Biosciences /venturepartners/ en Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem raised $1.47 billion in 2023 /venturepartners/2024/12/21/external-news/colorados-life-sciences-ecosystem-raised-147-billion-2023 <span>Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem raised $1.47 billion in 2023</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-12-21T13:22:37-07:00" title="Saturday, December 21, 2024 - 13:22">Sat, 12/21/2024 - 13:22</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/callout/colorado-5156229_960_720.jpeg?h=8d546bd9&amp;itok=IsDUhrVZ" width="1200" height="800" alt="Colorado"> </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/12"> CU Startup 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><p>Colorado Bioscience Association—Colorado's life sciences ecosystem raised $1.47 billion in 2023, demonstrating the resilience of life sciences companies and organizations in the state during a challenging year for U.S. life sciences fundraising.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script> window.location.href = `https://cobioscience.com/colorados-life-sciences-ecosystem-raised-1-47-billion-in-2023/`; </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> Sat, 21 Dec 2024 20:22:37 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2423 at /venturepartners Why does the COVID-19 virus sicken some more than others? Discovery sheds light /venturepartners/2024/12/12/external-news/why-does-covid-19-virus-sicken-some-more-others-discovery-sheds-light <span>Why does the COVID-19 virus sicken some more than others? Discovery sheds light</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-12-12T13:05:04-07:00" title="Thursday, December 12, 2024 - 13:05">Thu, 12/12/2024 - 13:05</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-12/COVID%20research%20article%20121324.png?h=3527cdbf&amp;itok=2TFFX5i5" width="1200" height="800" alt="A woman in a lab coat and blue gloves works at a laboratory computer"> </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/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 Today—Why does the COVID-19 virus make some people sicker than others? A new CU Boulder study, published in the journal Cell, sheds light on the subject by identifying what the authors describe as an “immune system tuning dial,” which originated as a bug in the genetic code tens of millions of years ago.</div> <script> window.location.href = `/today/2024/12/12/why-does-covid-19-virus-sicken-some-more-others-discovery-sheds-light`; </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 Dec 2024 20:05:04 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2420 at /venturepartners VitriVax awarded $3.6M grant for polio vaccine development /venturepartners/2024/12/04/external-news/vitrivax-awarded-36m-grant-polio-vaccine-development <span>VitriVax awarded $3.6M grant for polio vaccine development</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-12-04T10:38:54-07:00" title="Wednesday, December 4, 2024 - 10:38">Wed, 12/04/2024 - 10:38</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-12/VitriVax%20article%20thumbnail%20120624.png?h=d14aff68&amp;itok=3sT_vbc3" width="1200" height="800" alt="Microscope"> </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/12"> CU Startup 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>Business Wire—VitriVax Inc., a CU Boulder spinout and vaccine formulation technology company, announced today a two-year $3.6 million grant from the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation. This is the second grant awarded to VitriVax by the Gates Foundation, which will fund the development of a polio vaccine formulation for possible inclusion in combination pediatric vaccines.</div> <script> window.location.href = `https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241204004876/en/VitriVax-Awarded-3.6M-Grant-for-Polio-Vaccine-Development`; </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, 04 Dec 2024 17:38:54 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2413 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 OEDIT announces grants to University of Colorado startups and researchers in the advanced industries /venturepartners/2024/11/21/external-news/oedit-announces-grants-university-colorado-startups-and-researchers-advanced-industries <span>OEDIT announces grants to University of Colorado startups and researchers in the advanced industries</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-11-21T14:29:42-07:00" title="Thursday, November 21, 2024 - 14:29">Thu, 11/21/2024 - 14:29</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-11/Colorado%20mountains%20112224.png?h=26fc6ad5&amp;itok=VVs37kKF" width="1200" height="800" alt="Rock mountains overlooking a dirt road and creek"> </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/12"> CU Startup 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/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><p><strong>This article was originally published at </strong><a href="https://oedit.colorado.gov/press-release/oedit-announces-grants-to-22-colorado-startups-and-researchers-in-the-advanced" rel="nofollow"><strong>oedit.colorado.gov</strong></a></p><p>The Global Business Development division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced that seven University of Colorado companies and three researchers are among the awardees of the Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants through OEDIT’s Advanced Industries Accelerator Program. These grants help 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.<br><br>“Colorado is increasingly recognized as a national and global leader in the advanced industries, and this program plays an important role in that success,” said Michelle Hadwiger, Global Business Development Director. “Whether it’s in federally recognized innovative industries like quantum and space, or in areas like health that consistently reimagine solutions that improve the way healthcare is delivered, these disruptive technologies create valuable opportunities for our workforce.”<br><br>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.<br><br>The Advanced Industries Accelerator Program received 117 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 21, 2024, and the awards announced today represent a total of $5,438,734 in funding.<br><br>The next application cycle for Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grants will open on January 1, 2025 and applications will be due February 28, 2025.</p><h2>CU Proof of Concept Grants</h2><ul><li><strong>University of Colorado Denver, PI Nam Bui - Denver, CO $150,000:</strong> Developing an in-ear blood pressure monitoring system for remote and accurate blood pressure measurements.</li><li><strong>University of Colorado Denver, PI Melanie Joy - Denver, CO $150,000:</strong> Developing a phosphate adsorption device that treats hyperphosphatemia of end-stage kidney disease.</li><li><strong>University of Denver, PI Seyed Reza Mahmoodi - Denver, CO $150,000:</strong> Developing an electrode-integrated microwell array platform for non-invasive, multi-modal monitoring of 3D cell cultures.</li></ul><h2>CU Startups Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grants</h2><ul><li><strong>AmplifiedSpace Inc. - Lafayette, CO $250,000:</strong> AmplifiedSpace is developing digital power systems that use rapid-manufacturing and on-orbit configurability to get spacecraft into orbit as fast as possible.</li><li><a href="/venturepartners/startup-portfolio/latimer-controls-inc" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="4cca508d-2364-4b0e-8489-317474e6fd37" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Latimer Controls Inc."><strong>Latimer Controls Inc.</strong></a><strong> - Boulder, CO $100,000:</strong> Latimer Controls has developed a utility-scale solar plant generation control software that integrates with existing hardware to control solar plant generation in real time.</li><li><a href="/venturepartners/startup-portfolio/mana-battery-inc" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="32269d09-ae1c-42b8-a044-0d6d4e61de0b" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Mana Battery Inc."><strong>Mana Battery Inc.</strong></a><strong> - Denver, CO $250,000:</strong> Mana Battery is developing sodium battery electrolytes and sodium battery cells for electricity grid applications.</li><li><a href="/venturepartners/startup-portfolio/mesa-quantum-inc" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="880a4316-8328-4ae9-8f4a-bab637d77715" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Mesa Quantum Inc."><strong>Mesa Quantum &nbsp;Inc.</strong></a><strong> - Boulder, CO $500,000:</strong> Mesa Quantum Systems is developing mass manufacturable chip-scale atomic clocks to address the risk of GPS as a single point of failure.</li><li><strong>Octave Photonics LLC - Louisville, CO $500,000:</strong> Octave Photonics has developed a new rapid-fabrication service that utilizes advanced materials required by cutting-edge quantum applications.</li><li><strong>SentrySciences, Inc. - Longmont, CO $250,000:</strong> SentrySciences has developed a software solution that addresses analytical issues associated with manufacturing cell-based medicinal products.</li><li><strong>Sieyax - Broomfield, CO $199,850:</strong> Sieyax is developing a novel small therapeutic for treating various cancers, with an initial focus on medulloblastoma.</li></ul><h2><strong>About the Advanced Industries Accelerator Program</strong></h2><p>The Advanced Industries Accelerator Program was created in 2013 to promote growth and sustainability in Colorado’s advanced industries by driving innovation, accelerating commercialization, encouraging public-private partnerships, increasing access to early stage capital and creating a strong infrastructure that increases the state’s capacity to be globally competitive. AIA encompasses five distinct grant programs: Proof of Concept, Early-Stage Capital and Retention, Collaborative Infrastructure, Export Accelerator, and Global Consultant Network. <a href="https://choosecolorado.com/doing-business/advanced-industries/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Visit the Advanced Industries Accelerator Program Website</strong></a></p></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced that seven University of Colorado companies and three researchers are among the awardees of the Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants through OEDIT’s Advanced Industries Accelerator Program.</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/2024-11/Colorado%20mountains%20112224.png?itok=Js5MElCh" width="1500" height="1000" alt="Rock mountains overlooking a dirt road and creek"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 21 Nov 2024 21:29:42 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2404 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 JILA-based innovation team Flari Tech wins CU Boulder’s 2024 Lab Venture Challenge for breakthrough breath diagnostic technology targeting lung cancer /venturepartners/2024/10/29/external-news/jila-based-innovation-team-flari-tech-wins-cu-boulders-2024-lab-venture-challenge <span>JILA-based innovation team Flari Tech wins CU Boulder’s 2024 Lab Venture Challenge for breakthrough breath diagnostic technology targeting lung cancer</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-29T12:32:13-06:00" title="Tuesday, October 29, 2024 - 12:32">Tue, 10/29/2024 - 12:32</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-10/DSCF3823.JPG?h=31326c3a&amp;itok=s_YzYadX" width="1200" height="800" alt="An asian woman smiles and holds up a giant prize-winning check for $125,000"> </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/12"> CU Startup News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/398"> CU Technology and Discovery 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>JILA—Flari Tech Inc., a startup rooted in cutting-edge JILA research, has clinched one of the prestigious 2024 Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) grants from the University of Colorado Boulder, advancing its pioneering work to build a breathalyzer for diagnostics use targeting life-threatening diseases such as lung cancer. </div> <script> window.location.href = `https://jila.colorado.edu/news-events/news/jila-based-innovation-team-flari-tech-wins-cu-boulders-2024-lab-venture-challenge`; </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, 29 Oct 2024 18:32:13 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2388 at /venturepartners $1.25M awarded to University of Colorado innovators to advance their discoveries /venturepartners/2024/10/28/internal-news/1m-awarded-university-colorado-innovators <span>$1.25M awarded to University of Colorado innovators to advance their discoveries</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-28T15:10:46-06:00" title="Monday, October 28, 2024 - 15:10">Mon, 10/28/2024 - 15:10</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/251"> Advanced Materials </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/85"> Biosciences </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/12"> CU Startup News </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/525"> Climate, Energy &amp; Sustainability </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/247"> Hardware &amp; Instrumentation </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/317"> Quantum &amp; Photonics </a> <a href="/venturepartners/taxonomy/term/361"> Venture Partners News </a> </div> <a href="/venturepartners/daniel-leonard">Daniel Leonard</a> <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">Fourteen teams of University of Colorado faculty, researchers and graduate student innovators competed for a combined $1.25 million in startup funding grants in this year’s <a href="/venturepartners/lab-venture-challenge" rel="nofollow"><strong>Lab Venture Challenge (LVC)</strong></a>. 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.</p><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">Interested in the 2025 LVC?</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><p>LVC supports CU projects that address a commercial need, have a clear path to a compelling market and have strong scientific support.</p><p><a class="ucb-link-button ucb-link-button-blue ucb-link-button-full ucb-link-button-regular" href="/venturepartners/lab-venture-challenge" rel="nofollow"><span class="ucb-link-button-contents">Learn More</span></a></p></div></div></div><p>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 <a href="https://oedit.colorado.gov/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program</strong></a>, as well as Venture Partners at CU Boulder and the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund. Ten awards were granted this year for a total of $1,250,000.</p><p>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 <a href="/venturepartners/path-commercialization" rel="nofollow"><strong>path to commercialization</strong></a>.</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>To date, LVC has funded over 117 projects through 64 new deep-tech startup companies; collectively, these companies have raised over $349 million in follow-on financing.</p><p>Applications for the next LVC will open in July 2025.</p><p>This year’s LVC was additionally made possible by <a href="https://bhgrlaw.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti LLP</strong></a>, <a href="https://www.wsgr.com/en/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Wilson Sonsini</strong></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><h2>2024 Physical Sciences $125,000 Winners</h2></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-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-10/LVC%202024%20LVC%20physical%20sciences%20winners%20102824.png?itok=WEHj11xB" width="1500" height="500" alt="A diverse group of people stand with giant prize checks."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>Winners of the physical sciences competition from left to right: Gerry Conroy, Gregor P. Henze and Galen Williams of WHISPER Energy; Joshua Bennett, director of the Lab Venture Challenge (LVC); Roberta Leão of EcoValeric Innovations; Anthony Straub, Kian Lopez of OsmoPure Technologies; Gregory Whiting, Taylor Sharpe of Tierra Metrics; Thomas R. Schibli of Mode-Locked Laser Technology. Photo: Keanan Wilson.</p> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> </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-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <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><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><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisoei/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Christopher B. Oei</strong><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i></a><strong>:</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 $125,000 Winners</h2></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></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-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-10/LVC%202024%20LVC%20biosciences%20winners%20102824.png?itok=NiuyYW1O" width="1500" height="500" alt="A diverse group of people stands on a presentation stage holding giant prize checks."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>Winners of the biosciences competition from left to right: Emmalee Biesiada of Sterio3; Eva Yao of Flari Tech; Tanya Warnecke of Codebreaker; Jesse M. Sheppard of IntraLumenus; Makenna Morck, Alec Santiago, Michael Stowell of Kitsune Bio. Photo: Keanan Wilson.</p> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><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><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-abbott-md-ma-9874935/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Jordan Abbott</strong><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i></a><strong>:</strong> KOL-Collaborator</div></li></ul><div><div><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><h3><span>Kitsune Bio</span></h3><p><span>Kitsune Bio 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><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-phd/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Emmalee Biesiada</strong><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i></a>&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</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></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;(<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></a><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin fa-xs">&nbsp;</i>: 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>Fourteen teams of University of Colorado faculty, researchers and graduate student innovators competed for a combined $1.25 million in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC).</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> Mon, 28 Oct 2024 21:10:46 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2385 at /venturepartners New device could deliver bedside blood test results in an hour /venturepartners/2024/10/16/external-news/new-device-could-deliver-bedside-blood-test-results-hour <span>New device could deliver bedside blood test results in an hour</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-16T16:09:24-06:00" title="Wednesday, October 16, 2024 - 16:09">Wed, 10/16/2024 - 16:09</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/venturepartners/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-11/Handheld%20device%20article%20111424.png?h=c952979e&amp;itok=NhBxrh2x" width="1200" height="800" alt="A man uses an injector in a bio lab"> </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/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 Today—Go to the doctor to provide a blood sample and you’re typically faced with a needle and syringe and hours or even days of waiting to get results back from a lab. CU Boulder researchers hope to change that with a new handheld, sound-based diagnostic system able to deliver precise results in an hour with a mere finger prick of blood.</div> <script> window.location.href = `/today/2024/10/16/new-device-could-deliver-bedside-blood-test-results-hour`; </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, 16 Oct 2024 22:09:24 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2400 at /venturepartners New handheld device promises rapid blood diagnostics /venturepartners/2024/10/16/external-news/new-handheld-device-promises-rapid-blood-diagnostics <span>New handheld device promises rapid blood diagnostics</span> <span><span>Daniel Corbin …</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-16T11:48:28-06:00" title="Wednesday, October 16, 2024 - 11:48">Wed, 10/16/2024 - 11:48</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%20doctor%20and%20patient%20101824.jpeg?h=8c1403cf&amp;itok=VBCdWK1n" width="1200" height="800" alt="A woman doctor meets with a masculine-presenting person in a plaid shirt."> </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/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>News-Medical—Patients who go to the doctor to provide a blood sample are typically faced with a needle and syringe and hours or days of waiting to get results back from a lab. CU Boulder researchers hope to change that with a new handheld, sound-based diagnostic system to deliver precise results in an hour with a mere finger prick of blood.</div> <script> window.location.href = `https://www.news-medical.net/news/20241016/New-handheld-device-promises-rapid-blood-diagnostics.aspx`; </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, 16 Oct 2024 17:48:28 +0000 Daniel Corbin Leonard 2375 at /venturepartners