Published: May 8, 2019 • By Mallory Richardson

Our "Students and Startups" podcast miniseries just launched seven new episodes, featuring interviews with CU Boulder student founders, alumni founders, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative staff.

You can listen to the full interviews and how these ideas got started on Soundcloud or on iTunes.

Download and listen on your drive into the mountains, on your flight back home for the summer or on your lunch break!

 

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shinesty co-founders jens and chris

Shinesty: Chris White, JD/MBA and Jens Nicolaysen, BS in Business Administration and Marketing

Founders of the outrageous clothing line Shinesty and former CU Boulder alums Chris White and Jens Nicolaysen sit down to talk about the nitty-gritty of creative content-based startups. Chris White graduated from CU in 2015 with an MBA and JD and Jen Nicolaysen graduated in 2010 with a BS in Business Administration and Marketing. From their line of Christmas tree suits to their vintage ski onesies, the company they built while at CU, Shinesty, has what you need to bring life to your party, or party to your life. Join us as we dive into a conversation about the garage days, the importance of brand, the ups, and downs of the startup world, and much more.

claudia steen

Pastificio: Claudia Steen, ME in Engineering Management

This episode is a must-listen for foodies and aspiring natural food entrepreneurs. On a mission to repair our broken food system, CU Boulder alumna, Claudia Steen, is reinventing the way pasta is made, starting with Pastificio — a pasta company that makes sustainably-grown, nutritious, fair trade, artisanal pasta. Claudia explains how her hobby of making pasta, and a simple “What if?” led her to participate in CatalyzeCU, CU Boulder’s startup accelerator, after completing her Masters of Engineering at CU in Engineering Management in the Spring of 2018. Learn how she landed Pastificio in the Boulder Farmer's market, about her experience at a community kitchen, and where Pastificio is today.

danielle dannenberg

MergeLane: Danielle Dannenberg, Masters in Business Administration

When she realized her dream job working for the UN Migration Agency in Washington D.C. was not for her, Danielle Dannenberg dropped everything to embark on a cross country camping trip to find herself. This journey helped her discover a true passion for entrepreneurship as she founded her first company, WildeGuide, a platform to find and review your favorite individual outdoor adventure guides. Danielle found a home in Boulder and decided to enroll in CU Boulder’s MBA program to learn how to start her venture. She discusses her wild ride working on WildeGuide and how she eventually moved on from her venture to promoting women in entrepreneurship with her current role at MergeLane Venture Fund.

pavel reppo

Mindfulwe: Pavel Reppo, BS in Speech, Language and Hearing

Pavel Reppo, a CU Boulder alum with a Bachelors in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, reflects how he went from being a student working on a program that assists adults with disabilities, to create a startup that provides mental health services in Uganda, a country that boasts a mere 30 psychiatrists for a population of 43 million people. He shares how he started his first venture while still in college, was nominated for Forbes 30 under 30, and went on to become the co-founder and CEO of his current venture Mindfulwe.

nvc 11 championships

Behind the Scenes at New Venture Challenge 11 Championships

With 700 RSVPs, $250K in funding and 120 teams competing in the 11th annual New Venture Challenge, 2019 was a record-breaking year for CU Boulder’s campus-wide venture competition. During this episode, we aim to capture the electricity from the NVC 11 Championships as campus and community gathered at the Boulder Theatre to watch six finalists compete for funding. Innovation Action Team members Rachel Sharpe and Omar Kaheel sit down with Students and Startups producer and Boulder Tech Podcast host, Joel Davis, to debrief. Discover what set these six finalists apart as they bring you behind the scenes for interviews with VIPs, track leaders and NVC finalists.

stride tech team

Stride Tech, NVC 11 Winner: Timothy Visos-Ely, BE in Engineering Plus

Although 120 teams compete, only one team leaves with $100K in funding for their venture at CU Boulder's New Venture Challenge. This year that team was Stride Tech, for their product, Smart Step, that digitally enhances walkers to help seniors correct dangerous walking habits. Solving a nearly universal pain, this venture was built by a group of CU Boulder undergraduates from the ‘Engineering for Social Innovation’ section of mechanical engineering senior design. The polished pitch seen at the NVC 11 Championships is never the whole picture - so join us to discover how the CEO and founder, Timothy Visos-Ely, a senior studying Engineering Plus, took advantage of nearly every resource around him to win the most competitive year yet of the New Venture Challenge.

sarabeth berk

The Making of an Innovation University: Sarabeth Berk, Director, Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Sarabeth Berk, CU Boulder's Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, joins Colin Mraz, a current CU Boulder senior completing his BS in Communication, to discuss what innovation means across campus and how CU is working hard to spread a culture of innovation. They also discuss how students can innovate in their careers and thrive as hybrid professionals who combine disciplines to create new roles.