CU Startup News

Startup application opens for the 2026 Destination Startup

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 20:16:54 +0000

Startup application opens for the 2026 Destination Startup Daniel Corbin … Fri, 12/05/2025 - 13:16

Launched in 2018, Destination Startup® connects investors with groundbreaking startups built on novel discoveries from leading national labs and universities in the Intermountain West. Participating startups must be actively raising and are selected through a competitive review process and robust pitch preparation.

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Arpeggio Biosciences raises $20M in latest offering

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:12:35 +0000

Arpeggio Biosciences raises $20M in latest offering Daniel Corbin … Tue, 11/25/2025 - 13:12

BizWest—Arpeggio Biosciences, a �Թ�� of Colorado Boulder startup that works in the development of pharmaceuticals, has raised about two-thirds of what it expects to collect in its latest investment offering.

Read the Full Announcement

The �Թ�� of Colorado Connection

Arpeggio Biosciences is a Boulder-based biotechnology company developing a high-throughput transcriptomics platform to map how chemical compounds influence gene expression across entire biological networks. Founded in 2017 by Joey Azofeifa (CU Boulder BioFrontiers Institute) and Robin Dowell (CU Boulder BioFrontiers Institute and Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), the company originated from research conducted at CU's BioFrontiers Institute. Arpeggio's platform combines nascent RNA sequencing with machine learning to profile the immediate effects of drugs on gene expression, enabling the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for diseases such as cancer, chronic kidney disease and neurodegeneration. The company has raised over $20 million in funding, including a $17 million Series A round in 2022 led by Builders VC.

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BizWest—Arpeggio Biosciences, a �Թ�� of Colorado startup that works in the development of pharmaceuticals, has raised about two-thirds of what it expects to collect in its latest investment offering.

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OEDIT announces grants to �Թ�� of Colorado startups and researchers in the advanced industries

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 19:28:08 +0000

OEDIT announces grants to �Թ�� of Colorado startups and researchers in the advanced industries Daniel Corbin … Thu, 11/20/2025 - 12:28

This announcement was originally published at oedit.colorado.edu.

Investor and Partnership Opportunities

Venture Partners at CU Boulder seeks entrepreneurs to start new companies, connects investors with high-potential ventures and facilitates collaborations with companies seeking to invest in research or license technologies from the �Թ�� of Colorado Boulder, Colorado Springs and Denver campuses. Explore the potential for growth and partnerships as you navigate the dynamic landscape of entrepreneurship and commercialization at the �Թ�� of Colorado.

Explore Opportunities

The Global Business Development division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced that five companies based on innovations from the �Թ�� of Colorado and one CU researcher have been awarded Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants through OEDIT’s Advanced Industries Accelerator Program. These grants promote the growth and sustainability of advanced industries in Colorado by driving innovation, commercialization and public-private partnerships that move this vital aspect of Colorado’s economy forward in communities across the state.

“The advanced industries account for nearly 30% of Colorado’s total wage earnings, approximately 30% of total sales revenue, and nearly 35% of the state’s total exports. The Advanced Industries Accelerator program is a national model, strengthening this critical part of Colorado’s economy by supporting companies developing disruptive and innovative technologies. By providing direct funding and enabling recipients to leverage third-party capital, we are supporting transformative commercial product development and end-use applications while growing businesses and supporting new jobs,” said Michelle Hadwiger, director of global business development at OEDIT.

The Proof of Concept grant is intended to help Colorado research institutions speed up applied research in the advanced industries, as well as commercialize products and services in partnership with the private sector. The Early-Stage Capital and Retention grant supports businesses commercializing innovative and disruptive technologies in the advanced industries that will be created or manufactured in Colorado.

The Advanced Industries Accelerator Program received 119 applications this grant cycle, which were reviewed in a multi-stage process by committees of business, technical and financial experts in the seven advanced industries. Final recommendations were approved by the Economic Development Commission on November 20, 2025.

The next application cycle for Proof-of-Concept and Early Stage Capital and Retention Grants will open on January 5, 2026 and applications will be due February 26, 2026. Learn more here

Proof-of-Concept Grants:

�Թ�� of Colorado Boulder, PI Jarrod Schiffbauer - Boulder, CO $85,023: Developing graphene-based aerogels for scalable high thrust efficiency solar photothermal propulsion.

Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grants:

ExoPower Inc. - Grand Junction, CO $150,000: Developing in-motion capacitive wireless charging technology to keep industrial mobile robots operating continuously.

Onconaut Therapeutics Inc. - Aurora, CO $246,868: Developing a first-in-class inhibitor of a protein that drives tumor growth, metastasis, and drug resistance in colorectal and other solid tumors.

Osmopure Technologies Inc. - Boulder, CO $250,000: Developing a new class of pressure-driven distillation membranes to remove contaminants from water.

Vega Surgical Inc. - Aurora, CO $250,000: Developing a bedside neurosurgical procedure solution for treating chronic subdural hematomas.

Vona Oncology LLC - Aurora, CO $250,000: Developing a novel small molecule designed to target aggressive triple-negative breast cancer.

OEDIT—The Global Business Development division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade announced that five companies based on innovations from the �Թ�� of Colorado and one CU researcher have been awarded Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants through OEDIT’s Advanced Industries Accelerator Program.

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A window underground: New sensors measure emissions from soil in real time

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 18:18:08 +0000

A window underground: New sensors measure emissions from soil in real time Daniel Corbin … Thu, 11/20/2025 - 11:18

CU Boulder Today—A team of �Թ�� of Colorado Boulder researchers is making reliable, inexpensive and easy-to-deploy sensors that monitor soil in real time as it, essentially, breathes in and out. Those data could help farmers optimize their use of fertilizers, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving money in the process. They have started Tierra Metrics to bring their inventions to market.

Read the Full Story

Tierra Metrics Inc.

Tierra Metrics combines low-cost sensors with continuous models of the agricultural nitrogen cycle. They envision a world where digital twins of farms inform farmers and land managers in real time to reduce excess fertilizer use, cutting costs, pollution and emissions to build more resilient farming systems. Visit the Tierra Metrics Website

Watch Taylor Sharpe, chief engineer of Tierra Metrics, pitch the company at the 2025 Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator Community Showcase.

CU Boulder Today—A team of �Թ�� of Colorado Boulder researchers is making reliable, inexpensive and easy-to-deploy sensors that monitor soil in real time and have formed a new startup, Tierra Metrics.

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$755,000 awarded to �Թ�� of Colorado innovators to advance their discoveries

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 22:18:03 +0000

$755,000 awarded to �Թ�� of Colorado innovators to advance their discoveries Daniel Corbin … Mon, 10/27/2025 - 16:18

Eleven teams of �Թ�� of Colorado faculty, researchers and graduate student innovators competed for a combined $755,000 in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC). Judges from CU Boulder’s entrepreneurial network heard Shark-Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

Interested in the 2026 LVC?

LVC supports CU projects that address a commercial need, have a clear path to a compelling market and have strong scientific support.

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Through LVC, top innovators from CU Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs compete for grants to fund projects that address a commercial need, have a clear path to a compelling market and have strong scientific support. The LVC grants are funded by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program, as well as Venture Partners at CU Boulder and the �Թ��’s Innovation Fund. Six awards were granted this year, and the funding goes directly to CU labs to further develop their innovations.

This culminating event for these groundbreaking teams showcased the university’s initiative to support innovators from discovery to economic success. LVC is run by Venture Partners at CU Boulder, the university’s commercialization arm and central resource for researchers who wish to translate their work into impactful business and social ventures. As part of the LVC program, all the competitors worked with Venture Partners to protect their innovations and practice their funding pitches for business audiences. LVC awardees will continue to work and collaborate with Venture Partners on their path to commercialization.

“At this early stage, funding is essential, but can be a challenge to obtain,“ said Joshua Bennett, director of LVC and assistant director of licensing at Venture Partners. “All of these teams have promising innovations ready to launch new businesses. LVC is a unique opportunity for those innovators to receive that vital funding, and we’re proud to work with the State of Colorado to make it happen.”

To date, LVC has funded over 123 projects through 70 new deep-tech startup companies; collectively, these companies have raised over $349 million in follow-on financing.

Applications for the next LVC will open in July 2026.

This year’s LVC was additionally made possible by Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti LLP, Holland & Hart LLC, Johnson & Johnson, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Paralex

Photo Credit: TJ Zirkman

2025 Physical Sciences Winners

$127,500—Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis for H₂ Production

Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis (MEE) improves hydrogen generation efficiency by enhancing bubble release and energy transfer. Adapted from space technology, MEE offers scalable, cost-effective clean hydrogen for transportation, industry and off-grid power. The team has formed a startup, Agami Zero, to bring their innovation to market.

Oana Luca (CU Boulder Chemistry), PI
Ankur Gupta (CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering), Co-PI
Hunter Koltunski (Student: CU Boulder Chemistry), Scientific Lead
Richard Noble (CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering), Scientific Advisor
Jafar Makrani, Co-Founder and CEO/CPO
Lyle Antieau III, Co-Founder and CTO/COO

$125,000—Low SWaP Frequency Comb for Quantum applications

Our Gen-III low-SWaP frequency comb, built on thin-film lithium niobate nanophotonics, delivers octave-spanning spectra with ultra-low power. Compact, scalable and robust, it enables deployable quantum clocks, sensors and communication systems beyond the lab. The team has formed a startup, Chi3 Optics, to bring their innovation to market.

Scott A. Diddams (CU Boulder Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), PI
Tsung-Han Wu (Postdoc: CU Boulder Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Founder, CEO
Peter Chang, CTO
Nathan Brooks, Principal Scientist

$125,000—Novel Synergistic Catalysis for Clean Water and Fuel

A modular photo-thermo-catalysis device that rapidly activates a wide range of stubborn chemical bonds, enabling carbon-free fuel production at high reaction rates and the destruction of toxic PFAS in water, while reducing energy use and operating costs. The team has formed a startup, Synergia, to bring their innovation to market.

Longji Cui (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), PI
Dishan Chooi (Student: CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Technical Co-Lead
Sarang Gosavi (Student: CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Technical Co-Lead
Yunxuan Zhu (Postdoc: CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Director of R&D
Karen Crofton (CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science), Advisor

2025 Biosciences Winners

$127,500—Metabolite-Based Therapeutics for Obesity

Pythons exhibit dramatic metabolic plasticity with feeding, increasing organ size and activity by up to 40% after consuming large prey. From this biology, the team discovered a novel feeding-induced metabolite that was upregulated by 1,000-fold and acts as a natural appetite suppressant through modulating satiety. The team has formed a startup, Arkana Therapeutics, to bring their innovation to market.

Leslie Leinwand (CU Boulder Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), PI
Thomas Martin (Postdoc: CU Boulder Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), CSO
Jack Gugel, CEO
Yuxiao Tan (Postdoc: CU Boulder Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Co-Founder

$125,000—Computationally Designed IL-18 binders to Treat Sepsis

Enabled by recent advances in AI-driven protein design, minibinders are being engineered to target IL-18, a key driver of sepsis. These compact, stable proteins penetrate tissues efficiently and can be precisely dosed to avoid prolonged immune suppression, offering a next-generation therapeutic for sepsis. The team has formed a startup, iMembrane Therapeutics, to bring their innovation to market.

Jingshi Shen (CU Boulder Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), PI
Suzhao Li (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), President
Charles Dinarello (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), Advisor

$125,000—Bioadhesive Patches That Seal Where Sutures Fail

DuraPatch provides rapid closure of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks during neurosurgery, eliminating the need for sutures. Engineered with high-resolution 3D printing and advanced biomaterials, DuraPatch strongly adheres to wet tissues to create a watertight seal while supporting and promoting healing. The team has founded a startup, Entangl3d, to bring their innovation to market.

Matt Davidson (CU Boulder BioFrontiers Institute), CEO and Founder
Jason Burdick (CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering and BioFrontiers Institute) Co-Founder, PI
Peter Lennarson (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), Advisor

Eleven teams of �Թ�� of Colorado faculty, researchers and graduate student innovators competed for a combined $755,000 in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC). Judges from CU Boulder’s entrepreneurial network heard Shark-Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

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VitriVax raises $17.25M Series B financing to advance vaccine formulation platform

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 20:37:06 +0000

VitriVax raises $17.25M Series B financing to advance vaccine formulation platform Daniel Corbin … Wed, 10/22/2025 - 14:37

�Թ�� of Colorado Boulder spinout VitriVax has raised $17.25 million in Series B financing to accelerate development of its Stablevax™ platform, which eliminates the need for cold storage in vaccines. The funding will support preclinical and clinical advancement of single-dose, thermostable vaccines aimed at improving global immunization access.

Read the Announcement

The �Թ�� of Colorado Connection

VitriVax is a biotechnology company working to eliminate barriers to global vaccination, and has developed a novel stabilization and delivery platform for vaccines and therapeutics based on research in the laboratories of Bob Garcea (CU Boulder Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology) and Ted W. Randolph at CU Boulder (CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering).

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VitriVax—�Թ�� of Colorado Boulder spinout VitriVax has raised $17.25 million in Series B financing to accelerate development of its Stablevax™ platform, which eliminates the need for cold storage in vaccines. The funding will support preclinical and clinical advancement of single-dose, thermostable vaccines aimed at improving global immunization access.

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VitriVax awarded $9.9M grant to enable scaling up of clinical manufacturing

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 22:32:47 +0000

VitriVax awarded $9.9M grant to enable scaling up of clinical manufacturing Daniel Corbin … Tue, 10/14/2025 - 16:32

Business Wire—VitriVax Inc., a �Թ�� of Colorado Boulder vaccine formulation technology spinout, today announced it has been awarded a two-year, $9.9 million grant from the Gates Foundation. The funding will support the scale-up of VitriVax’s Atomic Layering Thermostable Antigen and Adjuvant (ALTA^®) technology, enabling Phase 1-ready GMP manufacturing and advancing the platform to prepare for Phase 1 clinical trials.

Read the Full Article

The �Թ�� of Colorado Connection

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Business Wire—VitriVax Inc., a �Թ�� of Colorado Boulder vaccine formulation technology spinout, today announced it has been awarded a two-year, $9.9 million grant from the Gates Foundation. The funding will support the scale-up of VitriVax’s Atomic Layering Thermostable Antigen and Adjuvant (ALTA®) technology, enabling Phase 1-ready GMP manufacturing and advancing the platform to prepare for Phase 1 clinical trials.

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Flari Tech clinches $400,000 DARPA MTO Pitch Day award

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 17:55:26 +0000

Flari Tech clinches $400,000 DARPA MTO Pitch Day award Daniel Corbin … Thu, 10/09/2025 - 11:55

CU Boulder startup Flari Tech was selected as a winner in DARPA’s Spark Tank competition, securing $400,000 in funding and direct engagement opportunities with program managers as it advances its next-generation technology.

Read the Announcement

Flari Tech's CU Connection

Flari emerged through the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator, which awards funding and pairs experienced entrepreneurs with high-potential technologies from CU Boulder. Eva Yao (CEO) met Jun Ye (Physics, JILA) and Qizhong Liang (JILA) for a lab tour at JILA through the program. The company hopes to use Nobel Prize-winning frequency comb technology to detect diseases detectable in breath.

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DARPA—CU Boulder startup Flari Tech was selected as a winner in DARPA’s Spark Tank competition, securing $400,000 in funding and direct engagement opportunities with program managers as it advances its next-generation technology.

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ReviewerZero and Karger Publishers partner to strengthen research integrity

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 18:36:31 +0000

ReviewerZero and Karger Publishers partner to strengthen research integrity Daniel Corbin … Thu, 09/25/2025 - 12:36

A new partnership with Karger Publishers will accelerate their already strong research integrity strategy by giving the research integrity and publication ethics team access to the entire AI-powered suite by ReviewerZero.

Read the Full Announcement

The �Թ�� of Colorado Connection

ReviewerZero AI, founded by Daniel Acuña (CU Boulder Computer Science) in 2023, is working with publishers to deploy an artificial intelligence technology suite, including tools to detect plagiarism and statistical inconsistencies, to ensure research integrity in scientific publications. The company won the 2023 Lab Venture Challenge (LVC), receiving a $125,000 grant from Venture Partners at CU Boulder and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program.

View the ReviewerZero Profile

ReviewerZero—A new partnership with Karger Publishers will accelerate their already strong research integrity strategy by giving the research integrity and publication ethics team access to the entire AI-powered suite by ReviewerZero, a �Թ�� of Colorado Boulder startup founded by Daniel Acuña (CU Boulder Computer Science) in 2023.

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�Թ�� of Colorado Boulder ranked No. 1 for launching startups based on university discoveries

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:31:49 +0000

�Թ�� of Colorado Boulder ranked No. 1 for launching startups based on university discoveries Daniel Corbin … Mon, 09/15/2025 - 12:31

Daniel Leonard

Photo: Associate Professor and co-founder of Mana Battery, a startup developing sodium-based batteries for sustainable energy storage, Chunmei Ban, is working with chemical engineering student Kangmin Kim in the CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science lab. Source: Jesse Morgan Petersen

The �Թ�� of Colorado Boulder reached a historic milestone, launching 35 new companies based on university intellectual property during fiscal year 2024, more than any other U.S. campus that year. In addition to holding the No. 1 spot for that year, the achievement also places CU Boulder No. 2 for the most startups launched in a single year by a U.S. campus.

Venture Partners at CU Boulder drives the transformation of research breakthroughs into real-world impact by empowering innovators at CU Boulder (as well as CU Denver and UCCS) to create companies and forge industry partnerships.

From steady growth to record-breaking results

A decade ago, CU Boulder launched an average of four to six startups based on university inventions annually. Today, it stands as a national leader, having launched more startups in FY 2024 than any other university campus, followed by the �Թ�� of Michigan, the �Թ�� of Minnesota and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), according to data released in July from AUTM (Association of �Թ�� Technology Managers), the leading association tracking university technology transfer. AUTM counts startups that are founded with an agreement between the company and university to commercialize specific university intellectual property (IP).

In AUTM’s data going back to 1990, only Stanford �Թ�� has exceeded CU Boulder in the total number of startups launched in a single year, with 38 startups in 2022.

What really sets CU Boulder apart is efficiency, mainly the number of startups per dollar of research funding, according to Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships at CU Boulder.

“Universities spinning out similar numbers of startups have significantly larger research budgets feeding their innovation pipeline,” says Rees. “Among institutions with the highest single-year outputs, CU Boulder tops that efficiency indicator with 5.1 startups launched in FY 2024 per $100 million in research funding. That’s more than double the next most efficient university campus among the top 10 startup generators in the same year—a fantastic result and a real credit to our approach.”

CU Boulder’s rise—achieved outside traditional capital hubs like Silicon Valley and Boston—reflects a uniquely collaborative and highly effective innovation ecosystem.

A “relentless commitment to supporting founders”

What We Do For �Թ�� Innovators

We help researchers, inventors and creators at CU take their groundbreaking discoveries every step from intellectual property (IP) management to market launch.

Get Support

Through experimentation and entrepreneurial thinking, the Venture Partners team has redefined how academic research translates into impactful businesses. “Our journey reflects years of careful planning, experimentation and a relentless commitment to supporting our startup founders,” says Rees. “We’ve embraced Boulder’s collaborative ethos and created a model that aligns with our community’s values while delivering national impact.”

Venture Partners prioritizes the experience and development of its founders—usually faculty, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students, but also entrepreneurs from outside the university. Their Licensing with EASE® simplifies the startup process with pre-negotiated intellectual property licensing terms, reducing administrative friction and allowing founders to focus on building their ventures. This philosophy extends to providing tailored mentorship and long-term support, creating an environment where new founders thrive.

From entrepreneurial training to funding, Venture Partners offers a comprehensive suite of resources for founders and startups. For example, Venture Partners’ Center for Translational Research (CTR) helps bridge the “valley of death” between early-stage research and commercialization with comprehensive support for researchers applying for grants that cater to startups. In federal partnership, the National Science Foundation I-Corps^TM Hub: West Region programming at Venture Partners provides startup training to researchers in and outside of the university, while the Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) awards over $1.25 million in proof-of-concept grants annually in partnership with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).

Venture Partners’ willingness to experiment and learn from failure has been critical to its success. “Have you heard of the ‘i-Teams’ program?” Rees jokes. “Of course not! It was a failure. We wanted to match lab innovations with business students. It was a fun experience and great learning for the students, but we didn’t start any new companies.” However, it provided insights that led to the creation of the highly successful Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator, which launched 10 of the 35 companies in 2024 by matching entrepreneurs, including from CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business, with cutting-edge CU Boulder innovations.

35 startups accelerating toward impact

Investor and Partnership Opportunities

We connect investors with high-potential ventures and facilitates collaborations with companies seeking to invest in research or license technologies from CU.

Partner With Us

The 35 startups launched in FY 2024 represent a diverse array of industries, from clean energy to biotech. Among them is Mana Battery, founded on research from Chunmei Ban’s laboratory (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), winner of a 2023 LVC grant. Mana Battery is developing sodium-based batteries as a safer, more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion technology, addressing critical challenges in energy storage. Over the past decade, CU Boulder has spun out several battery-focused startups, collectively creating hundreds of jobs and attracting over $1 billion in investment to Colorado.

CU is a growing international leader in both quantum and healthcare research and technologies, both of which are found in the new startup Flari Tech. The company is developing technology created by Jun Ye (CU Boulder Physics, JILA, NIST) and Qizhong Liang (JILA) to detect diseases via the breath, all built upon the Nobel Prize-winning frequency comb developed at CU Boulder and NIST. Eva Yao founded the company in the first cohort of Embark.

Another shooting star is Mesa Quantum. Venture Partners helped match a motivated grad student, Sristy Agrawal (NIST, CU Boulder Mathematical Physics), with a novel atomic clock invented in Svenja Knappe’s lab (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering). Mesa Quantum was first conceived in the I-Corps Hub West programming offered at Venture Partners. Mesa Quantum is ushering in the next generation of chip-scale atomic clocks and quantum sensors, powering the industries of tomorrow in fields like autonomous vehicles and advanced deep-water oil exploration.

CU Boulder’s success is bolstered by recent ecosystem wins like the NSF ASCEND Engine in Colorado and Wyoming and the Elevate Quantum Tech Hub designations. These initiatives enhance CU Boulder’s capacity to attract top talent, secure funding and support high-impact startups.

“These programs bring together the resources and expertise we need to address global challenges,” says Rees. “They’re amplifying our impact and positioning CU as a leader in innovation.”

Looking ahead

Venture Partners Annual Report

Explore more about these startups and how Venture Partners achieved record-breaking success in transforming innovation into impact.

Explore Our Impact

As Venture Partners celebrates its record-breaking year, the team is focused on the future. Plans include expanding incubator spaces, enhancing funding opportunities and growing its investor network. The university is also working to refine programs like Embark and explore new collaborations with other institutions.

“Our goal is to create ventures with lasting impact,” Rees emphasizes. “We measure success not only by the number of companies we create but by the societal and economic benefits they deliver.”

Over the last five years, startups spinning out of CU Boulder have raised $3.9 billion in total financing. CU Boulder’s inventions and startups contributed $8 billion in national economic impact and $5.2 billion in Colorado from 2018-2022 alone, according to a 2022 report conducted by Leeds School of Business. Ten unicorns—companies valued at more than $1 billion—have spun out of the campus to date, including Infleqtion, which announced its initial public offering last week.

CU Boulder’s dramatic rise as a leader in university-driven entrepreneurship has illuminated its role in the broader U.S. innovation ecosystem. By prioritizing founders, embracing Colorado’s unique strengths and continually evolving its approach, Venture Partners offers a model for other institutions seeking to foster innovation.

What can we do together?

Disclose and protect your innovation

Engage in entrepreneurial training programs

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Find partners and opportunities for your innovation

Explore investing in and partnering with CU researchers

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CU Startup News

Startup application opens for the 2026 Destination Startup

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Arpeggio Biosciences raises $20M in latest offering

The �Թ��� of Colorado Connection

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OEDIT announces grants to �Թ��� of Colorado startups and researchers in the advanced industries

Proof-of-Concept Grants:

Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grants:

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A window underground: New sensors measure emissions from soil in real time

Tierra Metrics Inc.

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$755,000 awarded to �Թ��� of Colorado innovators to advance their discoveries

2025 Physical Sciences Winners

$127,500—Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis for H2 Production

$125,000—Low SWaP Frequency Comb for Quantum applications

$125,000—Novel Synergistic Catalysis for Clean Water and Fuel

2025 Biosciences Winners

$127,500—Metabolite-Based Therapeutics for Obesity

$125,000—Computationally Designed IL-18 binders to Treat Sepsis

$125,000—Bioadhesive Patches That Seal Where Sutures Fail

Off

VitriVax raises $17.25M Series B financing to advance vaccine formulation platform

The �Թ��� of Colorado Connection

Off

VitriVax awarded $9.9M grant to enable scaling up of clinical manufacturing

The �Թ��� of Colorado Connection

Off

Flari Tech clinches $400,000 DARPA MTO Pitch Day award

Flari Tech's CU Connection

Off

ReviewerZero and Karger Publishers partner to strengthen research integrity

The �Թ��� of Colorado Connection

Off

�Թ��� of Colorado Boulder ranked No. 1 for launching startups based on university discoveries

From steady growth to record-breaking results

A “relentless commitment to supporting founders”

What We Do For �Թ��� Innovators

35 startups accelerating toward impact

Investor and Partnership Opportunities

Looking ahead

Venture Partners Annual Report

What can we do together?

Off

The �Թ�� of Colorado Connection

OEDIT announces grants to �Թ�� of Colorado startups and researchers in the advanced industries

$755,000 awarded to �Թ�� of Colorado innovators to advance their discoveries

$127,500—Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis for H₂ Production

The �Թ�� of Colorado Connection

The �Թ�� of Colorado Connection

The �Թ�� of Colorado Connection

�Թ�� of Colorado Boulder ranked No. 1 for launching startups based on university discoveries

What We Do For �Թ�� Innovators