The Accelerate Blue Fund invests in University of Michigan–licensed startups at the earliest stages, when funding and support matter most. We provide patient capital, mentoring and intellectual property guidance through Innovation Partnerships to help founders reach key milestones and become venture-ready. By accelerating U-M innovation into the market, we help build high-growth companies and expand Michigan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Our Purpose
Established in October 2019, the AB Fund was created to address a persistent gap in the startup journey: the earliest phase of company formation, when technologies are promising but not yet ready to attract angel or venture investment. The Fund typically invests at the pre-seed and seed stages, supporting companies from formation through early fundraising and commercialization milestones.
What We Invest In
The AB Fund supports companies rooted in U-M’s breakthrough research across life sciences, physical sciences, software and deep tech. By investing at the point of greatest technical and market risk, the Fund helps accelerate the commercialization of U-M innovation and strengthen the university’s leadership in entrepreneurship and research translation.
How We Support Founders
In addition to providing patient, risk-tolerant capital, the AB Fund team partners closely with founders to help build venture-ready businesses. Through Innovation Partnerships, founders receive intellectual property guidance and ongoing support to ensure their IP strategy remains strong as they scale, raise follow-on capital and enter the market. That support may include go-to-market planning, fundraising preparation, milestone mapping and IP strategy alignment.
Why It Matters
The Fund’s impact extends beyond the university. As these startups grow, they contribute to job creation, talent retention and a more diversified innovation economy in Michigan. By helping U-M–affiliated companies reach investable milestones, the AB Fund also attracts follow-on investment into the state and strengthens Michigan’s position as a hub for technology commercialization and high-growth entrepreneurship.
Helping startups get from 0 => 1 is an important part of every startup ecosystem, and the Accelerate Blue Fund plays this critical role at the University of Michigan. From very early capital support to mentorship, advice and fundraising, the AB Fund helps creators and innovators bridge the gap between intellectual property and a product, and from a product to a business. Taking ideas from some of the brightest thinkers our planet has to offer and turning them into market-ready products is a challenge, but the AB Fund helps those at the University of Michigan face these challenges with capital and wrap around services to help make their visions become reality.
– Roger Ehrenberg, Managing Partner, Eberg Capital
How To Support The Fund
The Accelerate Blue Fund is an evergreen venture fund supported through philanthropy and grants from alumni, friends of the University of Michigan and corporate, state and federal partners, including the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Michigan Strategic Fund. These contributions allow the fund to invest in early-stage startups and recycle returns into future companies.
As the AB Fund grows, it expands the university’s ability to launch new companies, attract follow-on capital and strengthen Michigan’s innovation economy.