Venture Partners News

The Intermountain West innovation ecosystem came together at the sixth annual Destination Startup Investor Showcase hosted by Venture Partners at CU Boulder. In a highly competitive field, twenty-three select ventures from the region’s research institutions presented at the showcase.

The New Venture Challenge (NVC) and Venture Partners at CU Boulder teamed up to present the NVC Deep Tech competition, awarding $53,000 to groundbreaking new ventures.

Venture Partners at CU Boulder and the university’s Industry and Foundation Relations (IFR) team brought together dozens of stakeholders in the renewable energy and storage ecosystem to discuss innovations, issues and opportunities in the vibrant sector.

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has ranked the CU system 14th among the “Top 100” institutions nationwide for recent patent activity. That prominent position reflects the strength of CU-led discoveries and their potential to be translated into society-benefiting technologies with the support of CU’s robust entrepreneurial ecosystem.

LongPath is harnessing quantum technology to detect methane emissions from oil and gas operations, innovation that benefits industry and investors—and the planet. Most recently, LongPath received landmark financial backing from the Department of Energy (DOE) for a loan of up to $189 million to accelerate the scale-up of the company’s monitoring systems.

CU Boulder Today—The National Science Foundation today announced the Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine (CO-WY Engine) as a recipient of its inaugural Regional Innovation Engines program. The prestigious award totals up to $160 million over 10 years and positions the CO-WY Engine at the forefront of the nation's environmental and climate technology initiatives.

The Embark program pairs seasoned entrepreneurs with university technologies to bring those breakthroughs to market in response to urgent societal needs. The recent Embark Showcase was the pinnacle of the program’s first year working with selected entrepreneurs to provide IP rights, salary support, grant funds and investor introductions to launch startups with real-world impact.

State of Colorado—"Thanks to our partnership with the state, the University of Colorado Boulder and our fellow research institutions will be able to translate cutting-edge quantum research from the lab into a positive impact on Colorado’s people and economy," said Massimo Ruzzene, CU Boulder vice chancellor for research and innovation. "Together, we are supporting the ecosystem through translating research into a quantum workforce engine.”

Daily Camera—Gov. Jared Polis announced Colorado achieved a federal designation as a technology and innovation hub for the quantum industry. Massimo Ruzzene, CU Boulder's vice chancellor for research and innovation, said CU Boulder's role in quantum is to make new research discoveries and educate the next generation of quantum physicists and engineers.

Daily Camera—In research labs across campus and spinoff companies across Colorado, our faculty—and staff and students who support them—are making discoveries that benefit your health, happiness and economic vitality.