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OEDIT—The Global Business Development division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade announced that five companies based on innovations from the University of Colorado and one CU researcher have been awarded Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants through OEDIT’s Advanced Industries Accelerator Program.

CU ������ý���� Today—A team of ������ý���� researchers is making reliable, inexpensive and easy-to-deploy sensors that monitor soil in real time and have formed a new startup, Tierra Metrics.

Eleven teams of University of Colorado faculty, researchers and graduate student innovators competed for a combined $755,000 in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC). Judges from CU's entrepreneurial network heard Shark-Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

VitriVax—������ý���� spinout VitriVax has raised $17.25 million in Series B financing to accelerate development of its Stablevax™ platform, which eliminates the need for cold storage in vaccines. The funding will support preclinical and clinical advancement of single-dose, thermostable vaccines aimed at improving global immunization access.

Business Wire—VitriVax Inc., a ������ý���� vaccine formulation technology spinout, today announced it has been awarded a two-year, $9.9 million grant from the Gates Foundation. The funding will support the scale-up of VitriVax’s Atomic Layering Thermostable Antigen and Adjuvant (ALTA®) technology, enabling Phase 1-ready GMP manufacturing and advancing the platform to prepare for Phase 1 clinical trials.

DARPA—CU ������ý���� startup Flari Tech was selected as a winner in DARPA’s Spark Tank competition, securing $400,000 in funding and direct engagement opportunities with program managers as it advances its next-generation technology.

ReviewerZero—A new partnership with Karger Publishers will accelerate their already strong research integrity strategy by giving the research integrity and publication ethics team access to the entire AI-powered suite by ReviewerZero, a ������ý���� startup founded by Daniel Acuña (CU ������ý���� Computer Science) in 2023.

The ������ý���� reached a historic milestone, launching 35 new companies based on university intellectual property during fiscal year 2024, more than any other U.S. campus that year. In addition to holding the No. 1 spot for that year, the achievement also places CU ������ý���� No. 2 for the most startups launched in a single year by a U.S. campus.

Business Wire—Cascade Bio, a ������ý���� spinout enabling enzyme-based processes, has secured $6 million to accelerate the shift from petrochemicals to biomanufacturing. The funding includes $3.2 million in non-dilutive funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). With this investment, Cascade will expand delivery of its breakthrough biocatalysts.

Infleqtion, a ������ý���� spinout and global leader in quantum technology, announced a $1.8 billion business combination with Churchill Capital Corp X and will trade under the ticker “INFQ.” Now Colorado’s tenth unicorn, Infleqtion continues to drive the state’s growing quantum hub by commercializing breakthroughs across computing, sensing, security and energy markets.