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Dairy Arts Center (2590 Walnut St, ��ý��, CO 80302)

As a researcher, creator or inventor at the University of Colorado, your work has the potential to change the world. Protecting these innovations may be necessary to ensure that they reach their full potential, benefiting society while securing recognition and opportunities for you.

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Get a front-row seat to the University of Colorado's next big ideas competing for $750,000

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:08:08 +0000

Get a front-row seat to the University of Colorado's next big ideas competing for $750,000 Daniel Corbin … Wed, 09/24/2025 - 12:08

Eleven teams of University of Colorado entrepreneurs, faculty researchers and graduate student innovators will compete for a combined $750,000 in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases at the Dairy Arts Center. Judges from Venture Partners at CU ��ý��’s entrepreneurial network will hear Shark Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

2025 Lab Venture Challenge Showcases

Physical Sciences: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m.

Biosciences: Thursday, Oct. 23, 6 p.m.

Get Tickets

Through LVC, top innovators from CU ��ý��, Denver and Colorado Springs compete for grants of up to $125,000. LVC supports projects that address a commercial need, have a clear path to a compelling market and have strong scientific support. The LVC grants are funded by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program, as well as Venture Partners and the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund.

LVC is run by Venture Partners, one of the university’s commercialization arms and a central resource for researchers who wish to translate their work into impactful business and social ventures. LVC finalists are working and collaborating with Venture Partners on their path to commercialization.

“At this early stage, funding is essential, but can be a challenge to obtain,“ said Joshua Bennett, director of LVC and assistant director of licensing at Venture Partners. “All of these teams have promising innovations ready to launch new businesses. LVC is a unique opportunity for those innovators to receive that vital funding, and we’re proud to work with the State of Colorado to make it happen.”

To date, LVC has funded 117 projects through 64 new deep-tech startup companies, which collectively have raised over $349 million in follow-on financing including Darwin Biosciences, Manifest Technologies (prev. Vitro3D) and Mesa Quantum.

Members of the entrepreneurial and university communities are invited to attend the LVC Showcases to enjoy good food, network and see which teams will walk away with $125,000 of funding.

This year’s LVC showcases were additionally made possible by Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti LLP, Johnson & Johnson, Holland & Hart LLP, Paralex and Thermo Fisher Scientific

2025 Physical Sciences Finalists

Breakthrough Analog Domain Jamming Suppression for UAVs

Multi-Domain Anti-Jamming Technology (MDAT) provides real-time interference suppression for military UAVs. With 400x size reduction via analog domain processing, MDAT deploys as 6x6-inch, sub-5lb plug-and-play modules for retrofitting tactical drones, ensuring mission continuity in contested RF environments. The team has formed BoldRF LLC to bring their innovation to market.

Laila Marzall (CU ��ý�� Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), PI, CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Zoya Popovic (CU ��ý�� Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Co-PI
Marisha Parikh (CU ��ý�� Lockheed Martin Engineering Management Program), Head of Business
Sarah Johns (Student: CU ��ý�� Leeds School of Business), Business Strategist
Stephanie Torres (Student: CU ��ý�� Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Product Strategist.
Gary Dolsen (Fmr: CU ��ý�� Leeds School of Business), Advisor

Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis for H₂ Production

Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis (MEE) improves hydrogen generation efficiency by enhancing bubble release and energy transfer. Adapted from space technology, MEE offers scalable, cost-effective clean hydrogen for transportation, industry and off-grid power. The team has formed a startup, Agami Zero, to bring their innovation to market.

Oana Luca (CU ��ý�� Chemistry), PI
Ankur Gupta (CU ��ý�� Chemical and Biological Engineering), Co-PI
Hunter Koltunski (Student: CU ��ý�� Chemistry), Scientific Lead
Richard Noble (CU ��ý�� Chemical and Biological Engineering), Scientific Advisor
Jafar Makrani, Co-Founder and CEO/CPO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Lyle Antieau III, Co-Founder and CTO/COO, LVC Pitch Presenter

Novel Synergistic Catalysis for Clean Water and Fuel

SynForce is developing a modular photo-thermo-catalysis device that rapidly activates a wide range of stubborn chemical bonds, enabling carbon-free fuel production at high reaction rates and the destruction of toxic PFAS in water, while reducing energy use and operating costs. The team has formed a startup, Synforce, to bring their innovation to market.

Longji Cui (CU ��ý�� Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), PI, LVC Pitch Presenter
Dishan Chooi (Student: CU ��ý�� Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Technical Co-Lead
Sarang Gosavi (Student: CU ��ý�� Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Technical Co-Lead
Yunxuan Zhu (Postdoc: CU ��ý�� Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Director of R&D
Karen Crofton (CU ��ý�� College of Engineering and Applied Science), Advisor

Next-Generation Holographic Materials for AR Displays

A thiol-ene holographic materials platform delivers low-haze, high-refractive-index photopolymers for sharper, more immersive AR displays. This versatile and scalable step-growth method overcomes shrinkage, scattering and supply-chain constraints of existing chain-growth materials for holographic optics.

Christopher Bowman (CU ��ý�� Chemical and Biological Engineering), Co-PI, LVC Pitch Presenter,
Robert McLeod (CU ��ý�� Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Co-PI
Yunfeng Hu (Postdoc: CU ��ý�� Chemical and Biological Engineering)
John Rynk (Student: CU ��ý�� Materials Science & Engineering Program)

A Language-Driven Engine to Deploy Robots Like Software

BoBoRobo’s agentic AI engine turns plain English specifications into ready-to-deploy robotics—validated in a digital twin and safety-checked across OEMs. It outputs layout, BOM, install plan and robot-specific code, cutting deployment timelines from six months to ten days and reducing costs by up to 50%. The team has formed a startup, BoBoRobo, to bring their innovation to market.

Alessandro Roncone (CU ��ý�� Computer Science), PI, CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Anuj Pasricha (Student: CU ��ý�� Department of Computer Science), CTO
Claire Chen (Postdoc: CU ��ý�� Computer Science), CSO

Low SWaP Frequency Comb for Quantum applications

Our Gen-III low-SWaP frequency comb, built on thin-film lithium niobate nanophotonics, delivers octave-spanning spectra with ultra-low power. Compact, scalable and robust, it enables deployable quantum clocks, sensors and communication systems beyond the lab. The team has formed a startup, Chi3 Optics, to bring their innovation to market.

Scott A. Diddams (CU ��ý�� Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), PI
Tsung-Han Wu (Postdoc: CU ��ý�� Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Founder, CEO
Peter Chang, CTO
Nathan Brooks, Principal Scientist, LVC Pitch Presenter

2025 Biosciences Finalists

Metabolite-Based Therapeutics for Obesity

Pythons exhibit dramatic metabolic plasticity with feeding, increasing organ size and activity by up to 40% after consuming large prey. From this biology, the team discovered a novel feeding-induced metabolite that was upregulated by 1,000-fold and acts as a natural appetite suppressant through modulating satiety. The team has formed a startup, Arkana Therapeutics, to bring their innovation to market.

Leslie Leinwand (CU ��ý�� Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), PI
Thomas Martin (Postdoc: CU ��ý�� Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), CSO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Jack Gugel, CEO
Yuxiao Tan (Postdoc: CU ��ý�� Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Co-Founder

Bioadhesive Patches That Seal Where Sutures Fail

DuraPatch provides rapid closure of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks during neurosurgery, eliminating the need for sutures. Engineered with high-resolution 3D printing and advanced biomaterials, DuraPatch strongly adheres to wet tissues to create a watertight seal while supporting and promoting healing. The team has founded a startup, Entangl3d, to bring their innovation to market.

Matt Davidson (CU ��ý�� BioFrontiers Institute), CEO and Founder, LVC Pitch Presenter
Jason Burdick (CU ��ý�� Chemical and Biological Engineering and BioFrontiers Institute) Co-Founder, PI
Peter Lennarson (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), Advisor

Vaporizable Droplets for Proton Beam Visualization

Vaporizable exoskeletal droplets provide in vivo visualization of beam placement during proton therapy, a rapidly growing treatment approach for cancer. Using this image-guided therapy, clinicians can make real-time adjustments to the treatment, reducing harmful side effects and improving patient outcomes. The team has formed a startup, Radiosensitive VEDs, to bring their innovation to market.

Mark Borden (CU ��ý�� Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering), PI
William Frantz (Student CU ��ý�� Biomedical Engineering), LVC Pitch Presenter
Barry Marston, Advisor

Computationally Designed IL-18 binders to Treat Sepsis

Enabled by recent advances in AI-driven protein design, minibinders are being engineered to target IL-18, a key driver of sepsis. These compact, stable proteins penetrate tissues efficiently and can be precisely dosed to avoid prolonged immune suppression, offering a next-generation therapeutic for sepsis. The team has formed a startup, iMembrane Therapeutics, to bring their innovation to market.

Jingshi Shen (CU ��ý�� Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), PI
Suzhao Li (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), President, LVC pitch presenter
Charles Dinarello (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), Advisor

Nanorobotic Synthesis of Oligonucleotides

Modern DNA synthesis suffers from low overall yields due to the accumulation of errors for longer strands. The team has designed a nanorobotic synthesis platform which can detect and correct errors during synthesis, enabling ultra-high fidelity synthesis of gene-length DNA for single-cell omics and genomics application. The team has formed a startup, Nanosynth, to bring their innovation to market.

Joshua Johnson (CU ��ý�� ATLAS Institute), CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Mirela Alistar (CU ��ý��, ATLAS Institute), PI
Curtis Woodard, Advisor

Eleven teams of University of Colorado entrepreneurs, faculty researchers and graduate student innovators will compete for a combined $750,000 in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases at the Dairy Arts Center. Judges from Venture Partners at CU ��ý��’s entrepreneurial network will hear Shark Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

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Registration now open for Translational Funding Week

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 20:38:11 +0000

Registration now open for Translational Funding Week Daniel Corbin … Wed, 09/17/2025 - 14:38

Join the Center for Translational Funding for a series of engaging lunchtime sessions designed to demystify the landscape of non-dilutive funding opportunities that support the journey from lab to market. For faculty, postdocs, PhD students and startup teams who want to learn how to secure early-stage funding to commercialize research, build ventures and scale innovation.

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CU ��ý�� ranked No. 1 for launching startups based on university discoveries

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:31:49 +0000

CU ��ý�� ranked No. 1 for launching startups based on university discoveries Daniel Corbin … Mon, 09/15/2025 - 12:31

Daniel Leonard

Photo: Associate Professor and co-founder of Mana Battery, a startup developing sodium-based batteries for sustainable energy storage, Chunmei Ban, is working with chemical engineering student Kangmin Kim in the CU ��ý�� College of Engineering and Applied Science lab. Source: Jesse Morgan Petersen

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.

Venture Partners at CU ��ý�� drives the transformation of research breakthroughs into real-world impact by empowering innovators at CU ��ý�� (as well as CU Denver and UCCS) to create companies and forge industry partnerships.

From steady growth to record-breaking results

A decade ago, CU ��ý�� launched an average of four to six startups based on university inventions annually. Today, it stands as a national leader, having launched more startups in FY 2024 than any other university campus, followed by the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), according to data released in July from AUTM (Association of University Technology Managers), the leading association tracking university technology transfer. AUTM counts startups that are founded with an agreement between the company and university to commercialize specific university intellectual property (IP).

In AUTM’s data going back to 1990, only Stanford University has exceeded CU ��ý�� in the total number of startups launched in a single year, with 38 startups in 2022.

What really sets CU ��ý�� apart is efficiency, mainly the number of startups per dollar of research funding, according to Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships at CU ��ý��.

“Universities spinning out similar numbers of startups have significantly larger research budgets feeding their innovation pipeline,” says Rees. “Among institutions with the highest single-year outputs, CU ��ý�� tops that efficiency indicator with 5.1 startups launched in FY 2024 per $100 million in research funding. That’s more than double the next most efficient university campus among the top 10 startup generators in the same year—a fantastic result and a real credit to our approach.”

CU ��ý��’s rise—achieved outside traditional capital hubs like Silicon Valley and Boston—reflects a uniquely collaborative and highly effective innovation ecosystem.

A “relentless commitment to supporting founders”

What We Do For University Innovators

We help researchers, inventors and creators at CU take their groundbreaking discoveries every step from intellectual property (IP) management to market launch.

Get Support

Through experimentation and entrepreneurial thinking, the Venture Partners team has redefined how academic research translates into impactful businesses. “Our journey reflects years of careful planning, experimentation and a relentless commitment to supporting our startup founders,” says Rees. “We’ve embraced ��ý��’s collaborative ethos and created a model that aligns with our community’s values while delivering national impact.”

Venture Partners prioritizes the experience and development of its founders—usually faculty, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students, but also entrepreneurs from outside the university. Their Licensing with EASE® simplifies the startup process with pre-negotiated intellectual property licensing terms, reducing administrative friction and allowing founders to focus on building their ventures. This philosophy extends to providing tailored mentorship and long-term support, creating an environment where new founders thrive.

From entrepreneurial training to funding, Venture Partners offers a comprehensive suite of resources for founders and startups. For example, Venture Partners’ Center for Translational Research (CTR) helps bridge the “valley of death” between early-stage research and commercialization with comprehensive support for researchers applying for grants that cater to startups. In federal partnership, the National Science Foundation I-Corps^TM Hub: West Region programming at Venture Partners provides startup training to researchers in and outside of the university, while the Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) awards over $1.25 million in proof-of-concept grants annually in partnership with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).

Venture Partners’ willingness to experiment and learn from failure has been critical to its success. “Have you heard of the ‘i-Teams’ program?” Rees jokes. “Of course not! It was a failure. We wanted to match lab innovations with business students. It was a fun experience and great learning for the students, but we didn’t start any new companies.” However, it provided insights that led to the creation of the highly successful Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator, which launched 10 of the 35 companies in 2024 by matching entrepreneurs, including from CU ��ý��’s Leeds School of Business, with cutting-edge CU ��ý�� innovations.

35 startups accelerating toward impact

Investor and Partnership Opportunities

We connect investors with high-potential ventures and facilitates collaborations with companies seeking to invest in research or license technologies from CU.

Partner With Us

The 35 startups launched in FY 2024 represent a diverse array of industries, from clean energy to biotech. Among them is Mana Battery, founded on research from Chunmei Ban’s laboratory (CU ��ý�� Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), winner of a 2023 LVC grant. Mana Battery is developing sodium-based batteries as a safer, more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion technology, addressing critical challenges in energy storage. Over the past decade, CU ��ý�� has spun out several battery-focused startups, collectively creating hundreds of jobs and attracting over $1 billion in investment to Colorado.

CU is a growing international leader in both quantum and healthcare research and technologies, both of which are found in the new startup Flari Tech. The company is developing technology created by Jun Ye (CU ��ý�� Physics, JILA, NIST) and Qizhong Liang (JILA) to detect diseases via the breath, all built upon the Nobel Prize-winning frequency comb developed at CU ��ý�� and NIST. Eva Yao founded the company in the first cohort of Embark.

Another shooting star is Mesa Quantum. Venture Partners helped match a motivated grad student, Sristy Agrawal (NIST, CU ��ý�� Mathematical Physics), with a novel atomic clock invented in Svenja Knappe’s lab (CU ��ý�� Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering). Mesa Quantum was first conceived in the I-Corps Hub West programming offered at Venture Partners. Mesa Quantum is ushering in the next generation of chip-scale atomic clocks and quantum sensors, powering the industries of tomorrow in fields like autonomous vehicles and advanced deep-water oil exploration.

CU ��ý��’s success is bolstered by recent ecosystem wins like the NSF ASCEND Engine in Colorado and Wyoming and the Elevate Quantum Tech Hub designations. These initiatives enhance CU ��ý��’s capacity to attract top talent, secure funding and support high-impact startups.

“These programs bring together the resources and expertise we need to address global challenges,” says Rees. “They’re amplifying our impact and positioning CU as a leader in innovation.”

Looking ahead

Venture Partners Annual Report

Explore more about these startups and how Venture Partners achieved record-breaking success in transforming innovation into impact.

Explore Our Impact

As Venture Partners celebrates its record-breaking year, the team is focused on the future. Plans include expanding incubator spaces, enhancing funding opportunities and growing its investor network. The university is also working to refine programs like Embark and explore new collaborations with other institutions.

“Our goal is to create ventures with lasting impact,” Rees emphasizes. “We measure success not only by the number of companies we create but by the societal and economic benefits they deliver.”

Over the last five years, startups spinning out of CU ��ý�� have raised $3.9 billion in total financing. CU ��ý��’s inventions and startups contributed $8 billion in national economic impact and $5.2 billion in Colorado from 2018-2022 alone, according to a 2022 report conducted by Leeds School of Business. Ten unicorns—companies valued at more than $1 billion—have spun out of the campus to date, including Infleqtion, which announced its initial public offering last week.

CU ��ý��’s dramatic rise as a leader in university-driven entrepreneurship has illuminated its role in the broader U.S. innovation ecosystem. By prioritizing founders, embracing Colorado’s unique strengths and continually evolving its approach, Venture Partners offers a model for other institutions seeking to foster innovation.

What can we do together?

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Read Infleqtion's Origin Story

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Infleqtion to go public with $1.8B valuation making it CU ��ý��’s 10th unicorn spinout

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 13:32:37 +0000

Infleqtion to go public with $1.8B valuation making it CU ��ý��’s 10th unicorn spinout Daniel Corbin … Mon, 09/08/2025 - 07:32

Infleqtion, a global leader in neutral atom–based quantum technology, and Churchill Capital Corp X, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement to accelerate Infleqtion’s mission to commercialize quantum products that provide orders of magnitude improvements in computing and precision sensing applications. Upon closing, the combined company will operate as Infleqtion and is expected to be listed on a leading North American exchange under the ticker “INFQ.”

Valued at $1.8 billion, Infleqtion is now the tenth "unicorn" to spin out of CU ��ý��. Others include Amgen, Ball Aerospace & Technologies, Solid Power and SomaLogic.

Infleqtion’s star continues to rise as Colorado’s quantum hub grows. The company of firsts, spun out of CU ��ý�� as ColdQuanta, seems to be everywhere these days, including outer space, while commercializing pioneering research to address needs across several critical markets, including positioning, navigating and timing, global communication security and efficiency, resilient energy distribution and accelerated quantum computing.

Infleqtion to go public through merger with Churchill Capital Corp X

“Churchill Capital is proud to partner with companies that are shaping the future of technology,” said Michael Klein, Chairman and CEO of Churchill Capital Corp X. “Infleqtion stands out with its breakthrough neutral atom platform and proven engineering capabilities, already delivering meaningful impact in quantum computing and sensing. We are excited to support Infleqtion’s leadership team as they advance the quantum era and create enduring value for shareholders.”

Read the Announcement

The coolest technology in the universe

It was decades ago but Dana Anderson (JILA, CU ��ý�� College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering and Applied Science) still recalls well the day his research took a major turn. “I started to do atoms instead of photons,” he said. While Anderson makes it sound like a subtle shift–focusing on atoms and subatomic particles instead of particles of light (lasers)–that move has contributed significantly to the present and future of quantum technologies worldwide.

Infleqtion, a CU ��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.

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The internal hardware of Infleqtion's neutral atom quantum computing platform. Photo: Infleqtion, 2025.

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The coolest technology in the universe

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:24:08 +0000

The coolest technology in the universe Daniel Corbin … Mon, 09/08/2025 - 06:24

Heather Hansen

Updated Sept. 8, 2025: Infleqtion and Churchill Capital Corp X, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement to accelerate Infleqtion’s mission to commercialize quantum products. Upon closing, the combined company will operate as Infleqtion and is expected to be listed on a leading North American exchange under the ticker “INFQ.” Valued at $1.8 billion, Infleqtion is now the tenth "unicorn" to spin out of CU ��ý��.

Infleqtion’s star continues to rise as Colorado’s quantum hub grows. The company of firsts, spun out of CU ��ý�� as ColdQuanta, seems to be everywhere these days, including outer space, while commercializing pioneering research to address needs across several critical markets including positioning, navigating and timing, global communication security and efficiency, resilient energy distribution, and accelerated quantum computing.

Dana Anderson, Glenn L. Murphy Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Professor of Physics and JILA Fellow, 2024

Anderson, now Infleqtion’s chief technology officer, then began focusing on cold atom inertial sensing, a process in which ultra-cold atoms (cooled to near absolute zero) are used to precisely measure forces like rotation and acceleration. That unprecedented accuracy is based on leveraging atoms’ wave-like nature in a controlled quantum state. It was groundbreaking work also built on a strong foundation of quantum innovation at CU ��ý�� spanning decades and (up to that point) two Nobel Prizes.

That was the mid-1990s and, around the same time, Anderson’s JILA colleagues, NIST fellow Eric Cornell and CU ��ý�� physicist Carl Wieman, created a never-before-seen state of matter called the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), in which ultracold atoms coalesce into a single “superatom” with uniform properties. They received the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics for that work, shared with MIT physicist Wolfgang Ketterle and 70 years after Albert Einstein predicted BECs could exist based on the work of Satyenda Bose. “Boy, that’s going to be useful,” Anderson recalls thinking at the time, imagining BEC being used to dramatically boost the performance of various devices, including accelerometers, gyroscopes, gravimeters and magnetometers. “I felt that it would change the world,” he said.

Following the BEC breakthrough, the trio went on to guide cold atoms through hollow core optical fibers, leading to Anderson and Cornell’s “atom chip” work and Anderson’s group demonstrating the first ultracold atom chip “portable vacuum system” in 2004. Those innovative techniques created a controlled environment for Anderson and others to study and manipulate atoms, a critical step in developing technologies like atomic clocks, quantum sensors and quantum computers.

“Slowly building the technology”

Dana Anderson poses with a spectrum analyzer in a laboratory at JILA. Photo: JILA, 1980.

As a “born and raised physicist,” said Anderson, he’s always looking for practical applications for cutting-edge science. “I’m an applied physicist, so I like to do things that are useful,” he said. “They don’t have to happen tomorrow but be useful sooner or later.” In those earlier days of quantum research, making that transition meant landing grants from the U.S. Army and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). That funding, said Anderson, “allowed us to focus on developing the technology and getting it out into the world.” During that time, they solved many problems, said Anderson. “We were struggling and making mistakes like gangbusters and trying this and trying that, and slowly building the technology,” he said.

In 2007, Anderson made the first critical leap from lab to market when he founded ColdQuanta with the goal of streamlining devices for BEC experiments using the technology discovered at CU. After receiving a $100,000 proof of concept investment from what was then the CU Technology Transfer Office (now Venture Partners at CU ��ý��), ColdQuanta earned contracts from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Josh Bennett, assistant director of licensing at Venture Partners, now manages much of the university’s portfolio of quantum technologies, and he sees Infleqtion’s success as key to both advancing quantum research worldwide and paving the way for new quantum spinouts from CU. “Since they were the first real quantum company out of Colorado to translate their research into a commercial entity, and they’ve become a leader globally in their research and in their work, I think it’s fair to say that without Infleqtion (or ColdQuanta), we wouldn’t be seeing all these other quantum spin-outs in the last two, three years,” he said.

Infleqtion laid the groundwork for several other CU ��ý�� quantum companies now working with Venture Partners, including Icarus Quantum, Flari Tech and Mesa Quantum. Today, through Venture Partners (the commercialization arm for CU ��ý��, CU Denver’s physical sciences and UCCS), the entrepreneurs behind these startups have myriad programs to help get their ventures off the ground.

But what is "commercialization?"

Explore the Path to Commercialization

What distinguishes Infleqtion today, said Scott Sternberg, executive director of the CUbit Quantum Initiative, is their ability to combine the capabilities of quantum phenomenon with highly engineered platforms that focus on customer usability. “Infleqtion embodies the vibrant campus efforts to support the translation of fundamental discovery towards product realization and company growth,” said Sternberg. “We are fortunate to have such a great company, forged here in ��ý��, that now leads the international quantum community.”

Beyond proving that quantum tech can lead to a compelling business entity, Infleqtion blazed the trail to Colorado becoming a national quantum hub, said Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships. He points to Anderson’s important role in boosting Elevate Quantum, a consortium of over 120 quantum-focused organizations in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. “[Infleqtion] has become an international quantum success and sensation,” he said. “They're now a big-time player.”

Inflection points

Anderson recalls well how most people responded when he first started pitching the concept of commercializing quantum tech. Looking back on his first quantum-related NSF proposal nearly 20 years ago, he said, “Now those [concepts] seem right in the thick of things but back then most people said, ‘This is too unrealistic’. That’s what it was like.” Anderson knew that he was on the fringe, especially at a time when most people still used flip phones. “We were crazy people that were really gung-ho, and yet, we certainly didn't have a good business ‘story’,” said Anderson. “But I just believed that quantum was going to be important.”

Now quantum technology promises to revolutionize industries from computing, healthcare, defense, energy, finance and beyond. Building on decades of research from Anderson and others, Infleqtion is driving advances in that burgeoning ecosystem. The company now offers quantum hardware and software products—from quantum clocks and sensors, positioning components and glass cells containing cold atoms to quantum computers and quantum-enabled, AI-driven software.

Several years ago, Anderson famously took ultracold atoms (around 10 million of them) out of the lab and onto his own plane, to test the robustness of his team’s magneto-optical trap. Not long after that, it was deployed by NASA for use on the International Space Station, making it what could be called the ‘coolest’ tech in the universe. “When we commercialized a Bose Einstein condensation machine… including making things very small,” said Anderson, “NASA noticed and said, ‘Let's put it up into space’. And that was terribly important for our growing up.”

Research labs and commercial entities worldwide are now using Infleqtion’s products to generate high-value information and improve reliability and performance in quantum computing. Customers and collaborators include the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, the Japanese Moonshot Program, the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre and the Defense Cyber Marvel 3, a global cyber defense competition..

Infleqtion is also now participating in the first round of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) newly formed Quantum & Space Collaboration. The collaboration aims to use quantum tech to move the needle forward in national security, energy/sustainability and economic interests.

Infleqtion's cloud-based quantum matter machine, “Albert, named TIME's Best Inventions. Photo: TIME, 2022

In 2022, ColdQuanta adopted the trade name Infleqtion to mark the company’s transition from research and development of quantum technology to deploying it for commercial uses. The company has now been through two successful rounds of funding, most recently raising $110 million in its Series B round in 2022. TIME magazine also named the company’s cloud-based quantum matter machine, dubbed “Albert,” as one of its 2022 Best Inventions. Infleqtion’s software platform recently secured a $1.15 million DOE grant, paving the way for energy-efficient computing.

Of all its latest advances, Anderson is most enthusiastic about Oqtant, a first-of-its-kind quantum innovation platform launched last year that democratizes quantum discovery and invention by giving researchers, innovators and students access to quantum matter via BECs where they can create, manipulate and study quantum phenomena—and all they need is internet access. “I’m extremely excited about Oqtant,” said Anderson. “Everyone having the building blocks of our universe at their fingertips points us toward a new age of exploration and discovery.”

Anderson is gratified to see that he and his colleagues' own 'eureka' quantum moments of long ago are finally being realized on a larger scale. Infleqtion’s readiness to meet that new understanding and demand has meant quantum leaps in the company’s recent growth. “We knew that BEC was going to be big, and we’re seeing that now,” he said.

What can we do together?

Find partners and opportunities for your innovation

Explore investing in and partnering with CU researchers

Explore the Path to Commercialization

Infleqtion’s star continues to rise as Colorado’s quantum hub grows. The company of firsts, spun out of CU ��ý�� as ColdQuanta, seems to be everywhere these days, including outer space, while commercializing pioneering research to address needs across several critical markets including positioning, navigating and timing, global communication security and efficiency, resilient energy distribution, and accelerated quantum computing.

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The internal hardware of Infleqtion's neutral atom quantum computing platform. Photo: Infleqtion, 2025.

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The internal hardware of Infleqtion's neutral atom quantum computing platform. Photo: Infleqtion, 2025.

Wanted: Entrepreneurs to launch startups based on ��ý�� innovations

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 12:15:00 +0000

Wanted: Entrepreneurs to launch startups based on ��ý�� innovations Daniel Corbin … Mon, 08/11/2025 - 06:15

The ��ý��’s Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator matches entrepreneurs with breakthrough university technologies and provides salary support, startup training and access to funding opportunities. Applications are now open for the 2026 cohort of Embark Startup Founders.

Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator

Embark will hire up to seven Embark Startup Founders to serve as CEOs of new deep tech companies built around technology developed in CU ��ý��’s world-class research enterprise. This is an opportunity to lead a startup utilizing cutting-edge technology, with the support of CU ��ý��’s high-impact entrepreneurial resources and programs. Application closes Sept. 12.

Learn More and Apply

Roughly 180 inventions emerge from CU ��ý��’s research labs each year, and CU was ranked 18th among all U.S. universities for granted patents in 2025. Some of these innovations are spun out and brought to market by the university innovators themselves, while many more join an underutilized pool. At the same time, many entrepreneurs are searching for the newest breakthrough technologies to bring to the marketplace but lack the needed access and support.

Venture Partners at CU ��ý�� launched Embark in 2023 to bring together those would-be entrepreneurs and inventors in a unique way, says Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships at CU ��ý��. “Just because the university inventors didn’t create a startup company doesn’t mean the technology is not a really exciting startup opportunity,” he said. “We think some of our very best innovations are available, and Embark is a way to catalyze that. It doesn’t just provide access to innovations, though. Embark opens the door to one of the best startup ecosystems in the world.”

To that end, Venture Partners has curated a list of promising innovations with strong commercial potential from a broad array of scientific and engineering disciplines. For the CU researchers and inventors who created these technologies but are not interested in leading a startup, Embark offers a powerful opportunity to translate their work into real-world impact and potentially generate revenue for their research labs and themselves.

Embark presents an exciting new avenue for ideas to get out into the world where they can make a difference, according to Marta Zgagacz, senior director at Venture Partners. “[Our researchers] are extremely enthusiastic to have their technology go through the Embark program and hopefully come out the other side with a startup,” she said.

Since 2023, 20 companies have been founded through Embark, 13 of which have participated in accelerators or incubator programs, and 12 have received follow-on funding. The program is part of a suite of record-breaking entrepreneurial programming at Venture Partners—the university’s commercialization arm for the CU ��ý�� campus. To date, over 220 startups have spun out around CU technology and raised over $14 billion in funding.

"When starting a company around a deep tech innovation, founders often do not get a paycheck during the early stages,” said Amy Dodenhoff, director of venture development at Venture Partners. “Embark provides salary support, thereby opening the door for aspiring founders who would not otherwise be able to afford to pursue new ventures. All the while, we provide a full suite of resources for founders to support them in their startup efforts, whether this is their first startup or they have led multiple companies before this one."

Those interested in the Embark Startup Founder positions can learn about Embark technologies and apply through Venture Partners. Selected candidates have several weeks to delve deeper into the technologies, learn about the startup resources available through the university, and meet with the inventors. Entrepreneurs then present their commercialization plans, and Venture Partners selects up to seven startup founders, who will be offered a six-month part-time salary as founding CEOs, and the full support of CU ��ý��’s world-class entrepreneurial ecosystem to launch their new company. Application closes Sept. 12.

Featured Companies Launched Through Embark

PrecisionTerra

Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan (alum, CU ��ý�� Physics) founded PrecisionTerra through Embark in 2023, to commercialize a cutting-edge algorithm developed by Jade Morton (CU ��ý�� Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences) that enhances GPS signal coverage in challenging environments, such as dense urban areas with tall buildings.

Kioga

Justin Whiteley, cofounder of eat meati™ (Meati Inc.), joined Kioga as CEO through Embark in 2024 to commercialize new dietary ingredients from the laboratories of Christopher A. Lowry (CU ��ý�� Integrative Physiology) and Noah Fierer (CU ��ý�� Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) to "vaccinate" consumers against stress and metabolic disorders by targeting brain and body inflammation.

Endios Bio

Wendy Overton founded Endios Bio in 2024 through Embark with breakthrough therapeutics developed by Alexandra Whiteley (CU ��ý�� Biochemistry) for rare neurodegenerative diseases by targeting the newly discovered impacts of the gene peg10, which was recently linked to ALS and Angelmans and has druggable potential.

Green Steel Environmental

Jon Jonis and Jonathan Teaford founded the company in 2023 through Embark to develop sustainable additives that can revolutionize the wastewater recovery industry based on discoveries made by Mark Hernandez (CU ��ý�� Environmental Engineering).

Ecovaleric

Roberta Leão founded Ecovaleric in 2024 through Embark to use an innovative electrochemical process invented by Adem Holewinski (CU ��ý�� Chemical and Biological Engineering, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI)) and Will Lucas (fmr. CU ��ý�� Chemical and Biological Engineering) to create biodegradable bioplastics, renewable biofuels and more.

View All Past Founders

The ��ý��’s Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator matches entrepreneurs with breakthrough university technologies and provides salary support, startup training and access to funding opportunities. Applications are now open for the 2026 cohort of Embark Startup Founders.

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CU ��ý�� awards therapeutics funding to advance promising drug development projects

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 18:15:58 +0000

CU ��ý�� awards therapeutics funding to advance promising drug development projects Daniel Corbin … Mon, 07/14/2025 - 12:15

Venture Partners at CU ��ý�� has announced the first recipients of a new translational funding program designed to advance promising, early-stage therapeutics with strong commercial potential. The program provides up to $50,000 per project to help CU ��ý�� researchers generate critical validation data or develop new intellectual property, bringing new treatments a step closer to patients in need.

“CU ��ý�� is a world-class destination for bioscience research,” said Hannah Nelson, associate director of licensing at Venture Partners, “and our innovative faculty have created a robust pipeline of novel drugs and therapeutic targets.”

Many promising therapeutic projects reach a stage where they no longer qualify for basic research funding but are still too early for translational grants or private investment. This funding gap can stall progress.

But what is "commercialization?"

This funding program is designed to bridge that gap by supporting commercially promising drug development efforts. The awarded projects ultimately aim to develop FDA-approved drugs and have a clear path to commercialization, having validated their development approach through customer discovery interviews.

“This funding supports a critical stage in drug development,” said Justin Stitzlein, venture analyst at Venture Partners. “Our goal is to give these teams the support they need to generate compelling data and position themselves for the next stage of development. We believe this kind of early support can unlock significant long-term impact.”

Awardees

Orally Available Obesity Therapeutic

Led by Distinguished Professor Leslie Leinwand (BioFrontiers Institute, CU ��ý�� Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), with PhD student Jack Gugel and postdoctoral researchers Thomas Martin and Yuxiao Tan, the team is developing an orally available obesity drug that suppresses appetite without affecting gastric emptying or causing muscle loss. Their compound offers a differentiated mechanism from current GLP-1 agonists such as Wegovy/Ozempic, aiming to improve tolerability and adherence.

Efflux Pump Inhibitor Discovery Platform

Professor Corrie Detweiler (CU ��ý�� Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology) and her team are developing novel small-molecule inhibitors that restore the effectiveness of antibiotics against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Using a host-informed, high-throughput assay platform that better reflects infection conditions, they aim to identify efflux pump inhibitors to treat patients with infections that do not respond to traditional antibiotics alone.

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