The Department of Mechanical Engineering has been the start of many successful businesses. Our entrepreneurs include current students, alumni and over 10 current faculty members. Businesses founded by members of our community span a variety of industries, developing everything from artificial muscles to safer, more efficient batteries to apparel made with additive manufacturing to snowboards, shoes and longboards.
In 2015, Forbes Magazine ranked CU Boulder as the 18th most entrepreneurial across universities. CU Boulder continues to lead in this area with roughly 180 inventions and 51 deals across campus each year and 25 startups formed over the past three years.
Mechanical engineering entrepreneurs have been supported at CU Boulder with programs, mentorship and resources, such as the New Venture Challenge, Catalyze CU and Venture Partners, the technology transfer office. For a complete list of entrepreneurial spaces, workshops and more, be sure to check out the campus-wide Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative.
Interested in learning more? Check out a few of our ME-affiliated entrepreneurs below and stop by our ME founders hallway in the mechanical engineering wing!
Artimus Robotics
Traditional robots lack the flexibility and dexterity needed to maximize their potential. Artimus Robotics has taken inspiration from nature to develop strong, flexible, adaptable materials for use in developing the next generation of robotic technology.
Aspero Medical
Over 90% of balloon endoscopy procedures lead to an incomplete diagnosis. Aspero Medical's AP™ Balloon Overtube increases the balloon endoscopy success rate by delivering up to 2.5x more traction than existing balloon endoscopy systems.
Berrendo Energy
The US consumes over 95 quadrillion BTUs of energy each year. Berrendo is working to shift how that energy is produced and reduce the associated environmental impacts by providing development services to build utility scale wind farms in areas that have great renewable resources that have never been captured.
Carmen's Salsa
Mexican food should be fresh, healthy and vibrant. Carmen’s Salsa provides unique authentic salsas and moles handmade in Colorado.
Donek Snowboards
The perfect snowboard isn’t one-size-fits-all. Donek designs and builds custom snowboards that are handcrafted for maximum fit, quality and performance.
FieldLine
Current methods for monitoring brain activity for patients with epilepsy are often highly invasive. FieldLine is developing magnetic imaging technology with small, low-power, high-precision quantum sensors that allow for non-invasive, real-time imaging of brain activity.
Forge Nano
Nano-material coatings can change the behavior of surfaces in valuable ways. Forge Nano creates solutions to enable fast and affordable atomic level coatings and surface engineering.
KOTA Longboards
Controlling your longboard can be challenging. KOTA Longboards are easier and more fun to ride by design. Through careful engineering of the materials, geometry, and manufacturing process, these boards are tuned for enhanced turning performance and improved ride.
LongPath Technologies
There is an urgent need to find a low-cost solution to monitor the vast oil and gas infrastructure across the US. LongPath Technologies uses CU-developed nobel-prize-winning lasers to effectively monitor and locate gas leaks from 2 miles away.
Lupine Labs
Automated manufacturing has become more common in today's world, and unique materials open doors to new technologies. Lupine labs combines cutting-edge manufacturing techniques with material science to create smart manufacturing tools for next
generation medical device technologies.
Point Designs
Partial hand amputation presents unique challenges for prosthetic design. The Point Digit is a functional, durable product that allows patients with MCP level amputation to regain critical hand function.
Respirogen
Lung injury causes over 80,000 deaths annually in the USA. Respirogen Oxygen Microbubbles are a novel therapy for oxygen delivery in critical patients.
Shoesense
Most runners only replace their shoes when they become painful. ShoeSense allows runners to avoid injury and achieve peak performance by notifying them when their shoes are ready to be replaced.
Solid Power
Our society is heading towards an electric-mobility future and batteries are at the center of that revolution. Solid Power provides high-performance and highly manufacturable all solid-state batteries.
TBD Innovation
Successful businesses are driven by purpose and creativity. TBD Innovation uses a strong foundation in technology, business and human-centered design to help their clients create remarkable products.
Note: The pictured image is from a consulting project for Rise Gardens.
Unspun
The apparel industry produces 150 billion garments every year, while roughly 30% are burned or destroyed without ever being sold. Unspun's mission is to radically change this process through an automated and additive robotic manufacturing process, creating custom-fit apparel on-demand based on 3D body scans.
Vita Inclinata Technologies
Uncontrolled movement of helicopter hoist and sling load systems is a serious risk to emergency rescues. Vita Inclinata is working to develop disruptive, autonomous solutions to end all helicopter search and rescue accidents due to uncontrolled cable motion.
WeatherCloud
Weather affects the daily operation of people and businesses, yet is unpredictable. WeatherCloud offers real-time ground weather intelligence through a forecast engine and sensor technology to enable navigation of adverse weather conditions.
Xtreme Power Conversion
Mission critical applications require a consistent power source. Xtreme Power Conversion manufactures uninterruptible power supplies that provide industrial, data center, and retail clients with a reliable, high-quality source of backup power.