Top (from left): Sen Zhang, Jason Hoffman, Stephanie Olinger, Kevin Lee, Anthony English, Matthew Shenton; Bottom (from left):Scott Steiger, Laura Dorsey, Xinyi Li
Washington Research Foundation (WRF) has committed $1.7M over the next three years to continue the UW CoMotion–Washington State University (WSU) collaborative Postdoctoral Entrepreneurship Program. This grant builds upon the foundation of WRF’s initial $1.2 million award, made in 2023. The new funding, combined with ongoing institutional investment from both UW and WSU, reflects a shared vision and commitment to strengthening innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization across Washington’s research ecosystem. Together, these investments provide postdoctoral researchers at both institutions with mentorship, commercialization guidance, and entrepreneurial training designed to help innovators de-risk their discoveries and prepare for startup formation or licensing.
The program has deep roots at UW, where it was launched in 2010 and is administered by CoMotion. It supports early-career researchers, interested in developing the entrepreneurial and commercialization skills needed to translate promising technologies into public impact. Since launch, the program has supported 36 startups and helped attract more than $800 million in follow-on investment. Alumni have gone on to found companies including Aquagga, Parse Biosciences and Phase Genomics.
WRF’s 2023 grant enabled the program’s expansion at UW and extension to WSU, strengthening both institutions’ commitment to collaboration in pursuit of innovation. The collaboration developed a cohort of early-career entrepreneurs that crosses research domains, interests, and geographic boundaries, building a network of forward-thinking innovators capable of generating real-world impact. Since WSU’s entrance into the program in 2023, six WSU-based postdoctoral entrepreneurs have pressure-tested innovations in biotech, green technologies, and more – aligning WSU’s innovation pipeline, land-grant mission, and industry priorities.
“This continued support from Washington Research Foundation reflects the importance of helping researchers translate promising discoveries into real-world impact,” said Fiona Wills, associate vice provost for Innovation Development & Commercialization at CoMotion. “The collaboration between UW and WSU is doing more than expanding access – it is making both programs stronger by connecting researchers, mentors, and ecosystems across the state.”
“WSU is excited to deepen its collaboration with UW and WRF,” said Scott Steiger, associate director for Technology Management and Entrepreneurship at WSU. “Over the first three years, the program made meaningful progress in translating discoveries into real-world impact aligned with WSU’s land-grant mission. Continued support from WRF underscores our shared commitment to advancing entrepreneurship as a vital component of postdoctoral training.”
Learn more about CoMotion’s Postdoctoral Entrepreneurship Program.
Learn more about WSU’s Postdoctoral Entrepreneurship Program.