Events and Opportunities
Whether you're just curious to learn more about innovation and entrepreneurship or even ready to launch your next business, we have events and opportunities throughout the year to help you make the real-world impact that you envision. Keep up to date on upcoming events, opportunities and deadlines with our newsletters: Sign Up Now
Signature Programs of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative
Connecting the CU Boulder campus with the Boulder community to develop innovative ideas and pitch for up to $50,000 in venture funding.
Student entrepreneurs with diverse perspectives who embrace the spirit of innovation and impact on campus and in the Boulder community.
A micro-funding opportunity for CU Boulder undergraduate and graduate students that provides up to $500 in funding for entrepreneurial ideas in the making.
A mini job fair that brings entrepreneurially-minded CU Boulder students and local Front Range startups together with a twist.
Join this collaborative event that's all about making positive changes in the world. Whether you have an idea or are someone eager to help those ideas become real, this is the event you don't want to miss.
CU Boulder's entrepreneurial mentor network supports innovative activity on campus led by students, faculty and staff.
Off-Campus Opportunities
Events
Wednesday, Feb. 25-27: Rural Startup Days—An inaugural three-day program that brings resources, funding connections and expert mentors to Southeast Colorado.
Thursday, Feb. 26: The Climb | Pitch Market—Bring your best elevator pitch to wow mock investors at this "speed dating"-style pitch event hosted by the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship.
Monday, March 2: Leading Through Uncertainty: Legal and Business Strategies for a Shifting Landscape—A gathering of women executives and business and legal professionals for a thoughtful dialogue around emerging legal and business strategies, the realities of navigating change and how these shifts may uniquely affect women in leadership today and in the future.
Wednesday, March 11: StartupColorado Virtual Demo Day—A quarterly virtual pitch opportunity for Colorado founders to present their businesses to a panel of judges and audience of community members.
Wednesday, March 11: Golden Startup Coffee—A monthly opportunity for entrepreneurs, innovators, creatives and community members to explore Colorado startup journeys.
Thursday, March 12: The Climb | Startup Consulting—Get feedback and guidance on your business idea from a variety of entrepreneurial experts one-on-one. Hosted by the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship.
Friday, March 27: Colorado Startup Ski Day—Join the Colorado startup community on the mountain! Open to founders, operators, investors and the startup-curious. Upcoming Ski Days: April 17.
March 30-April 3: Colorado Climate Week—A statewide series of panels, forums, and community events convening leaders from across the state to explore climate innovation, strengthen energy resilience, advance technology adoption and protect landscapes and communities.
Wednesday, April 1: Startup Colorado Lean Coffee—A quarterly, interactive networking discussion that’s tailored to entrepreneurs from all industries.
Thursday, April 9: Women's Venture Challenge—A chance to network with investors and innovators pushing the boundaries of technology while shining a spotlight (and some prize money) on women inventors and entrepreneurs.
May 14-15: CU Boulder GoldLab Foundation GoldLab Symposium—Bringing together critical thinkers in bioscience, medicine, public policy and the humanities to discuss complexities and barriers for improving health care in a straightforward, understandable and approachable way.
Applications
Thursday, Feb. 26 (deadline): OEDIT Advanced Industries Accelerator Program Proof of Concept grants—Open to approved Colorado research universities and federal labs located in Colorado. These grants are for pre-commercialization research and commercialization preparation of innovative technologies. Grants up to $150,000 will be awarded.
Thursday, Feb. 26 (deadline): OEDIT Advanced Industries Accelerator Program Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants—Funding for companies commercializing innovative technologies to create viable products that meet a market need and can be created or manufactured in Colorado and exported globally. Grants up to $250,000 will be awarded.
Monday, March 2 (deadline): 2026-27 Roslyn & Elliot Jaffe Retail Entrepreneur Prize—Championing entrepreneurship and innovation in the retail real estate industry, this award is for an undergraduate or graduate student or team passionate about launching a new retail concept, product, idea or pre-seed stage company (either brick-and-mortar or online).
Tuesday, March 31 (deadline): OEDIT Advanced Industries Collaborative Infrastructure Grant—Funding large-scale collaborative infrastructure projects that will have broad industry-wide impacts across one or more of Colorado's advanced industries. Projects fill a gap in the advanced industries and have multiple, collaborative partners. Grants of up to $500,000 will be awarded.
Thursday, April 2 (deadline): Starting Blocks Customer Discovery Workshop at Venture Partners—Transform your innovation into a successful venture in this workshop, designed for anyone motivated to bring their ideas to life, secure funding and create lasting impact. Offered as part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps™ Hub West.
Sunday, April 6 (deadline): 2026 Cleantech Open Accelerator—Providing entrepreneurs and corporate innovators the resources they need to launch and grow successful cleantech businesses.
Tuesday, May 5 (deadline): Research-to-Market Customer Discovery Program—A four-week program for scientists and engineers that teaches the process of customer discovery and how to find a market for technology by getting out of the lab.
Applications open: EnergyTech University Prize–Student teams compete for more than $540,000 for successfully identifying a promising energy technology, assessing its market potential, and creating a business plan for commercialization.
Applications open: The Environmental Sustainability Entrepreneurship Program—A free expert-led cohort to help sustainability ventures. Participants will receive expert-led training, committed mentorship and pitch coaching.
Rolling Application: Activator: 25-26 Cohort—An open-access, equity-free biotech accelerator for early-stage founders.
Rolling Application: Startup Colorado Community and Entrepreneurship Grants–Grants that support rural entrepreneurs who are eager to level up their businesses but need a financial boost to get there.and delivering results.
Rolling Application: OEDIT Advanced Industry Investment Tax Credit—For investors and advanced industries businesses in the amount of 25% to 35% per investment up to $100,000.
Rolling Application: Global Business Development's 2025 Trade Shows–Apply for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade's funding and trade show participation program.