University of Colorado Boulder startup garners $1 million in investment funding

A 3D nano-imaging company built around CU Boulder technology and faculty just secured $1 million in investment funding from Luminate, an international startup accelerator focused on next-generation optics, photonics and imaging. 

“We’ve been watching Double Helix’s progress with great interest, including their 2016 win at the SPIE Startup Challenge, so we could feel this coming,” said Brynmor Rees, Director of Technology Transfer at CU Boulder. “This achievement exemplifies the traction we’ve seen across many CU Boulder startups, which have collectively raised over $300 million in the last two years.”

Double Helix Optics is an exclusive licensee of the university and was founded based on technology from the lab of company co-founder Rafael Piestun, professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering. The company applied to the Luminate program to help scale its operations and extend its reach into life sciences, drug discovery and machine vision markets.

“Double Helix serves as a model for spinning a research innovation out of the lab,” added Rees. “It’s a great time to follow in those footsteps. Emerging Technology Transfer resources, like the Commercialization Academy, Lab Venture Challenge and mentor network open the door for researcher-entrepreneurs to create a greater impact through their innovations.”

Visit the Technology Transfer Office to learn more about CU Boulder technologies, inventions and related support, or learn more about Double Helix Optics.