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 up to $336,000 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
Tuesday, Aug. 4: RVC Pitch Academy—A half-day workshop to prepare founders to understand many of the terms and processes used by VCs and sharpen their venture strategy.
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Perfect Your Pitch (virtual)—Whether you’re preparing for a Pitch Competition or simply want to sharpen your business storytelling, this session will help you refine your message and deliver it with clarity and impact. Hosted by Startup Colorado.
Thursday, Aug. 6: Storage Design Strategies to Ease Production (STEP) Informational Webinar—The $500,000 STEP Prize will guide innovators to integrate manufacturability and supply chain resilience principles early in the technology development process, resulting in more affordable and secure next-generation energy storage technologies for the grid.
Friday, Aug. 7: Thunderview CEO Dinner—A monthly dinner founded to introduce a diverse set of CEOs (across backgrounds, stages and markets) to one another to share their experiences and receive outside perspectives.
Wednesday, Aug. 12: Golden Startup Coffee—A monthly opportunity for entrepreneurs, innovators, creatives and community members to explore Colorado startup journeys.
Friday, Aug. 14: Rural Women in Entrepreneurship—Startup Colorado's virtual networking conversation focusing on current projects, story sharing and pooling resources to help reach the "next step" on the long entrepreneurial road ahead.
Wednesday, Aug. 19: Welcome to Boulder Happy Hour—Welcoming anyone new to the Boulder tech and startup scene. Colorado Startups will answer your questions, direct you to resources and help make introductions where appropriate. Plus you’ll meet other community members and individuals new to Boulder.
Friday, Aug. 21: Colorado Startup Hike—Do you like being outside? How about on a Friday morning when the trails aren’t packed? Startup Hikes is a series designed to help you meet and get to know other local startup founders, operators, investors, and community members. Whether you’ve been in Colorado forever or just moved here, see some familiar faces and meet new ones. Upcoming Hikes: Sept. 18.
Aug. 24-28: Southern Colorado Startup Week—Where founders, innovators, investors, and community leaders come together to connect, learn and grow. Events will happen in aColorado Springs, Florence and Penrose.
Wednesday, Aug. 26: BEN Colorado's Workshop Wednesday: Get Unstuck. Grow Again.—Learn practical improvements to your commercial process that can help improve performance and accelerate business growth.
Thursday, Aug. 27: Sesquicentennial Faculty Scholars Showcase in Denver—Celebrate CU Boulder's 150th anniversary with an evening of engaging, story-driven presentations by the university's Sesquicentennial Faculty Scholars at the History Colorado Center in Denver. Complimentary shuttle for CU Boulder faculty, staff and students.
Friday, Aug. 28: SoCo Pitch Competition—Pitch your startup, gain valuable exposure and compete for $15,000 in prize funding.
Sept. 14-18: Colorado Startup Week—Bringing together over 10,000 founders, investors, creatives and changemakers for a week of learning, inspiration, and connection. Free.
Thursday, Sept. 17: Innovation After Hours Signature Edition—The Milken Institute delivers a data-driven keynote benchmarking Colorado against peer hubs like Austin, Seattle, and the Research Triangle, followed by a fireside chat with leaders from ASCEND, Colorado BioScience, Elevate Quantum and the Colorado Space Coalition.
Sept. 30—Oct. 2: 2026 Rocky Mountain Life Sciences Investor & Partnering Conference—Connecting investors, strategic partners, founders and ecosystem leaders in a focused, relationship-driven environment designed to support meaningful capital engagement.
Oct. 5-9: West Slope Startup Week 2026—A weeklong event for rural entrepreneurs, creatives, and community leaders—powered by local passion and built for connection. Hosted by Startup Colorado.
Oct. 5-Nov. 9: Colorado BioScience Institute Foundations of Leadership—A six-week professional development program designed specifically for emerging and aspiring leaders across Colorado's life sciences ecosystem.
Tuesday, Oct. 6: Boulder Chamber Economic Summit—Join more than 300 business, community, education, research, and government leaders for a dynamic half-day summit exploring the forces reshaping our economy—and the opportunities emerging from them.
Wednesday, Oct. 7: 2026 Oil & Gas Cleantech Challenge—A technology-scouting competition that fast-tracks clean-tech solutions into the oil and natural-gas value chain. Finalists will pitch live to leading operators, service companies, and investors—gaining exposure, feedback and potential partnership opportunities.
Wednesday, Oct. 21: Prime Health's 2026 Health Innovation Summit: From Disruption to Discovery—Bringing together partners from across the Prime Health ecosystem to explore how evolving shifts in health systems are shaping the safety-net, and to uncover new opportunities for innovators to discover, align and take action.
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.
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.
Applications
Friday, Aug. 7 (priority deadline): Nucleate DojoGrants Research Fellowships—Grants of $5,000 for undergraduates to pursue life sciences or biotech-related research in the United States. Final deadline is Aug. 14.
Sunday, Aug. 9 (deadline): Colorado Small Business Development Center Network's Ascent Workshops—A series of focused, multi-session workshops that connect science and technology companies in Colorado with peers in similar industries and stages of development, while also building essential skills for securing non-dilutive capital.
Friday, Aug. 21 (deadline): Lab Venture Challenge (LVC)—LVC supports projects that address a commercial need, have a clear path to a compelling market and have strong scientific support. Grants of up to $125,000 are funded by Venture Partners at CU Boulder and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program.
Wednesday, Aug. 26 (deadline): 2026 Oil & Gas Cleantech Challenge—A technology-scouting competition that fast-tracks clean-tech solutions into the oil and natural-gas value chain. Finalists will pitch live to leading operators, service companies, and investors—gaining exposure, feedback and potential partnership opportunities.
Thursday, Aug. 27 (deadline): OEDIT Advanced Industries Accelerator Program Proof of Concept grants—Open to approved Colorado research universities and federal labs located in Colorado. These grants are for pre-commercialization research and commercialization preparation of innovative technologies. Grants up to $150,000 will be awarded.
Thursday, Aug. 27 (deadline): OEDIT Advanced Industries Accelerator Program Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants—Funding for companies commercializing innovative technologies to create viable products that meet a market need and can be created or manufactured in Colorado and exported globally. Grants up to $250,000 will be awarded.
Sept. 14 (deadline): 2026 Gates Grubstake Funding Opportunity Application—A total of $1.5M is available to support multiple projects focused on regenerative medicines and cell/gene therapies. Individual project award amounts will vary based on funding needs. For University of Colorado Anschutz investigators and external collaborators.
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.
Rolling Application: Activator: 25-26 Cohort—An open-access, equity-free biotech accelerator for early-stage founders.
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 2025 Trade Shows–Apply for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade's funding and trade show participation program.