Explore the latest news about Venture Partners at CU Ƶ and keep up to date on the impact CU's startups and technologies are making.

Zoya Popovic

Zoya Popovic elected to the National Academy of Inventors

April 8, 2024

CU Ƶ College of Engineering and Applied Science—Distinguished Professor Zoya Popovic is among 162 inventors named 2023 fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Election as a fellow in the academy is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors. Popovic, a leading researcher in high-efficiency, low-noise microwave and RF engineering, was elected for her “prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society.”

Comic illustration of the Eye of Sauron spotting dangerous chemicals

A real-life Eye of Sauron? New project to spot possible chemical threats in the air

April 2, 2024

Within minutes, a laser-based device the size of a small suitcase could spot dangerous aerosols and alert safety crews. That's the vision of a team of engineers and chemists at CU Ƶ, the California Institute of Technology, UC Santa Barbara and three companies. Frequency comb lasers can act like fingerprint scanners for aerosols, teasing out the signals from even minute concentrations of particles or gases in the air. The team includes LongPath Technologies, a CU Ƶ spinout that uses these tools to search for methane leaks at oil and gas facilities.

A ballroom full of people eating and listening to a keynote speaker

2024 Destination Startup connects investors, entrepreneurs and groundbreaking innovations

March 22, 2024

The Intermountain West innovation ecosystem came together at the sixth annual Destination Startup Investor Showcase hosted by Venture Partners at CU Ƶ. In a highly competitive field, twenty-three select ventures from the region’s research institutions presented at the showcase.

Team stands with giant prize check

Pitch competition celebrates and funds new CU Ƶ ventures founded by women

March 20, 2024

Deming Center for Entrepreneurship—The New Venture Challenge (NVC) and Deming Center for Entrepreneurship teamed up to present the NVC Women Founders competition, awarding $10,000 to groundbreaking new ventures. SuviCa and PrecisionTerra—CU Ƶ startups working with Venture Partners to bring their university discoveries to market—both won funding.

Grinning man stands with a giant check for $50,000 held over his head

Pitch competition celebrates and funds new CU Ƶ ventures founded on scientific discoveries

March 19, 2024

The New Venture Challenge (NVC) and Venture Partners at CU Ƶ teamed up to present the NVC Deep Tech competition, awarding $53,000 to groundbreaking new ventures.

A photo of the atomic clock setup complete with the bisecting cavity

Atomic clocks surpass fundamental precision limits through quantum entanglement

March 19, 2024

SciTechDaily—JILA's (a joint institute established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Ƶ) breakthrough in optical atomic clocks uses quantum entanglement to surpass fundamental precision limits, setting a new standard in timekeeping and opening avenues for scientific discovery.

Woman stands in front of presentation

Pressing energy challenges and potential solutions at the center of CU Ƶ’s Renewable Energy and Storage Solutions Summit

March 6, 2024

Venture Partners at CU Ƶ and the university’s Industry and Foundation Relations (IFR) team brought together dozens of stakeholders in the renewable energy and storage ecosystem to discuss innovations, issues and opportunities in the vibrant sector.

Tin Tin Su

CU Cancer Center leaders aim to use novel molecule to fight cancer

Feb. 29, 2024

Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine—A pair of University of Colorado Cancer Center researchers are closer to their goal of bringing their therapy to patients—as one of nine research endeavors receiving funding from the Anschutz Acceleration Initiative (AAI). The project is led jointly by Tin Tin Su, professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at CU Ƶ, and Antonio Jimeno, professor in the CU Department of Medicine's Division of Medical Oncology.

Spencer Dansereau

Pollution to production: student startup transforms CO2 into aerospace hardware

Feb. 28, 2024

College of Engineering and Applied Science—Aerospace PhD student Spencer Dansereau aims to take carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and extract the carbon molecules to create 3D-printed carbon fiber, which can be used for everything from bicycles to aerospace components. In 2023, Mach Electric Aerospace took first place in CU Ƶ’s Lab Venture Challenge business development competition and second place in the New Venture Challenge.

Scientist working in a laboratory

Ranked #14 among U.S. universities by National Academy of Inventors, CU leads in translating innovation into impact

Feb. 15, 2024

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has ranked the CU system 14th among the “Top 100” institutions nationwide for recent patent activity. That prominent position reflects the strength of CU-led discoveries and their potential to be translated into society-benefiting technologies with the support of CU’s robust entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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