News

CU Boulder Today—Chemists at CU Boulder have developed a new way to recycle a common type of plastic found in soda bottles and other packaging and are working with Venture Partners at CU Boulder to bring it to real-world applications. The team’s method relies on electricity and some nifty chemical reactions, and it’s simple enough that you can watch the plastic break apart in front of your eyes.

Denver Post—A CU Boulder alum created what he says is the world’s first-ever 100% synthetic, biodegradable tennis string through his Boulder-based company Velociti. Ryan Burbary, who graduated from CU Boulder in 2022, came out with the biodegradable string at the end of last year.

College of Music—We tend to think of entrepreneurship solely as a business endeavor, but Professor of Composition Jeffrey Nytch (who directs the CU Boulder College of Music’s Entrepreneurship Center for Music) considers the application of entrepreneurial principles as essential to his creative practice.

VegNews—Meati Foods, a CU Boulder spinout and the innovative producer of plant-based meat alternatives crafted from mushroom root, announced that former Major League Baseball (MLB) Hall of Fame member and entrepreneur Derek Jeter has become an investor and advisor for the company.

CU Boulder researcher Linda Watkins and CU startups Beryl Therapeutics Inc., Modendo Inc. and TissueForm Inc. are among 37 companies and researchers awarded Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital Retention grants through the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).

CU Boulder researchers have identified a surprising new player in ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)—an ancient, virus-like protein. With funding from the ALS Association, the National Institutes of Health, and Venture Partners at CU Boulder, Alexandra Whiteley's lab is now working to understand the molecular pathways involved and to find a way of inhibiting the rogue protein.

CU Boulder Today—One day, small spacecraft could fly around Earth, using devices called electron beams to remove hulking, derelict spacecraft from orbit without ever having to touch. It may sound like science fiction, but aerospace engineers from CU Boulder say they could be ready to test the idea in space in just five to 10 years.

Virridy Carbon LLC—M. A. Mortenson Companies Inc. signed a carbon credit pre-purchase agreement with Virridy, a CU Boulder spinout, to enable programs in Rwanda, Kenya and the USA. The deal will ensure the emissions avoidance of at least 50,000 tonnes CO2 equivalent.

CBS Colorado—In the final event of the 10th annual Collegiate Wind Competition, 13 teams tested their prototype wind turbines and presented their work to panels of wind energy experts.

As the deep tech startup scene rapidly grows, the Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator, created by Venture Partners at CU Boulder, helps founders move past sticking points to hit critical milestones in transitioning their technologies from lab to marketplace.