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So what is Catalyze CU?
Catalyze CU is a summer startup accelerator for teams with the most promising ideas and technologies developed at the university. The program—open to CU Boulder students, faculty and staff—runs for 12 weeks during the summer, beginning in mid-May and culminating in August.
Experiences provided by Catalyze CU include:
Networking events
Funding options
Mentor connections
Goal setting and accountability sessions
Professional and collaborative development
Pitch coaching and guidance
Skill and concept workshops
General Information
To apply for Catalyze CU, your team or venture must meet the following requirements:
- At least one person on the founding team must have a valid BuffOne card.
- A startup team is not required (you can be a solo founder), but a team is highly recommended. The program is very intensive and it is likely that you will need a cross-functional skill set to participate.
- The accelerator is live in-person in Boulder, CO and a majority of team members must attend.
- Teams are provided funding, so it is expected that you have already or are ready to start a legal company.
CatalyzeCU is an intensive program; it is not a class with a set timeframe. Launching a company is very difficult and time frames to accomplish goals can vary.
To participate in Catalyze CU, it is not possible to have a competing full-time job. Part-time work or classes can be possible, but the CatalyzeCU program director(s) will want a clear plan on how time-management will work for the summer. CatalyzeCU is a challenging and rewarding program, but you will get out what you put in. We provide a stipend per founder to help you be availabile to dedicate your time to the program.
Previously scheduled travel (vacation, conferences, etc.) will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Let the CatalyzeCU program directors know in your application what the situation is, and they will determine if it is possible to still participate.
Catalyze CU is highly selective and you will be with a cohort of other high-performing startup teams. Catalyze does NOT take any equity while still providing some funding. We customize the experience to meet your venture's needs and expect full participation.
We level up the founding team startup skill set, helping you go from idea to impact and prototype to production. Catalyze alumni companies have a strong track record of being accepted to top-tier accelerators like Techstars, raising funding, winning grants and launching successful Kickstarters.
The program starts in mid-May and culminates in early August. *Observing CU site holidays.
The accelerator is a full time commitment, but still leaves you time to work on your business in the best way you see fit. Attendance for the full program is required.
Monday | 1 hour individual team meeting (in-person or on zoom) |
Tuesday | 10am-3pm in-person work session |
Wednesday | Office hours based on needs |
Thursday | 10am-3pm in-person work session |
Friday | Dedicated work day |
Please contact Catalyze CU Program Director and College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Entrepreneur-in-Residence Karen Crofton at catalyzecu@colorado.edu for all questions and concerns.
Perks
- Equity-Free Funding
- Dedicated Office Space
- Founder Stipends
Resources
- Prototyping
- Design
- Marketing
Mentorship
- Sales and Marketing
- Finance and Legal
- Product Development
Get Involved
Participate
Catalyze CU teaches student, faculty and staff innovators to level up their founding team's startup skill set by helping them go from idea to impact and prototype to production.
Mentor
Catalyze CU relies on the support of community members to help prepare university startups to thrive once they leave the university. Want to lend your expertise?
Support
Catalyze CU would not be possible without the generous contributions of our partners. Interested in supporting CU Boulder innovators and startups?
Listen
Head over to the official Catalyze CU podcast to gain insight and advice from experienced engineering professionals.
Startup Stories
informu (2016) was created by the intrepid, hard-working duo of Lang Mei (Leeds, 2017) and Rishabh Berlia (CEAS, 2017). The two international students, from China and India, respectively, joined forces to add Prerna Nayyer (CEAS, 2017), an international student also from India. This team worked tirelessly to address the issue of lost items; those valuables that are accidentally left behind. The Mu tag, their product, connects to a users phone or smart watch and sends a notification when the user is further than a given distance their valuable item. informu staged a successful Kickstarter campaign in spring of 2017 and raised their seed round in December the same year.
Stateless (2016) was founded by the electrical and computer engineering research team of PhD student Murad Kablan and Assistant Professor Eric Keller. Their revolutionary technology makes even the most sophisticated networks simple to manage. After completing Catalyze CU, they were accepted into Techstars Boulder in the spring of 2017. They were awarded an NSF SBIR grant in the summer of 2017 and by winter of that same year, they had completed their first round of seed funding at $1.4 million. In February of 2019, Stateless announced a Series A financing round of $11.33 million, the most by any Catalyze CU alum to date.
Specdrums (2017) was founded in 2015 by Steven Dourmashkin to address his own problem as a lifelong drummer—he wished he could bring his drum set with him everywhere. The result was Specdrums, a wearable ring that allows the user to tap colors to trigger sounds. After assembling Jenna and Jack as co-founders and participating in Catalyze CU, the Specdrums team launched a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, bringing in almost $190,000 in the fall of 2017. The team competed in, and won, the CU Boulder New Venture Challenge in 2018, and shortly afterwards was acquired by consumer robotics powerhouse Sphero, marking the second acquisition of a Catalyze CU alumni startup.