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Applications are open for the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator and NSF I-Corps Hub West programs.
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Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Venture Partners and NSF I-Corps | Research-to-Market (R2M) Customer Discovery Program
Application Deadline Wednesday, Aug. 27 | Sept. 3-Oct. 10, Virtual Event
This four-week program helps teams through customer discovery and finding a market for their innovation. Derived from the National Science Foundation's I-Corps™ program, R2M leverages the nationally recognized Lean LaunchPad and Business Model Canvas methodologies specifically designed for researchers, entrepreneurs, inventors and problem solvers from any research or community institution.
CU Boulder Silicon Flatirons | Startup Variety Show
Thursday, Sept. 11, Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom
Now in its third year, the Startup Variety Show is one of the best ways to connect with Colorado’s Front Range innovation scene. It brings together CU Boulder researchers, federal lab innovators, startup founders and technologists from established companies—all on one stage. The show highlights the region’s most creative minds and the ideas shaping what’s next.
Venture Partners | Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator
Application Deadline Friday, Sept. 12
Through a competitive selection process, Embark will hire up to seven Embark Startup Founders to serve as CEOs of new deep tech companies built around technology developed in CU Boulder’s world-class research enterprise. This is an opportunity to lead a startup utilizing cutting-edge technology, with the support of CU Boulder’s high-impact entrepreneurial resources and programs.
CU System and Colorado Startup Week | CU Showcase: Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Impact
Monday, Sept. 15, Denver, CO
Join CU at Colorado Startup Week to connect with world-class founders who are reshaping industries from precision healthcare to quantum technology.
Venture Partners and NSF I-Corps | Therapeutics Customer Discovery Program
Application Deadline Tuesday, Sept. 30 | Oct. 7-Nov. 4, Virtual Event
Do you have a therapeutic innovation that could improve lives? This program is a focused, five-week entrepreneurial training program designed to help academic researchers and early-stage biotech innovators explore the commercial potential of therapeutic technologies. Open to innovators inside and outside the University of Colorado.
CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office | Workshop: Funding Strategies in a New Federal Landscape
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 3-4 p.m. MST
+ More Dates Through December
Has the recent federal transition prompted you to reconsider your research funding approach? Join RIO’s Donna Axel for a fast-paced, 30-minute introduction to Pivot, internal funding opportunities, and other free tools available with your CU Login. Bring your team—faculty, staff, and students are all welcome!
Venture Partners and Research & Innovation Week | Unlocking New Funding Opportunities for Research
Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, 9:30-11 a.m., Sustainability, Energy and Environment Community (SEEC) S372
Join Venture Partners at CU Boulder during CU Boulder’s Research & Innovation Week for an insightful discussion focused on translational research funding. Explore how Venture Partners can support you in securing funding, including SBIR/STTR grants, National Science Foundation Translation to Practice grants, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries grants and more. We will highlight success stories and provide practical advice on navigating the landscape of funding opportunities. Whether new to these programs or looking to expand your research’s impact, this event will equip you with the knowledge and connections to take your work to the next level.
CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office | Research & Innovation Seed Grant Program
Application Deadline Monday, Oct. 13
Seed Grants aim to stimulate inter- and multidisciplinary research, scholarship and creative projects with high potential for innovation and/or impact. These grants support creative, and sometimes high-risk, high-reward initiatives, including team development proposals for future large collaborative projects. Projects may take a variety of forms but should represent an investment in advancing the university’s future research, scholarly or creative activities.
Venture Partners and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) | Lab Venture Challenge Community Showcase
Thursday, Oct. 23, Dairy Arts Center, Boulder
Join us at the Boulder Dairy Arts Center for the Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Community Showcase, where teams of top innovators from CU will pitch to a panel of judges and a live audience for grants of up to $125,000—$750,000 in total funding—for their early-stage projects in bio- and physical sciences with compelling market potential. Past pitches have included everything from next-generation batteries to cancer treatments and LVC has helped launch 64 new startups that have gone on to raise more than $350 million, including Darwin Biosciences, Manifest Technologies (prev. Vitro3D) and Mesa Quantum.
Venture Partners and NSF I-Corps | Starting Blocks Customer Discovery Workshop
Application Deadline Thursday, Oct. 30 | Nov. 6-20, Virtual Event
Do you have an innovation that could make a difference? Whether a researcher, entrepreneur, inventor or problem solver, this workshop can help you transform your concept into a successful venture. Over three weeks, gain a deeper understanding of the commercialization process, test your ideas with real potential customers and accelerate your journey toward bringing your idea to market. This workshop is for anyone from a research or community institution—not just CU—motivated to bring their ideas to life, secure funding and create lasting impact.