Events and Opportunities
Signature Programs of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative
Connecting the CU Boulder campus with the Boulder community to develop innovative ideas and pitch for more than $200,000 in venture funding.
Student entrepreneurs with diverse perspectives who embrace the spirit of innovation and impact on campus and in the Boulder community.
A micro-funding opportunity for CU Boulder undergraduate and graduate students that provides up to $500 in funding for entrepreneurial ideas in the making.
A series of mini job fairs that connect entrepreneurially-minded CU Boulder students to high growth companies in Colorado.
CU Boulder's entrepreneurial mentor network supports innovative activity on campus led by students, faculty and staff.
Want to promote your event?
If you’d like to promote your event in the feed below, please contact karen.reid@colorado.edu or simply tag your event using the Innovation & Entrepreneurship group in CU Boulder’s Localist event calendar.
Off-Campus Opportunities
Events
Monday, Oct. 26: Beyond the Bench: Building and Funding a Biotech Startup—Nucleate's fireside chat featuring Dan Ahlstedt, Co-Founder of EnPlusOne Bio, in conversation with Kelly Caviglia and Nina Barnett of Mercury, exploring the realities of launching, funding and growing an early-stage biotech company.
Thursday, Oct. 29: Making It: Boulder Arts Business Cohort Pitch Session and Showcase—The artists of the Boulder Arts Business Cohort share their creative practices and plans for growth, presenting a short pitch about their work, business model and where they are headed next.
Friday, Oct. 30: RVC Angel Accelerator: Due Diligence (virtual)—A half-day workshop to help prepare founders to understand many of the terms and processes used by VCs and sharpen their venture strategy.
Friday, Oct. 30: Nucleate Innovators Forum (virtual)—A free, virtual event bringing together biotech scientists, founders and operators. Topic: bringing science to market.
Oct. 30-Nov. 1: Rural Women in Entrepreneurship Retreat—A small, in-person gathering hosted by Startup Colorado for women who are building, leading, creating, and supporting businesses in rural Colorado. Limited to 20 participants.
Tuesday, Nov. 3: RVC Pitch Academy—A half-day workshop to help prepare early startup founders to understand many of the terms and processes used by VCs and sharpen their venture strategy.
Wednesday, Nov. 4: Perfect Your Pitch—A a virtual pitch readiness session to help you refine your message and deliver it with clarity and impact. Hosted by Startup Colorado.
Thursday, Nov. 5: 2026 Environmental Sustainability Entrepreneurship Program Summit—Watson Institute's free event celebrating impact-driven entrepreneurs in the Denver metro area during an evening of live pitches, networking and community connection.
Thursday, Nov. 5: Startup Colorado's Rural Creative Collective (virtual)—Colorado just became the first state in the country to create a legal business structure built specifically for artists. Tune in to learn what this means for your business!
Saturday, Nov. 7: 2026 Rocky Mountain ETA Conference—Bringing together acquisition entrepreneurs, students, investors, service providers, faculty and other participants in the ETA ecosystem to connect and share best practices.
Wednesday, Nov. 11: Golden Startup Coffee—A monthly opportunity for entrepreneurs, innovators, creatives and community members to explore Colorado startup journeys.
Thursday, Nov. 12: Second Annual Foley Hoag Colorado Life Sciences Summit—Join CBSA and Foley Hoag for an afternoon of insights, networking and practical strategies.
Saturday, Nov. 14: YouthBiz Marketplace 2026—Startup Colorado's 3rd annual Southeast Colorado Marketplace invites entrepreneurs aged 6-21 years to share their product or service with the community.
Tuesday, Nov. 17: CBSA Coffee + Connect—Engage with others in Colorado’s life sciences community and spark dynamic relationships with fellow innovators.
Wednesday, Nov. 18: DARPAConnect Mission Connect: Colorado Event—Meet DARPA through technical panels and research spotlights for industry, academia and emerging businesses.
Monday, Dec. 7: Startup Colorado’s Open Door Discovery Session (virtual)—A quarterly session will walk you through Startup Colorado’s current and upcoming programs, resources, and opportunities.
Wednesday, Dec. 9: RVC 2026 Investor Forum—Bringing together accredited angel investors interested in fast-growing, early-stage companies in Colorado.
Friday, Dec. 11: Colorado Startup Ski Days—Join the Colorado startup community on the mountain! Open to founders, operators, investors and the startup-curious. Upcoming Ski Days: Jan. 15, Feb. 5, Feb. 19, March 26, April 16.
Applications
Friday, Oct. 30 (deadline): West Gate Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program—Supporting promising innovators as they develop technology concepts into startups primed for growth. Selected innovators are equipped with funding, entrepreneurial training and technical assistance to speed commercialization efforts.
Friday, Oct. 30 (deadline): Argonne Chain Reaction Innovations Cohort—A two-year fellowship at Argonne National Laboratory helps scientists and engineers turn early-stage science and energy technologies into businesses.
Friday, Oct. 30 (deadline): Oak Ridge Labs Innovation Crossroads—Provides innovators with early-stage energy startups and/or emerging technologies with a two-year funded fellowship, supporting them as they develop and transition their ideas toward the market. Hosted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization’s (OTC) Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP).
Friday, Oct. 30 (deadline): Activate US Fellowship Cohort—For entrepreneurial scientists, providing the mindsets, skills, networks and support needed to turn breakthrough hard tech into real-world impact.
Friday, Oct.30 (deadline): Queen's Entrepreneurs' Competition—An international pitch competition to help student entrepreneurs make the transition from early-stage, independently funded startups to raising capital with VC’s.
Sunday, Nov. 1 (deadline): Nucleate 2027 Activator Cohort—This free, non-dilutive accelerator supports academic trainees (PhD, MD, MBA, JD, MS, Postdocs) in building ventures across therapeutics, diagnostics, medtech, synthetic biology, food, energy, agriculture, climate and more.
Nov. 4, March 4 (deadlines): U.S. National Science Foundation’s Pilot Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I, Phase II, Fast-Track Programs—Supports startups and small businesses developing scientific tools and technologies that advance discovery and strengthen the U.S. research enterprise.
Nov. 4, March 4 (deadlines): U.S. National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I, Phase II, Fast-Track Programs—Deep Technologies that Advance U.S. Competitiveness and Security: Supports startups and small businesses in transforming high-risk technologies into products and services that drive innovation, economic growth and jobs. Pilot Emphasis on Scientific Instrumentation: Supports startups and small businesses developing scientific tools and technologies that advance discovery and strengthen the U.S. research enterprise.
Wednesday, Nov. 18 (deadline): Techstars' Spring 2027 Accelerators—$220,000 investment to fuel your growth, expert guidance and lifetime access to 11,000+ founders and investors worldwide.
Monday, Nov. 23 (deadline): Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation's (BIRD) General Program—Conditional grants up to $1.5 million for jointly developed, commercially promising technology projects between one U.S. company and one Israeli company across sectors including advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, cleantech and life sciences.
January 24 (priority deadline): Watson Institute's Wells Fargo Small Business Fellowship—A fully funded program for established, growth-ready small business owners and entrepreneurs. Fellows receive expert-led entrepreneurship training, connections to capital, leadership development, committed mentorship, access to a strong peer network and long-term Alumni support.
Rolling Application: Startup Colorado Community and Entrepreneurship Grants–Grants that support rural entrepreneurs who are eager to level up their businesses but need a financial boost to get there.and delivering results.
Rolling Application: OEDIT Advanced Industry Investment Tax Credit—For investors and advanced industries businesses in the amount of 25% to 35% per investment up to $100,000.
Rolling Application: Global Business Development's 2027 Trade Shows–Apply for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade's funding and trade show participation program.