Wellington UniVentures

What Wellington UniVentures does

Wellington UniVentures is the technology-transfer and commercialisation office of Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington (VUW), operating under that name since a 2017 rebrand from the former Viclink entity. The office identifies commercially promising research from VUW faculty, protects resulting intellectual property, and routes it to market through three mechanisms: spin-out company formation, licensing of university IP, and fee-for-service commercialisation engagements for external clients. Its disclosed technology portfolio is unusually broad for a single-institution TTO, spanning drug discovery (DNPH1 inhibitors commercialised via Mundesine, heparanase inhibitors, Mincle adjuvants), clean energy (vanadium redox flow technology, hydrogen steelmaking, aluminium-ion batteries, perovskite solar), and advanced manufacturing (two-photon polymerisation, non-contact magnetic sensing).

The business model combines four revenue streams: equity stakes in spin-out companies (anchored by the Booster Innovation Booster partnership, which has deployed NZ$7M+ across 13 companies since 2018), licensing royalties (with the 2016 Mundesine approval in Japan as the flagship outcome), fee-for-service commercialisation for third-party clients including Crown Research Institutes, and facilitation of government research grants such as the NZ$6.5 million MBIE Endeavour Fund award for hydrogen steelmaking. Customers and partners span three constituencies: internal VUW researchers seeking commercialisation pathways, external government and research institutions seeking commercial partners, and capital partners (notably Booster Financial Services) seeking exposure to early-stage university IP. The 2020 entry into the VAANZ COVID-19 vaccine alliance, backed by approximately NZ$10 million in government funding, extended the model into biomanufacturing infrastructure.

Operationally the office is small (approximately six named commercialisation staff and leadership), relies on the broader KiwiNet national commercialisation network for deal flow, and maintains a deliberate internationalisation posture through the Weimei joint venture with Milestone and the Suzhou Innovation Center in China. Spin-out cadence runs at roughly two companies per year, with named recent formations including Rekover Therapeutics (2020), TasmanIon (2021), and TwoPhold (2026).

Name

Wellington UniVentures

Legal name

Victoria Link Ltd t/a Wellington UniVentures

Website

https://wellingtonuniventures.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Wellington UniVentures is the technology-transfer and commercialisation office of Victoria University of Wellington. It forms spin-out companies, licenses university IP, and delivers fee-for-service commercialisation across life sciences, clean energy, and advanced materials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Commercialisation Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Management Consulting Services (54161), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization) (EDAHABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)

Keywords

• Research commercialisation services
• Technology transfer office
• University spin-out investment
• Intellectual property licensing
• Innovation commercialisation support

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investment in spin-out companies: Wellington UniVentures invests in and supports the creation of spin-out companies from university research. The organisation has invested more than $7 million and set up 13 companies since 2018 through the New Zealand Innovation Booster partnership with Booster Financial Services.
2. Fee-for-service commercialisation services: Provides commercialisation services to external organisations including Crown Research Institutes, government departments, and independent research organisations on a fee-for-service basis. Helps organisations grow a pipeline of ideas through full-service commercialisation expertise.
3. Licensing agreements: Licenses intellectual property developed at the university to commercial partners. Examples include licensing adjuvants to US biotech companies and licensing research software to industry.
4. Research funding facilitation: Helps researchers secure development funding from external sources including MBIE Endeavour Fund, KiwiNet PreSeed Accelerator Fund, and government agencies, facilitating the continued research and commercialisation process.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wellington UniVentures commercialises research from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington by investing in spin-out companies, licensing university IP to industry partners, and running fee-for-service commercialisation programmes for external organisations including Crown Research Institutes, government departments, and independent research organisations. It also runs the KiwiNet Emerging Innovator Programme, the Mike Collins Memorial Scholarship, and paid internships to support early-career researchers transitioning from academia to entrepreneurship.

Product overview

Wellington UniVentures is the commercialisation arm of Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Rather than offering a unified software platform, it provides a portfolio of research commercialisation services and supports multiple spin-out companies and research projects. The organisation offers third-party commercialisation services to external organisations, runs the KiwiNet Emerging Innovator Programme and Mike Collins Memorial Scholarship for early career researchers, and provides paid internships. Its portfolio includes diverse technologies across health & wellbeing (SoftSense medical footwear, Rekover Therapeutics for MS, breast cancer treatment research, DNPH1 inhibitors, Hepatitis B diagnostic test), environment & engineering (sustainable vanadium extraction, hydrogen-based steelmaking, perovskite solar technology via TwoPhold, water-based supercapacitor electrolytes, magnetic fault sensors), and biotech/agriculture (Mincle vaccine adjuvants, microbial natural products discovery platform, aluminium-ion batteries via TasmanIon). Wellington UniVentures connects researchers with industry partners, investors, and commercialisation pathways to translate academic innovations into real-world products and companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Third Party Commercialisation Services Fee-for-service commercialisation expertise for external organisations including Crown Research Institutes, government departments, and independent research organisations. Wellington UniVentures' Commercialisation Managers work directly with the client's internal staff to develop ideas into new products and services without the organisation needing to establish its own commercialisation infrastructure.
• KiwiNet Emerging Innovator Programme A funding and support programme enabling early-career scientists to build industry connections and demonstrate proof-of-principle for disruptive inventions. Facilitated through KiwiNet's national network supporting public commercialisation offices with investment, training tools, and annual KiwiNet Awards.
• Mike Collins Memorial Scholarship A $5,000 part-time research commercialisation scholarship over 12 weeks, providing mentoring and training in best-practice commercialisation techniques for Victoria University of Wellington postgraduate students (PhD, Masters, Hons) in the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences and School of Engineering.
• Paid Internships Six-month paid internships working alongside Wellington UniVentures' commercialisation team, learning to screen inventions, engage with industry, and support research and technology commercialisation activities.
• IP Licensing Programme Licensing of intellectual property developed at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington to commercial partners, including licences for adjuvants to US biotech companies, research software to industry, the Hepatitis B diagnostic test to a Chinese biotech company, and naturally-derived stomach ulcer treatments jointly owned by Ferrier Research Institute.
• Spin-out Company Investment and Creation Wellington UniVentures invests in and supports the creation of spin-out companies from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University research, including TwoPhold (perovskite solar), TasmanIon (aluminium-ion batteries), Rekover Therapeutics (multiple sclerosis), and others. Through the New Zealand Innovation Booster partnership with Booster Financial Services, more than NZ$7 million has been invested and 13 companies established since 2018.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than $7 million invested and 13 companies set up since 2018
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• New Zealand SteelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019New Zealand Steel is providing $750,000 over three years to accelerate the engineering development of hydrogen steelmaking research. The collaboration aims to develop a pilot-scale reactor at New Zealand Steel's Glenbrook site using hydrogen instead of coal to produce iron and steel.
• KiwiNetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKiwiNet is a national network supporting public commercialisation offices by providing access to investment, training tools and networks. Wellington UniVentures participates in KiwiNet programmes including the Emerging Innovator Programme, PreSeed Accelerator Fund, and KiwiNet Awards.
• Health Innovation Hub (NZHIH)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWellington UniVentures supports NZHIH to commercialise research developed within District Health Boards, enabling organisations to step directly into a fully functioning commercialisation process.
• Manaaki Whenua Landcare ResearchminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of the Crown Research Institutes in New Zealand that Wellington UniVentures provides commercialisation services to on a fee-for-service basis.
• AgResearchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgResearch collaborated with the Mincle adjuvant team to secure an MBIE grant to test adjuvants in a vaccine designed to prevent sheep pneumonia. First two stages successfully completed with exciting results.
• Dodd-Walls CentremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dodd-Walls Centre provides funding for TwoPhold's perovskite solar cell technology development as part of the commercialisation support.
• Pacific ChannelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPacific Channel pre-incubator facilitates TwoPhold's pathway to market as part of New Zealand's commercialisation ecosystem.
• MacDiarmid InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe MacDiarmid Institute supports high-impact research acceleration and commercialisation, working with TwoPhold on perovskite solar technology.
• Malaghan Institute of Medical ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand–Ohu Kaupare Huaketo (VAANZ) together with Victoria University of Wellington and University of Otago for COVID-19 vaccine evaluation and development.
• University of OtagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand–Ohu Kaupare Huaketo (VAANZ) for COVID-19 vaccine research collaboration.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AUT Enterprises / AUT Innovation: Technology transfer and commercialisation office of Auckland University of Technology, performing the same university-research-to-market services as Wellington UniVentures in the same NZ ecosystem.
• UniServices (University of Auckland commercialisation arm): The longest-established university technology transfer office in New Zealand, performing essentially the same function as Wellington UniVentures — IP protection, spin-out formation, licensing, and commercialisation services for University of Auckland researchers. Directly comparable in mission, services and revenue model.
• Otago Innovation: Commercialisation arm of the University of Otago — Victoria UniVentures' co-collaborator on the Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa NZ (VAANZ). Performs identical IP, licensing and spin-out functions and shares the KiwiNet national network.
• WaikatoLink (University of Waikato): Commercialisation company of the University of Waikato, providing identical IP protection, spin-out creation and licensing services for university research — the most direct NZ peer after UniServices and Otago Innovation.
• Massey Ventures: Commercialisation arm of Massey University providing research commercialisation, IP management and spin-out formation services across food, veterinary, health and environmental sciences — directly comparable mission.

Broad incumbents

• Callaghan Innovation: New Zealand government-owned R&D organisation providing broader innovation services, R&D grants, and incubation support to NZ companies. Wellington UniVentures acts as a service provider to CRIs like Manaaki Whenua that sit alongside Callaghan in the NZ innovation ecosystem.
• Oxford University Innovation: One of the world's largest and most successful university technology transfer offices. The reference international benchmark for the kind of TTO Wellington UniVentures aspires to scale into, with portfolios spanning therapeutics, deep tech, and software spin-outs.
• Cambridge Enterprise: University of Cambridge's commercialisation arm, handling IP licensing, equity holdings and seed investment across engineering, biotech and physical sciences — directly analogous in function to Wellington UniVentures but at materially larger scale.

Regional players

• Plant & Food Research: New Zealand Crown Research Institute with its own commercialisation activity in agri-tech and food sciences. Wellington UniVentures provides fee-for-service commercialisation support to multiple CRIs; Plant & Food represents the broader CRI commercialisation profile Wellington UniVentures targets externally.

Emerging players

• Kiwi Innovation Networks (KiwiNet): National network supporting public-sector commercialisation offices including Wellington UniVentures. Operates shared programmes (Emerging Innovator Programme, PreSeed Accelerator, KiwiNet Awards) — overlapping mission and portfolio, making it more collaborator than pure competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wellington-univentures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wellington UniVentures