CU Innovators News /venturepartners/ en Kristi Anseth recognized with international VinFuture Prize for Women Innovators /venturepartners/2024/12/06/external-news/kristi-anseth-recognized-international-vinfuture-prize-women-innovators <span>Kristi Anseth recognized with international VinFuture Prize for Women Innovators</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-12-06T11:17:41-07:00" title="Friday, December 6, 2024 - 11:17">Fri, 12/06/2024 - 11:17</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-12/Krisi%20Anseth%20profile%20photo%20for%20article%20121024.png?h=9feb97bd&amp;itok=MxkCVgiO" width="1200" height="800" alt="Kristi Anseth"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/397"> CU Innovators News </a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science—Kristi Anseth, a Distinguished Professor and Tisone Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, has been awarded the prestigious VinFuture Special Prize for Women Innovators in recognition of her pioneering research in tissue engineering. Winners were selected from nearly 1,500 scientific nominations spanning more than 80 countries and territories worldwide.</div> <script> window.location.href = `/chbe/2024/12/06/kristi-anseth-recognized-international-vinfuture-prize-women-innovators`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Fri, 06 Dec 2024 18:17:41 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2416 at /venturepartners CU Engineering advances innovation through startup success /venturepartners/2024/12/02/external-news/cu-engineering-advances-innovation-through-startup-success <span>CU Engineering advances innovation through startup success</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-12-02T11:37:51-07:00" title="Monday, December 2, 2024 - 11:37">Mon, 12/02/2024 - 11:37</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-12/College%20of%20Engineering%20LVC%20article%20120524.png?h=f708ac0d&amp;itok=Vw7mFHa_" width="1200" height="800" alt="A diverse group of peoples stands together with five giant prize checks"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/251"> Advanced Materials </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/309"> Aerospace </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/85"> Biosciences </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/397"> CU Innovators News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/398"> CU Technology and Discovery News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/525"> Climate, Energy &amp; Sustainability </a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>CU Boulder College of Engineering &amp; Applied Science—The College of Engineering and Applied Science continues to establish itself as a leader in innovation, with 22 startups emerging from its research labs in the past fiscal year. This achievement reflects the college's commitment to translating transformative research into solutions that address real-world challenges.</div> <script> window.location.href = `/engineering/record-cuengineering-startups`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 02 Dec 2024 18:37:51 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2412 at /venturepartners New PhD research area allows students, faculty to explore engineering design in a wider context /venturepartners/2024/11/27/external-news/new-phd-research-area-allows-students-faculty-explore-engineering-design-wider-context <span>New PhD research area allows students, faculty to explore engineering design in a wider context</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-11-27T10:50:03-07:00" title="Wednesday, November 27, 2024 - 10:50">Wed, 11/27/2024 - 10:50</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-12/Mechanical%20Engineering%20article%20woman%20beaker%20jellyfish%20120324.png?h=c8b9a5f6&amp;itok=Tr8I57xw" width="1200" height="800" alt="A woman with long dark hair and black glasses holds up a beaker to the camera with a jellyfish floating inside of it."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/397"> CU Innovators News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/398"> CU Technology and Discovery News </a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science—鶹Ժ are constantly designing tools and technologies. Faculty members are launching successful startups on the backs of their own designs. In just the past two years, Venture Partners at CU Boulder has supported ten new startups featuring inventions designed by Mechanical Engineering faculty and students.</div> <script> window.location.href = `/mechanical/new-phd-research-area-to-explore-engineering-design`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 27 Nov 2024 17:50:03 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2409 at /venturepartners SomaLogic, spun out of the Gold Lab at CU Boulder, revolutionized protein discovery methods to provide insights into disease discovery and treatment /venturepartners/2024/10/30/internal-news/somalogic-spun-out-gold-lab-cu-boulder-revolutionized-protein-discovery-methods-provide <span>SomaLogic, spun out of the Gold Lab at CU Boulder, revolutionized protein discovery methods to provide insights into disease discovery and treatment</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-30T14:38:57-06:00" title="Wednesday, October 30, 2024 - 14:38">Wed, 10/30/2024 - 14:38</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-10/STOCK%20SomaLogic%20article%20header%20102924b.jpeg?h=694a1130&amp;itok=JnHGfqxB" width="1200" height="800" alt="A hand wearing blue medical gloves holds up a small vial with an illustration of DNA superimposed on the image."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/85"> Biosciences </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/397"> CU Innovators News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/12"> CU Startup News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/398"> CU Technology and Discovery News </a> </div> <span>Heather Hansen</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead" dir="ltr"><span>Founded by CU Boulder Professor Larry Gold in 2000, </span><a href="https://somalogic.com/" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>SomaLogic</strong></span></a><span> revolutionized protein measurement by developing a faster, cost-effective process to monitor the vast number of proteins in the human body. Gold’s discoveries and work at CU Boulder ultimately led to the creation of three spinout companies and a significant impact on global healthcare research and diagnostics.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Like most groundbreaking biotechnology companies, SomaLogic formed around a problem to solve—how to precisely measure the huge number of proteins in the human body. In 2000, when Larry Gold founded the company, measuring proteins was a time-consuming, costly and flawed process reliant on antibodies which are often not specific or sensitive enough detection tools.</span></p> <div class="align-right image_style-small_500px_25_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/2024-10/Larry%20Gold%20102924.png?itok=Jz7hA7xY" width="375" height="476" alt="Larry Gold"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p><span>Larry Gold, PhD</span></p> </span> </div> <p dir="ltr"><span>Gold, who began teaching in the University of Colorado Boulder’s&nbsp;</span><a href="/mcdb/" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>Molecular, Cellular &amp; Developmental Biology (MCDB)</strong></span></a><span> department in 1970 (and served as its chair from 1988 to 1992), set out to do what no one else in the world was doing at the time—measure proteins more simply, cheaply and quickly. “My whole career at CU in MCDB, for 50 plus years, I have cared about measuring proteins,” said Gold.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Measuring proteins is so important because they’re the building blocks of life. The human body has at least 20,000 different proteins—and many more variants—working together in a complicated choreography. For example, collagen is a protein that structures skin, bones and teeth, while hemoglobin carries oxygen in blood. Proteins are also key to a well-functioning immune system, catalyze reactions in the body, and function as critical messengers within and between cells.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The ability to identify and count proteins is essential to biomedical research. Quantifying protein concentrations can help measure the presence and progression of diseases like cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Proteins are also often the targets of therapeutics—like aspirin for a headache—because of all the biochemical processes they carry out and their ability to intervene in pathologies with high specificity.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>At the start, Gold’s lab could measure roughly 70 proteins by working long hours and sticking with the process despite occasional setbacks. For decades, said Gold, “From morning to night, seven days a week, oftentimes all night, I pipetted the same experiment thousands of times,” he said. “I don’t get bored doing the same thing over and over as long as we’re learning stuff—and we were.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Gold said advancing their knowledge of proteins little by little while enjoying the camaraderie of life in the lab made long hours and ‘failed’ experiments tolerable, even enjoyable. “You can’t get upset when an experiment doesn't work, it’s a continuing, iterative process,” he said. “And I was doing it with good people–and that’s fun.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Their process was cutting-edge at the time, but Gold knew that to crack the code on proteins, they’d need to be able to measure more and faster. That mission was the driving force in founding SomaLogic. “The tech for what we wanted to do didn’t exist, so we had to invent it on the spot,” Gold told an entrepreneur forum in 2015. “The basic idea was right about what we wanted to do, but the technology was harder than we thought,” he said.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Inventing those tools ultimately would take a decade and $200 million.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr"><span>Imagining a bold future</span></h2><p dir="ltr"><span>In a way, proteins are like locks that Gold and his team were trying to find keys to. That matchmaking effort began decades ago, leading to an underlying innovation that fueled three spinouts and countless ongoing applications.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In the late 1980s, Gold and his team at CU Boulder, including PhD student Craig Tuerk, made a discovery that led to that original innovation. They were developing a technique to identify molecules that would selectively bind to other compounds (based on a piece of&nbsp;ribonucleic acid, or&nbsp;RNA, which Tuerk was studying).</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Gold recalled the day when—two years into an experiment he’d asked Tuerk to do—they discovered they were onto something big. It was 1989, the day before Thanksgiving, and Tuerk came running out of the darkroom where he’d been working. “That afternoon, it was clear to us he had done something that had lots of possibilities for the future in biotech, and we covered a whiteboard with every idea we had,” said Gold.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>It was a watershed moment that would change the biotech industry significantly. “Craig and I shared the most wonderful moment possible for scientists: we imagined a future in which RNAs were ‘shapes, not tapes’ or ‘strings, not things’ and were useful in the same way that monoclonal antibodies are useful,” Gold wrote in a </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4661202/" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>2015 article in the Journal of Molecular Evolution</strong></span></a><span>.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In the process, the group isolated the first-known aptamers, a class of molecules with the unique binding ability—the keys—they were looking for. Then, they devised a system called SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment), which could generate aptamers reliably and efficiently.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>That discovery and development revolutionized biological research and medical diagnostics with wide-ranging applications from biomarker detection (indicating diseases like cancer and viral infections) to targeted therapies with fewer side effects.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr"><span>From CU Boulder to the world</span></h2><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-left ucb-box-alignment-right ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-lightgray"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">The Path to Commercialization</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><p>When a university startup is created, it is the culmination of years of research and significant work by the founders to build a compelling company vision, strategy and business model. The team at Venture Partners is here to help with each step along the way,&nbsp;including:</p><ul><li><a href="/venturepartners/node/805" rel="nofollow"><strong>intellectual property (IP) services</strong></a>,</li><li><a href="/venturepartners/node/791" rel="nofollow"><strong>entrepreneurial training</strong></a> through the I-Corps<sup>TM</sup> Hub West,</li><li>a network of <a href="/venturepartners/node/323" rel="nofollow"><strong>industry mentors</strong></a>,</li><li>funding through the <a href="/venturepartners/node/288" rel="nofollow"><strong>Lab Venture Challenge</strong></a>,</li><li>the&nbsp;<a href="/venturepartners/node/1299" rel="nofollow"><strong>Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator</strong></a>,</li><li>fast and simple IP licensing through the <a href="/venturepartners/node/421" rel="nofollow"><strong>Licensing with EASE<sup>®</sup></strong></a> program,</li><li>and many <a href="/venturepartners/node/789" rel="nofollow"><strong>other resources</strong></a>.</li></ul></div></div></div><p dir="ltr"><span>Remarkable biotechnology breakthroughs don’t happen often, and even fewer enter the marketplace—and with such exceptional results. But Gold seems to have a knack for bringing them to light, combining decades of experience with a passion for inquiry. “You have to do the mundane work, but you also have to try to ask big questions, too,” he said, “Most people don't do that because they're afraid; our culture, in general, breeds a fear of failure.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>But to make the big discoveries, Gold said scientists have to take chances and cling to small victories in the process. “You should take some shots that are slightly ridiculous,” he said. “And enjoy all these little moments along the way where you learn something. The business of science for me is incredibly fun, and so that makes it easy to do for a long time.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Since Gold and colleagues developed the SELEX platform, various academic and biopharma partners have also used it to develop new diagnostic tests, discover new drugs, accelerate their translation to clinical practice and reveal a deeper understanding of basic human biology and disease. In one such collaboration,&nbsp;Imperial College London is using a SomaLogic platform to analyze tens of thousands of biological samples as part of an investigation into how&nbsp;lifestyle, diet, genetic, metabolic and other factors affect the development of serious illnesses.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Soon after developing SELEX, Gold co-founded and served as co-director of research at Synergen, Inc., a biotechnology company later acquired by Amgen, Inc. and he founded NeXagen, Inc. (later called NeXstar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), which merged with Gilead Sciences, Inc. in 1999. One major accomplishment of NeXstar centered on Macugen, a drug used to treat age-related macular degeneration and only the second-ever RNA aptamer to gain FDA approval.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr"><span>Innovation that keeps on giving</span></h2><p dir="ltr"><span>Recognizing there was still work to be done in developing accessible diagnostics, Gold launched SomaLogic in 2000 where he served as CEO and chairman. He knew that focusing on proteomics—the field of measuring proteins—would be tough but, he wrote, “We also believed (and I continue to believe) that medical diagnostics was not as useful for patients and healthcare as it had to be, and that personalized medicine would depend on genomics and proteomics (and other ‘omics’ technologies).”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Based on the original SELEX technology developed at CU Boulder, SomaLogic pioneered the development of proteomics diagnostics and experiments. That is, they set out to create arrays of aptamers (keys) to fit thousands of proteins (locks) simultaneously to make disease discovery as simple as possible. Their unique “SOMAmers” can distinguish between nearly identical proteins and their SomaScan Assay is the first and only platform enabling 11,000 protein measurements from a tiny fluid sample.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Spinning three companies out of a single innovation developed at CU Boulder was an incredible feat, according to Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for research and innovation and managing director of </span><a href="/venturepartners/home" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="911921eb-6ff5-4bee-bcd3-9a863add3789" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Home"><span><strong>Venture Partners at CU Boulder</strong></span></a><span>. “Larry was a pioneer and did this at a time when universities really weren’t set up to support that,” said Rees. “It was transformative. None of the whole innovation ecosystem that we currently have would exist without Larry doing that. The whole thing is a major CU Boulder success story.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Venture Partners, the commercialization arm for CU Boulder, now has myriad programs to help would-be entrepreneurs launch their innovations into the world. “Fast forward to today where it’s a wholesale culture change, and the university really understands how intertwined the mission of the university is, with folks like Larry being able to spin their work out and impact so many, in his case, patients and labs around the world,” said Rees.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In 2021, SomaLogic went public, and in January 2024, it merged with Standard BioTools Inc., which uses next-generation technologies to transform scientific discoveries into better patient outcomes.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The sky’s the limit when thinking about how the discoveries originally made at CU Boulder will continue to be used to improve healthcare, Gold wrote. “…the future for applications of aptamers will be limited only by our imaginations…”</span></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Founded by CU Boulder Professor Larry Gold in 2000, SomaLogic revolutionized protein measurement by developing a faster, cost-effective process to monitor the vast number of proteins in the human body.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-10/STOCK%20SomaLogic%20article%20header%20102924b.jpeg?itok=UIcmtjtM" width="1500" height="1000" alt="A hand wearing blue medical gloves holds up a small vial with an illustration of DNA superimposed on the image."> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 30 Oct 2024 20:38:57 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2390 at /venturepartners CU Boulder teams among first winners of the NSF-funded Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine /venturepartners/2024/10/22/external-news/cu-boulder-teams-among-first-winners-nsf-funded-colorado-wyoming-climate-resilience <span>CU Boulder teams among first winners of the NSF-funded Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine </span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-22T12:01:49-06:00" title="Tuesday, October 22, 2024 - 12:01">Tue, 10/22/2024 - 12:01</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-10/Elliot%20Strand%20working%20greenhouse%20102824.png?h=6161a13d&amp;itok=vhkQiSed" width="1200" height="800" alt="A white man with brown hair in blue t-shirt and wearing protective glasses concentrates on his work in a greenhouse."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/397"> CU Innovators News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/12"> CU Startup News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/525"> Climate, Energy &amp; Sustainability </a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p><em>This article was initially published at </em><a href="https://innosphereventures.org/governors-of-colorado-and-wyoming-announce-3m-in-funding-for-climate-resilience-projects-through-the-nsf-funded-colorado-wyoming-climate-resilience-engine/" rel="nofollow"><em><strong>innosphereventures.org</strong></em></a>.</p><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-right ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-lightgray"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><p><strong>Ready to explore opportunities in research translation? </strong>Venture Partners at CU Boulder brings the university’s world-class researchers with the business, startup and entrepreneurial communities to translate groundbreaking solutions into economic and social impact.</p><p><a class="ucb-link-button ucb-link-button-blue ucb-link-button-full ucb-link-button-regular" href="/venturepartners/opportunities-and-events" rel="nofollow"><span class="ucb-link-button-contents">Explore Opportunities and Events</span></a></p></div></div></div><p><span>Over the past two months, the Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine has been focused on identifying and supporting groundbreaking climate resilience projects across the region. This included launching the first round of investments in Research and Development and Translation/Startup projects with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines program. Interdisciplinary, collaborative teams from across the region’s leading universities and startup companies answered the Engine’s request for proposals with an overwhelming and diverse range of climate resilience solutions.</span></p><p><span>Governors Jared Polis of Colorado and Mark Gordon of Wyoming collaborated to announce the recipients of the inaugural grant program by the CO-WY Climate Resilience Engine. This partnership signifies a new phase in the joint efforts of the two states to create climate resilience solutions that safeguard communities, encourage innovation, and stimulate economic development.</span></p><p><span>“Colorado is leading the way in addressing climate change and using innovative solutions to become more resilient in the face of its impact. I’m thankful for Wyoming and Governor Gordon’s partnership and openness to work together to drive innovation, strengthen public-private partnerships, and make the region more climate resilient. These projects will help secure our water future, protect Coloradans from wildfire dangers, and protect our air and I am excited to see them in action,” said Governor Polis.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US">“When Wyoming joined the engine, we were focused on identifying and addressing specific Wyoming issues, including the impacts of droughts and wildfires,” Governor Gordon said. “Wyoming and Colorado may not be in alignment on many issues, but I&nbsp;will always support efforts within&nbsp;each of our states to benefit our citizens.”</span></p><p><span>The CO-WY Engine received nearly 50 proposals across two areas: R&amp;D, which focuses on catalyzing the commercialization of university-based projects, and Translation/Startups, which supports bringing early-stage commercial solutions to scale. The winning projects address key issues in climate resilience in our region, including water security, wildfire prediction and response, extreme weather modeling, soil carbon sequestration, and methane emissions mitigation. These projects build on and strengthen critical capabilities in advanced sensing and data science, positioning Colorado and Wyoming at the forefront of innovation nationally. These projects demonstrate the power of public-private partnerships and investments in innovation to drive meaningful impact.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span>For more information about future proposal requests and opportunities with the CO-WY Climate Resilience Engine visit </span><a href="https://www.co-wyengine.org/" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>co-wyengine.org</strong></span></a><span>.</span></p><h2><span>University of Colorado Boulder Winners of the CO-WY Climate Resilience Engine Request for Proposals</span></h2><h3><span>Use-Inspired Funding</span></h3><p><strong>Wildfire Risk and Prediction</strong><br><span><strong>Project title:</strong> </span><em><span>Mapping Vulnerability: Assessing the Built Environment’s Susceptibility to Wildfires through AI and Big Data.</span></em><br><span><strong>Principal investigator: </strong>Virginia Iglesias, PhD (</span><a href="https://earthlab.colorado.edu/our-team/virginia-iglesias" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>Earth Lab, CIRES</strong></span></a><span>)</span><br><span><strong>Lead institution: </strong>University of Colorado Boulder</span><br><span><strong>Key partners: </strong>CoreLogic, CyVerse</span></p><h3><span>Translational Funding</span></h3><p><span><strong>Complex Earth Sensing/Soil Carbon Capture Data &amp; Analytics&nbsp;</strong></span><br><span><strong>Project title:</strong> Next-Gen Soil Monitoring: Wireless Printed Sensors for Agriculture&nbsp;</span><br><span><strong>Principal investigator:</strong> Elliot Strand (</span><a href="/lab/whiting/elliot-strand" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>BEEM Lab, College of Engineering and Applied Science</strong></span></a><span>)</span><br><span><strong>Company name:</strong> Page Technologies</span><br><span><strong>Key partners:</strong> Syngenta Group, University of Wyoming, 3 Rocks Ranch, Colorado State University, Growing Gardens, Meshcomm Engineering&nbsp;</span></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>CU Boulder teams are among the first winners of the NSF-funded Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine, which supports innovative climate resilience projects across the region1. This initiative, backed by the U.S. National Science Foundation, aims to address key issues like water security, wildfire prediction, and extreme weather modeling through interdisciplinary collaboration.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-10/Elliot%20Strand%20working%20greenhouse%20102824.png?itok=W3iDtfdx" width="1500" height="598" alt="A white man with brown hair in blue t-shirt and wearing protective glasses concentrates on his work in a greenhouse."> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> <div>Elliot Strand (photo: CU Boulder)</div> Tue, 22 Oct 2024 18:01:49 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2386 at /venturepartners CU Physics Professor Jun Ye is Awarded the Monroe Endowed Professorship /venturepartners/2024/10/15/external-news/cu-physics-professor-jun-ye-awarded-monroe-endowed-professorship <span>CU Physics Professor Jun Ye is Awarded the Monroe Endowed Professorship</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-15T12:13:18-06:00" title="Tuesday, October 15, 2024 - 12:13">Tue, 10/15/2024 - 12:13</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-10/Jun%20Ye%20headshot%20Physics%20article%20101824.png?h=ec43d5db&amp;itok=nv0Pi9lZ" width="1200" height="800" alt="Jun Ye"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/397"> CU Innovators News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/317"> Quantum &amp; Photonics </a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>CU Boulder Physics—This prestigious new professorship, resulting from a $1 million endowment underscores the university’s growing prominence in quantum information science and applied quantum physics. Jun Ye is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work in precision measurement, ultracold molecules and ultra-high precision atomic clocks.</div> <script> window.location.href = `/physics/2024/10/15/cu-physics-professor-jun-ye-awarded-monroe-endowed-professorship`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 15 Oct 2024 18:13:18 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2377 at /venturepartners CU researchers to compete for share of $1.25M in grant funding to bring bio- and physical-sciences innovations to market /venturepartners/2024/10/02/internal-news/cu-researchers-compete-share-125m-grant-funding-bring-bio-and-physical-sciences <span>CU researchers to compete for share of $1.25M in grant funding to bring bio- and physical-sciences innovations to market</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-02T10:13:05-06:00" title="Wednesday, October 2, 2024 - 10:13">Wed, 10/02/2024 - 10:13</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-10/LVC%20Thumbnail%20for%20article%20100224b.png?h=04d92ac6&amp;itok=PJNjyAxm" width="1200" height="800" alt="Lab Venture Challenge"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/397"> CU Innovators News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/12"> CU Startup News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/398"> CU Technology and Discovery News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/361"> Venture Partners News </a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead" dir="ltr"><span>Fourteen teams of University of Colorado entrepreneurs, faculty researchers and graduate student innovators will compete for a combined $1.25 million in startup funding grants in this year’s&nbsp;</span><a href="/venturepartners/lab-venture-challenge" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases</strong></span></a><span>. Judges from Venture Partners at CU Boulder’s entrepreneurial network will hear Shark Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.</span></p><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-right ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-lightgray"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><h2>2024 LVC Showcases</h2><p class="lead"><strong>Physical Sciences Showcase: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 5:30-8 p.m.</strong></p><p class="lead"><strong>Biosciences Showcase: Thursday, Oct. 24, 5:30-8 p.m.</strong></p><p class="lead"><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/brSdQCFqMz7gjmqHA" rel="nofollow"><strong>Founder Central by Sweater</strong></a>, 2000 Central Ave #100, Boulder</p><p><a class="ucb-link-button ucb-link-button-blue ucb-link-button-full ucb-link-button-regular" href="/venturepartners/node/288" rel="nofollow"><span class="ucb-link-button-contents">Learn More and Register</span></a></p></div></div></div><p dir="ltr"><span>Through LVC, top innovators from CU Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs compete for grants of up to $125,000. LVC supports 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&nbsp;</span><a href="https://oedit.colorado.gov/" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program</strong></span></a><span>, as well as Venture Partners and the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>LVC is run by Venture Partners, one of the university’s commercialization arms and a central resource for researchers who wish to translate their work into impactful business and social ventures. LVC finalists are working and collaborating with Venture Partners on their&nbsp;</span><a href="/venturepartners/path-commercialization" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>path to commercialization</strong></span></a><span>.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“At this early stage, funding is essential, but can be a challenge to obtain,“ said Joshua Bennett, director of LVC and senior licensing manager 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..”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>To date, LVC has funded 107 projects through 54 new deep-tech startup companies, which collectively have raised over $349 million in follow-on financing.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Members of the entrepreneurial and university communities are invited to attend the LVC Showcases to enjoy good food, network and see which teams will walk away with $125,000 of funding.</span></p><p><span>This year’s LVC was additionally made possible by&nbsp;</span><a href="https://bhgrlaw.com/" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti LLP</strong></span></a><span>,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.wsgr.com/en/" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>Wilson Sonsini</strong></span></a>, <a href="https://www.cooley.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Cooley</strong></a> and <a href="https://www.cozen.com/offices/denver" rel="nofollow"><strong>Cozen O'Connor</strong></a>.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h2>2024 Physical Sciences Finalists</h2><div><div><div><div><h3><span>Colexible</span></h3><p><span>Colexible's liquid metal printed circuit board technology offers deformable, stretchable and affordable electronic assemblies that address the challenges that current rigid PCBs face with emerging technologies, such as wearable electronics, virtual/augmented reality and collaborative robots.</span></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jianliang-xiao-03614671/" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>Jianliang Xiao</strong></span></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="/mechanical/jianliang-xiao" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering</strong></a>): PI</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-whelan3/" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>C.J. Whelan</strong></span></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="/venturepartners/opportunities-and-events/embark-deep-tech-startup-creator" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Boulder Embark EIR</strong></a>): CEO</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-obernyer/" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>Kris Obernyer</strong></span></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>: Chief Product Officer</li></ul><div><div><h3>EcoValeric Innovations</h3><p>EcoValeric's invention is an electrochemical process that converts biomass-based levulinic acid into 4-hydroxyvaleric acid (HVA), a versatile intermediate for producing biodegradable plastics, biofuels and green solvents. This scalable, renewable process reduces reliance on fossil fuels while enhancing sustainability. <a href="https://ecovaleric.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Visit EcoValeric's website</strong></a></p><ul><li><a href="https://linkedin.com/in/robertaleao" rel="nofollow"><strong>Roberta Leão</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="/venturepartners/opportunities-and-events/embark-deep-tech-startup-creator" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="fc3e2b60-233e-49b0-ad58-49b487588eff" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator"><strong>CU Boulder Embark EIR</strong></a>): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-holewinski-03785631/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Adam Holewinski</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="/chbe/adam-holewinski" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering</strong></a>): PI</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/f-willian-s-lucas-351709b4/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Will Lucas</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>: CTO</li></ul><div><div><h3>InfraInform</h3><p><span>I2M-B is an end-to-end AI-based software tool that integrates cutting-edge temporal deep learning techniques with novel operations research methodologies to address the lack of an optimized, predictive and proactive approach for cost-efficient bridge and culvert maintenance planning.</span></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/farnoush-banaei-kashani-3614454/" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>Farnoush Banaei-Kashani</strong></span></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i><span>&nbsp;(</span><a href="https://engineering.ucdenver.edu/departments/computer-science-and-engineering" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>CU Denver Computer Science and Engineering</strong></span></a><span>): Co-PI, LVC Pitch Presenter</span></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/moatassem-abdallah-9b562530" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>Moatassem Abdalla</strong></span></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="https://engineering.ucdenver.edu/departments/civil-engineering" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Denver Civil Engineering</strong></a>): Co-PI, LVC Pitch Presenter</li><li><strong>Kevin Rens</strong>: <span>Co-Investigator, Subject Matter Expert (SME)</span></li></ul><div><div><h3>Mode-Locked Laser Technology</h3><p>This groundbreaking mode-locked laser technology overcomes the limitations of existing systems and is suitable for harsh environments. These systems excel in applications that require the best phase noise performance in a small and efficient device. Applications include PNT and RF instrumentation.</p><ul><li><strong>Thomas R. Schibli</strong> (<a href="/physics/thomas-schibli" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Boulder Physics</strong></a>): PI, LVC Pitch Presenter</li><li><a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fsingerchris&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cdaniel.leonard%40Colorado.EDU%7Ce640465c0ec84cbe420008dce18ad070%7C3ded8b1b070d462982e4c0b019f46057%7C1%7C0%7C638633233548657593%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=8yzUUKnJH1XEDjTzg8dsyr7bN4E9DkGshU1b2SLRb5E%3D&amp;reserved=0" rel="nofollow"><strong>Chris Singer</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(Alum: CU Boulder <a href="/business/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Business</strong></a>):<strong> </strong>Business Development</li><li><strong>Christopher B. Oei:</strong> Product Design, Advanced Manufacturing</li></ul><div><div><h3>OsmoPure Technologies</h3><p>OsmoPure is introducing a membrane for ultrapure water production tailored to the stringent demands of electronics, aerospace and green hydrogen sectors. The technology uses distillation driven by pressure, rather than heat, to produce high-purity product water with ten times higher energy efficiency. <a href="https://www.osmopuretechnologies.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Visit the OsmoPure website</strong></a></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kian-lopez-45089a128/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Kian Lopez</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(PhD student, <a href="/chbe/" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering</strong></a>): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-straub-8137156a/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Anthony Straub</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(CU Boulder Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering): Principal Investigator (PI)</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadia-jorgenson/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Nadia Jorgenson</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(PhD candidate, CU Boulder Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering): Director of R&amp;D</li></ul><div><div><h3>WHISPER Energy</h3><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/whisper-energy" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>WHISPER Energy</strong></span></a><span>&nbsp;is a wireless, battery-free sensor platform for smart buildings. It uses machine learning to cut energy consumption by 30%+, providing real-time data to optimize energy use and reduce emissions. Developed with a $2 million ARPA-E grant, it advances zero emissions economically and efficiently. </span><a href="https://whisperenergy.io/" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>Visit the WHISPER website</strong></span></a></p><ul><li><a href="https://linkedin.com/in/galenwilliams" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>Galen Williams</strong></span></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i><span>&nbsp;(</span><a href="/venturepartners/opportunities-and-events/embark-deep-tech-startup-creator" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="fc3e2b60-233e-49b0-ad58-49b487588eff" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator"><span><strong>CU Boulder 2023 Embark EIR</strong></span></a><span>): Co-Founder and CEO</span></li><li><span><strong>Gregor P. Henze</strong>&nbsp;(</span><a href="/ceae/gregor-p-henze" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering</strong></span></a><span><strong>, </strong></span><a href="/rasei/gregor-henze" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>RASEI</strong></span></a>)<span>: PI and Co-Founder</span></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerryconroy" rel="nofollow"><strong>Gerry Conroy</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>: Technical Lead&nbsp;and Advisor</li></ul><div><div><h3>Tierra Metrics</h3><p>Tierra Metrics' novel high-spatial density sensor innovation will enable real-time characterization of the soil nitrogen cycle which will help growers, land managers and others to improve efficiency and profitability, as well as improve soil health and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. <a href="https://www.tierrametrics.net/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Visit the Tierra Metrics website</strong></a></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-l-whiting/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Gregory Whiting</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="/mechanical/gregory-l-whiting" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering</strong></a>): PI, LVC Pitch Presenter</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-sharpe-75597585/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Taylor Sharpe</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering) Chief Engineer</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/whendee-silver-b297a7292/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Whendee Silver</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>: Co-Founder</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-claudia-arias-b5a324/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Ana Claudia Arias</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>: Co-Founder</li></ul><h2>2024 Biosciences Finalists</h2><div><div><div><div><h3><span>Aatxe Therapeutics</span></h3><p><span>Aatxe Therapeutics enhances the structural adaptability of cyclic peptides, improving their ability to bind, inhibit and access challenging intracellular targets. This unique platform unlocks new opportunities for treating complex diseases and improving patient outcomes.</span></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/makenna-morck/" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>Makenna Morck</strong></span></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="/venturepartners/opportunities-and-events/embark-deep-tech-startup-creator" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Boulder Embark EIR</strong></a>): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alecsantiago/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Alec Santiago</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(CU Boulder Embark EIR): COO, LVC Pitch Presenter</li><li><span>Michael Stowell (</span><a href="/mcdb/michael-stowell" rel="nofollow"><span><strong>CU Boulder Molecular, Cellular &amp; Developmental Biology</strong></span></a><span>): PI</span></li></ul><div><div><h3>Codebreaker</h3><p>Codebreaker is building a platform for generating variant genomes at scale in an AI&nbsp;framework that drives variant genome design and machine learning to generate significance maps broadly across human&nbsp;disease and drug response.</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-layer-bab6bb69/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Ryan Layer</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="/biofrontiers/ryan-layer" rel="nofollow"><strong>BioFrontiers Institute</strong></a>: PI, LVC Pitch Presenter</li><li><div><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-t-gill-9388238/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Ryan T. GIll</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>: CEO</div></li><li><div><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-warnecke-22913011/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Tanya Warnecke</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>: CTO</div></li><li><div><strong>Jordan Abbott:</strong> KOL-Collaborator</div></li></ul><div><div><h3>Entangl3d</h3><p>Entangl3d is transforming spine surgery with a groundbreaking 3D printing platform that produces strong, bioadhesive hydrogels. Easily deployable without tissue damage, our hydrogels will reinforce intervertebral discs to prevent reherniation and degeneration.</p><ul><li><a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fmatthew-davidson-05352bb9%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cdaniel.leonard%40Colorado.EDU%7C1277cbbd73714640698908dce1984f5e%7C3ded8b1b070d462982e4c0b019f46057%7C1%7C0%7C638633291498923286%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=6W3YtrHOXBB%2B4xaxI5caXQ4ZzCK%2F3j3TWU%2BGKs0EX%2Bc%3D&amp;reserved=0" rel="nofollow"><strong>Matt Davidson</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="/chbe/" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering</strong></a>, <a href="/biofrontiers/" rel="nofollow"><strong>BioFrontiers Institute</strong></a>): PI, Co-Founder, CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter</li><li><strong>Jason Burdick </strong>(CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering, <a href="/biofrontiers/jason-burdick" rel="nofollow"><strong>BioFrontiers Institute</strong></a>)<strong>: </strong>Co-Founder</li></ul><h3><span>Flari Tech</span></h3><div><div><p>Flari Tech is building a laser-based breathalyzer to detect lung cancer noninvasively and rapidly with high sensitivity. Powered by CU's Nobel Prize-winning optical frequency comb, it would empower healthcare providers, patients and researchers in lung cancer prevention, treatment and monitoring. <a href="/venturepartners/investors-partners/startup-portfolio/flari-tech-inc" rel="nofollow"><strong>Read more about Flari</strong></a></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/xinyao/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Eva Yao</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="/venturepartners/opportunities-and-events/embark-deep-tech-startup-creator" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Boulder 2023 Embark EIR</strong></a>): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jun-ye-57aa3088" rel="nofollow"><strong>Jun Ye</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="/physics/jun-ye" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Boulder Physics</strong></a>, <a href="https://jila.colorado.edu/yelabs/people/ye" rel="nofollow"><strong>JILA</strong></a>): PI</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/qizhong-liang-323439312/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Qizhong Liang</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(PhD candidate, CU Boulder Physics, JILA): Technical Lead</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/apoorva-bisht-227419241/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Apoorva Bisht</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(PhD student, CU Boulder Physics, JILA): Research Assistant</li></ul><div><div><h3><span>IntraLumenus</span></h3><p>Let’s never cut open a patient again. <span>IntraLumenus</span> is a treaded robotic capsule endoscope that travels through the colon under its own power, provides localization and mapping, and dual channel tool access, enabling colorectal procedures to be performed intraluminally, or from within the colon.</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessesheppard/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Jesse M. Sheppard</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="/venturepartners/opportunities-and-events/embark-deep-tech-startup-creator" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="fc3e2b60-233e-49b0-ad58-49b487588eff" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator"><strong>CU Boulder Embark EIR</strong></a>): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-rentschler-533822/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Mark Rentschler</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="/mechanical/mark-rentschler" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering</strong></a>): PI</li></ul><div><div><h3>SteriO3</h3><p>Peroxide Enhanced Germicidal Irradiation (PEGI) provides rapid, low-resource sterilization of microbial contaminants. With adaptable configuration capabilities, PEGI will be engineered into compact, portable units for low-temperature sterilization of surgical equipment, including 3D-printed implants. <a href="https://sterio3.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Visit the SteriO3 website</strong></a></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmalee-biesiada-959969b1/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Emmalee Biesiada</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<a href="/ceae/" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering</strong></a>): Principal Investigator (PI), LVC Pitch Presenter</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-hughes-executive-leader/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Steve Hughes</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>: CEO&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-hernandez-0a60122a0/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Mark Hernandez</strong></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering): Chief Scientific and Project Advisor</li></ul><h3>Vesicle Therapeutics</h3><p>The Vesicle team is developing a proprietary STAT3 isoform-selective antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) using novel thiomorpholino chemistry (TMO) for the treatment of head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer type, with a low survival rate due to poor responsiveness to treatments.</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/xuedongliuatcu/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Xuedong Liu</strong><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i><strong>&nbsp;</strong></a>(<a href="/biochemistry/xuedong-liu" rel="nofollow"><strong>CU Boulder Biochemistry</strong></a>): PI, LVC Pitch Presenter</li><li>Donna Peak: CEO</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtis-woodard-1b481b5/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Curtis Woodard</strong><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i></a>: COO</li><li>Gan Zhang: CTO</li><li>Marvin H. Caruthers (CU Boulder Biochemistry): Collaborator</li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Fourteen teams of University of Colorado entrepreneurs, faculty researchers and graduate student innovators will compete for a combined $1.25 million in startup funding grants in this year’s&nbsp;Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases. Judges from Venture Partners at CU Boulder’s entrepreneurial network will hear Shark Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-10/LVC%20article%20title%20image%20100124.png?itok=UZ9hMb3H" width="1500" height="844" alt="Lab Venture Challenge"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 02 Oct 2024 16:13:05 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2354 at /venturepartners New records set as momentum continues for CU Boulder research funding, initiatives /venturepartners/2024/09/26/external-news/new-records-set-momentum-continues-cu-boulder-research-funding-initiatives <span>New records set as momentum continues for CU Boulder research funding, initiatives</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-09-26T13:11:37-06:00" title="Thursday, September 26, 2024 - 13:11">Thu, 09/26/2024 - 13:11</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-09/Research%20funding%20numbers%20093024.png?h=cf7464a1&amp;itok=lTy-T905" width="1200" height="800" alt="A view of the Boulder flatirons during a fall sunrise."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/397"> CU Innovators News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/361"> Venture Partners News </a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>CU Boulder Today—CU Boulder researchers attracted a record $742.2 million in fiscal year 2023–24 for studies and initiatives that, among other things, could lead to an end of osteoarthritis, better space weather predictions and a more climate-resilient American West.</div> <script> window.location.href = `/today/2024/09/26/new-records-set-momentum-continues-cu-boulder-research-funding-initiatives`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 26 Sep 2024 19:11:37 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2351 at /venturepartners Discovery could lead to longer-lasting EV batteries, hasten energy transition /venturepartners/2024/09/12/external-news/discovery-could-lead-longer-lasting-ev-batteries-hasten-energy-transition <span>Discovery could lead to longer-lasting EV batteries, hasten energy transition</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-09-12T12:01:28-06:00" title="Thursday, September 12, 2024 - 12:01">Thu, 09/12/2024 - 12:01</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-09/battery%20discovery%20article%20093024.png?h=ccc392fb&amp;itok=ypP88-Ox" width="1200" height="800" alt="Close up of fingers wearing purple latex gloves handling a machine with tiny round batteries in it."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/397"> CU Innovators News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/398"> CU Technology and Discovery News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/525"> Climate, Energy &amp; Sustainability </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/247"> Hardware &amp; Instrumentation </a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>CU Boulder Today—An international team of researchers led by an engineer at CU Boulder has revealed the underlying mechanism behind battery degradation. Their discovery could help scientists to develop better batteries.</div> <script> window.location.href = `/today/2024/09/12/discovery-could-lead-longer-lasting-ev-batteries-hasten-energy-transition`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 12 Sep 2024 18:01:28 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2345 at /venturepartners CU grad and founder of CU spinout Blacks Swift Technologies gets job with Hurricane Hunters /venturepartners/2024/09/12/external-news/cu-grad-and-founder-cu-spinout-blacks-swift-technologies-gets-job-hurricane-hunters <span>CU grad and founder of CU spinout Blacks Swift Technologies gets job with Hurricane Hunters</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-09-12T11:55:08-06:00" title="Thursday, September 12, 2024 - 11:55">Thu, 09/12/2024 - 11:55</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-09/Black%20Swift%20Technologies%20article%20093024.jpg?h=d1cb525d&amp;itok=FUGo0-Pc" width="1200" height="800" alt="A man wearing a CU Boulder athletics jersey stands in front of a storm-chasing airplane on an airport tarmac."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/309"> Aerospace </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/397"> CU Innovators News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/12"> CU Startup News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/525"> Climate, Energy &amp; Sustainability </a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>9News—Jack Elston's company, Black Swift Technologies, a CU Boulder spinout, designed a prototype fixed-wing drone that could carry a sophisticated weather sensor inside the rage and turbulence of the strongest tropical cyclones on earth.</div> <script> window.location.href = `https://www.9news.com/article/weather/weather-colorado/boulder-entrepreneur-gets-job-with-the-hurricane-hunters/73-8f1301ce-0c07-44c9-8f53-8c3cc8e39ec6`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 12 Sep 2024 17:55:08 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2344 at /venturepartners