Innovation & Entrepreneurship

University of Colorado Boulder is a finalist for the IEP Innovation Award, recognizing exemplary initiatives spurring innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology-based economic development.

A broad, inclusive group originating in CU Boulder research institutes has developed an online diversity hub offering campus and community resources focused on connecting and supporting Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC) and other underserved members of our research and innovation community.

Members of the Boulder Alt. Protein Project are the recipients of two awards for their research and community impact in the field of cellular agriculture, which may one day revolutionize how meat is produced for human consumption.

Throughout her youth as an athlete, Berkley Gamble (Comm’16) wore her soccer uniform with pride. It showed people what she cared about and stood for: determination, sportsmanship and teamwork. Today, Gamble’s self-expression is rooted in a different type of clothing: her brand Past Life the Collective, “a sustainable, small batch label for those who speak the truth, walk their own path and raise hell.”

Nicholas Kellaris (MatSci’20) is the Director of Research at Artimus Robotics, where he focuses on studying and improving electrohydraulic actuators—devices that convert stimulus into movement—and conducts research into the materials systems from which they are built.

In May, approximately 20 Buffs student-athletes wrapped up the inaugural year of "Buffs With a Brand," a groundbreaking program designed to help them maximize their personal brands. The student-athletes finished the year by presenting final projects that consisted of either a compilation of the information and skills they developed over the year, or a "Shark Tank"-style presentation of a "business" they created in the class.

New ways to fight the economic and social devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic are being born and raised at universities in the Boulder Valley and Northern Colorado. Technology-transfer and accelerator entities at the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado State University in Fort Collins are helping them get the entrepreneurial support they need to hasten them to market.

CU Boulder spinouts Ezalife, Hive Tech Solutions, and Mosaic received a total of $1 million in grants from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)'s Advanced Industries Accelerator (AIA) Grant Program. A total of $8,567,756 was approved this grant cycle for Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grants to support Colorado’s advanced industries.

After working on their project for the entire academic year, CU Boulder engineering students placed first in a national design competition. The annual Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition is run through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the U.S. Department of Energy. The goal was to build an economically feasible set of solar photovoltaics, also known as solar-PV installations, for a campus or urban district.

The latest Creative Distillation podcast delivers a spirited discussion on Hoosier state sours and the unorthodox actions entrepreneurs take to address organizational challenges. Creative Distillation is a podcast co-hosted by Associate Professor Jeff York, Research Director, and Instructor Brad Werner, Teaching Director for the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship. Each episode distills academic research on entrepreneurship into actionable insights.