Entrepreneurship

No matter which corner of campus you hail from, or what your field of study, Catalyze is your opportunity to get the support, mentoring, funding and resources needed to go from idea to impact over the summer.

New class “Entrepreneurial Leadership for Engineers” (EMEN 4830-Special Topics) is a first-of-its kind open to undergrads and grad students across the university who are interested in learning from some of the greatest entrepreneurs in Colorado and beyond about how great companies, products, and teams are built.

On this edition of On CUE, we're looking at two research projects at the college that could be transformational at both the individual and global levels. Jacob Segil breaks down his inventive prosthetics capable of "feeling" and Lucy Pao gives us an inside look at how she and her team aim to drastically reduce the cost of wind energy.

Twelve weeks ago, six student teams joined the Catalyze CU startup accelerator with innovative concepts and a hunch that their ideas might be marketable. This week, they were proven correct, as all emerged from the program with viable prototypes, waiting customers and vastly improved knowledge of how to successfully launch a startup from scratch.

A year and a half after starting the company, CU Boulder startup ShineOn has grown to five employees and is preparing to launch its first product for cycling enthusiasts.

The idea for Pana originated at CU Boulder in 2014, when cofounder Devon Tivona and his team were just undergraduates. The company competed as Varsity in CU Boulder’s sixth annual cross-campus, entrepreneurial competition, the New Venture Challenge. Billed as a higher-education social network, Varsity ended up tying for first place at NVC.

CU Boulder is participating as the University Track sponsor at Boulder Startup Week, showcasing the strong ties between the Boulder startup community and the world-class teaching and research happening on campus.

Four undergraduate students studying mechanical engineering worked with senior residents to test out their new invention, an accessory for walkers that the team hopes to make widely available to seniors and others. They believe their device could help prevent debilitating falls. Stride Tech received the first place prize in the New Venture Challenge.

CU Boulder mechanical engineering alumnus Mike Maloney chooses to take risks, try new things, serve others and get things done all while having fun! He began his career as a pilot in the United States Navy and has since founded KOTA Longboards.

When his grandma took a devastating fall using a walker, Timothy Visos-Ely channeled his love and concern into a brilliant idea: digitally enhanced walkers that would help seniors correct user errors before they result in dangerous mishaps. The Stride Tech team won the 2019 New Venture Challenge (NVC) and walked out of the Boulder Theater with $100,000 toward their invention and the opportunity to hobnob with venture capitalists, business leaders and more. Stride Tech was one of two undergraduate teams in the NVC finals, CU Boulder’s premier entrepreneurial startup competition, after emerging as the winner of the hardware track.