Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures connects innovators and investors to grow startups, foster collaboration and fuel regional economic growth.

As startups across the Mid-Atlantic look ahead to the year's final opportunities to secure early-stage support, Temple University will host the Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures (MADV) Winter Venture Forum on Dec. 12, 2025—a lively gathering point for early-stage founders and investors to exchange ideas, assess opportunities and form lasting partnerships, offering a rare window into the early companies shaping the region’s innovation landscape.  

When entrepreneurs take the stage at a forum, they are often at the beginning of their journey. Their ideas are still young—sometimes just a prototype or concept—and the funding path ahead can feel uncertain.  

“MADV is an early engine of opportunity,” said Executive Director of Innovation Nest J. Todd Abrams. “It is where ideas meet guidance and investors who believe in their potential.” Through MADV, early-stage founders gain access to something invaluable: networks, mentorship and investor relationships that help turn early-stage startups into sustainable, growing companies.  

A launch pad for startups across the Mid-Atlantic 

Founded at the Fox School of Business in 2003, MADV was created to connect promising startups with early-stage investors across the Mid-Atlantic. The program built a strong regional network that continues today under the Office of the Vice President for Research’s (OVPR) Innovation Nest (iNest), which focuses on startup incubation, mentorship and access to capital for university innovators and regional entrepreneurs. Its Venture Forums give founders a chance to pitch, receive coaching and gain candid feedback from investors. The winter forum will follow this model, offering guidance before and during the event. 

“For Temple, MADV is what research translation is all about: turning innovation into impact that reaches beyond campus, strengthens communities and fuels economic growth across the region,” said Abrams. “We are supporting startups from Temple and across the Mid-Atlantic, helping to move innovation from discovery to development to real-world solutions.” 

The forums have also become an early proving ground for emerging companies. One recent presenter at the fall 2025 Venture Forum, Oral BioLife, is a Philadelphia-based company that licensed its core technology from Temple University. The company’s regenerative bone material, developed by researchers at Temple’s Kornberg School of Dentistry, aims to restore tissue lost to periodontal disease and improve long-term dental health outcomes. Through its participation in MADV, Oral BioLife gained valuable visibility and feedback from the investor community, which helped the team sharpen its go-to-market strategy. “It was a great opportunity to connect with peers who care about advancing university-born innovation,” said Oral BioLife CEO Greg Ambra. 

Investing in the region’s growth 

The entrepreneurs who participate in MADV, including those expected at the winter forum, span industries ranging from life sciences and clean energy to financial technology and digital health. Many are first-time founders who rely on the program’s feedback and connections to navigate their next steps. For investors, the forums offer a window into emerging talent and research coming out of universities and innovation hubs across the region. That mix of perspectives is what gives MADV its strength and staying power. 

MADV’s reach extends well beyond Temple. Each year, the program draws startups from across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and the broader Mid-Atlantic region. Its forums have become known for fostering collaboration rather than competition—bringing founders and investors into the same room to exchange ideas, assess opportunities and form lasting partnerships. These connections continue to build the region’s innovation pipeline and strengthen a shared entrepreneurial community. 

“What is special about MADV is that it is regional,” said Sushma Rajagopalan of Rittenhouse Ventures, one of MADV’s network of investors. “It brings together entrepreneurs and investors from across the Mid-Atlantic and helps bridge the gaps that often exist between local ecosystems. We also work closely with founders ahead of each forum to help them refine their presentations and connect to the right resources—something no other program in our region does. We are not just helping individual startups; we are strengthening an entire network that fuels job creation and long-term economic growth.” 

Looking ahead 

OVPR will continue expanding MADV’s investor network, building pathways for more diverse founders, and deepening partnerships with city and state entrepreneurship programs. The goal is to ensure that anyone with a great idea—whether from Temple or elsewhere in the region—has access to the resources needed to bring it to life. 

“We want to make sure opportunity flows in all directions,” said Vice President for Research Josh Gladden. “When we help one founder grow, the entire regional ecosystem gets stronger. These early investments in innovation do more than launch companies—they create jobs, attract new talent and drive solutions that improve people's lives across our communities.” 

At its core, MADV is more than a platform for funding. It is a community where ideas take root, where founders find their footing and where the next big breakthrough might be one pitch away.