startup Nanome haven’t exactly
Why yes, those are robot delivery minions at UC Berkeley
berkeleyside.com - By Cirrus Wood
UC Berkeley has a new on-demand delivery service. Unlike any of its predecessors however, this one relies on robots. Kiwi uses a fleet of 20 …
Scientists kill invasive ants with seaweed
upi.com - By Brooks Hays
Scientists in California have developed an eco-friendly way to battle invasive ants. The new ant bait is made from a seaweed-based hydrogel.
University researchers key ‘in 40% of top inventions since 1950s’
timeshighereducation.com
University researchers were leading actors in 40 per cent of the top inventions since the 1950s, despite receiving relatively low amounts of research …
Students’ Engineering Chops to be Showcased at ‘Innovate to Grow’ | Newsroom
ucmerced.edu
Is it still possible to build a better mouse trap? Engineering students at UC Merced think so. “Eraticate” — a fitting name for a group focused on …
Triton Entrepreneur Night: Pitch Perfect
ucsd.edu
Sensors that tell you if Chinese food from last weekend is still safe to eat. An app to let your professor know you have no idea what he’s talking …
New battery-free implant is powered by your body
Fiat Lux - By Meghan Steele Horan, UCLA
Researchers from UCLA and the University of Connecticut have designed a new biofriendly energy storage system called a biological supercapacitor, which operates using charged particles, or ions, from in
Congratulations to our UC Entrepreneur luncheon winners!
Fiat Lux - UC Newsroom
Nineteen UC entrepreneurs will get a chance to meet and pitch some of Silicon Valley’s leading venture capitalists next month at a special lunch hosted by UC President Janet Napolitano and Christine Gulbranson,
Big Ideas pitch day: seeding the future
Fiat Lux - By Anne Brice, UC Berkeley
In 2015, pneumonia was the leading cause of death in patients under the age of 5, claiming the lives of nearly a million children worldwide, half of whom lived in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with
When the Dalai Lama asks you to make an app...
Fiat Lux - By Mitzi Baker, UCSF
In her house on a hill in San Francisco with sweeping views of the city, Eve Ekman has a meditation altar, which highlights her spiritual interests. In a nearby room, Ekman has the lamp by which her father,
Device pulls water from dry air, powered only by the sun
Fiat Lux - By Robert Sanders, UC Berkeley
Imagine a future in which every home has an appliance that pulls all the water the household needs out of the air, even in dry or desert climates, using only the power of the sun. That future may be around
Turning ideas into enterprise
Fiat Lux - By Sarah Nightingale, UC Riverside
Grape growers lose an estimated $1.5 billion each year to fungal infections that damage vines after necessary pruning. Philippe Rolshausen, a researcher at the University of California, Riverside, is them
Driving apps like Waze are creating new traffic problems
kalw.org - Eli Wirtschafter
After a long day teaching at Ohlone College in Fremont, Rose-Margaret Itua often spends 40 minutes just waiting to get on the highway. It’s only a …
Space start-ups get their 'Shark Tank' moment
Los Angeles Times - Samantha Masunaga
After the success of nimble companies such as rocket and capsule maker SpaceX and Earth-imaging firm Planet, investors are starting to see aerospace start-ups as viable ventures. But it’s still unclear
Student entrepreneur brings light to South African school children
ucla.edu - Alison Hewitt
John Vande Wege/UCLA Partnering with other organizations, SOSA Investments, co-founded by UCLA student Luke Mostert, donates lanterns to needy …