Utah Innovation Fund
Venture capitalSalt Lake City · Pre-Seed–Series A · 29 people tracked
Investment thesis
The fund was created to accelerate Utah's economy by investing early and with conviction in early-stage, deep-tech ventures spun out of the state's universities and research institutions. Beyond capital, it provides founders with access to mentorship, networks, and commercialization support, aiming to connect locally developed research to global markets. Its stated goal is to drive economic, scientific, and social returns to Utah, positioning itself as an innovation engine that helps founders move discoveries from the lab bench to business launch.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 29 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 16 of 19 portfolio companiesBiotech ×9Healthtech ×8Medical Devices ×8AI & Machine Learning ×6Deep Tech ×5Hardware ×4Digital Health ×3Cleantech ×2
HQs:United States×7
Who they back
founder profiles across 9 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×32 founders×23 founders×34+ founders×1
Investments · 19 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2023 · 12022 · 12 dated
Purgo Scientific develops localized drug delivery medical devices designed to deliver therapeutics to specific anatomical sites.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesSouth Jordan, US
Dustin Williams, PhDDUSTIN WILLIAMS(CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER)MICHAEL BENJAMIN(CHAIRMAN AND CEO)Nicholas Ashton, PhD(Chief Technology Officer)in
BoardSTEPHANIE MORLEY(Director)
3Helix develops and sells collagen hybridizing peptides (CHP) and related conjugates for research and diagnostic applications.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesNew MaterialsSalt Lake City, US
Mike Kirkness(CEO)Toby Barrack(VP)Michael Fugman(Director)Michael Yu(Director)Noah Nasser(Director)Michael Kirkness(Executive Officer, Director)
Authentiface provides facial motion-based authentication technology that combines facial recognition with motion verification to enable secure access to both digital systems and physical locations without traditional passwords or tokens.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityDeep TechHardware
D. J. Lee(Founder and CEO)Shad Torrie(Co-Founder and CTO)
Biologic Input Output Systems develops neural interface technology to restore natural movement and sensation for individuals with limb loss, enabling intuitive control of prosthetic limbs through direct brain-machine connections.
BiotechDeep TechMedical DevicesRobotics
Jacob A. George(Co-Founder and Chief Scientist)Josh Miller(Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer)Tim Miller(Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer)Wendy Huang(Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer)
Bloom Surgical develops surgical instruments and technology solutions for surgical teams in healthcare settings.
HardwareHealthtechMedical Devices
Jacob(CEO & Cofounder)Brandon(CTO)
A workflow automation platform that enables teams to build specialized agents and automations using coding agents like Claude Code and Cursor.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Co-investorsCampus Founders FundTranspose Platform Management
Corventum is a biopharmaceutical company developing therapies that protect the heart from the toxic effects of cancer treatment, allowing patients to continue first-line oncology therapy.
BiotechMedical Devices
Eden Technologies develops Genesis, a reverse osmosis centrifuge technology designed to address water scarcity by making clean water more accessible globally.
CleantechDeep TechHardwareLas Vegas, US
Hunter Manz(Founder & CEO)inZachary Manweiler(Co-Founder & CTO)inReece Thompson(Co-Founder & CSO)in
Inherent Biosciences develops clinical diagnostic solutions using epigenetics and AI to address complex healthcare concerns.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDigital HealthSalt Lake City, US
Andy Olson(Founder)inKristin Brogaard, PhD(Founder)inAndrew Olson(Executive Officer)
Co-investorsPortfoliaMedMountain Ventures
Lucidity Sciences develops Lumawarp, an AI/ML engine that constructs compact kernel-based models directly from data using a geometric framework, achieving state-of-the-art performance in models measured in kilobytes with microsecond inference speeds.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechEnterprise Software
MVT Pharma develops ultrasound contrast agents and theranostics to advance imaging and treatment capabilities.
BiotechDigital HealthHealthtechMedical Devices
Evan C. Unger(Founder and CEO)Emmanuelle J. Meuillet(Chief Operating and Scientific Officer)
Paterna Biosciences is developing a first-in-class biologic for reproductive biology using in vitro spermatogenesis technology.
BiotechDigital HealthFemTechHealthtechMedical DevicesSalt Lake City, US
Alex Pastuszak(Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer)Brad Cairns(Co-founder and Chief of Scientific Advisors)Jim Hotaling(Co-founder and Chairman)
Co-investorsDraper AssociatesSeaside VenturesSpringTide Ventures
Prism AI builds an AI platform for biomarker discovery and drug development from multi-omics clinical trial data.
Co-investorsEvolution VC PartnersVela Partners
Rebel Medicine develops preclinical investigational drugs and wound care products designed to provide pain relief without opioids.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesSalt Lake City, US
Brett Davis(Executive Officer, Director)Caleb Lade(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardJohn Poyhonen(Director)Kevin Passey(Director)Mai Nguyen(Director)
Co-investorsCentral Texas Angel Network
TELLUS Sensors manufactures professional-grade air quality monitors that track multiple pollutants and environmental parameters for residential, commercial, industrial, and research applications.
CleantechClimate TechConsumerHardwareHealthtechIoTSalt Lake City, US
Kerry(Co-founder)Pierre-Emmanuel(Co-founder)Tom(Co-founder)Doug(President and CEO)
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesPurgo Scientific · biospace.com · Aug 4, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Utah Innovation Fund made?
- Utah Innovation Fund has 19 tracked investments.
- What stage does Utah Innovation Fund invest at?
- Utah Innovation Fund invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What sectors does Utah Innovation Fund focus on?
- Utah Innovation Fund focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, Biotech, Data & Infrastructure, Deep Tech, Energy, Enterprise Software, SaaS.
- Where is Utah Innovation Fund located?
- Utah Innovation Fund is headquartered in Salt Lake City, US.
- Who does Utah Innovation Fund co-invest with?
- Utah Innovation Fund most often shares deals with Draper Associates, Evolution VC Partners, Seaside Ventures, among 9 tracked co-investors.
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