May 2025

The 2025 New Venture Challenge (NVC) culminated in a final showcase on April 23 with a live audience cheering on CU Boulder’s next exciting innovations. At an event filled with big ideas and even bigger entrepreneurial spirit, six teams competed for a record $325K.

Dr. Bethany Ehlmann has been named director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), at the University of Colorado Boulder. LASP, whose mission is to advance scientific discovery and inspire the next generation, is the university’s highest-budget research institute.

Infleqtion’s star continues to rise as Colorado’s quantum hub grows. The company of firsts, spun out of CU Boulder as ColdQuanta, seems to be everywhere these days, including outer space, while commercializing pioneering research to address needs across several critical markets.

The University of Colorado has secured the No. 18 position on the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) 2024 Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents list, reinforcing CU’s standing as a national leader in research, innovation and real-world impact.

In a major step toward accelerating Colorado’s climate innovation economy, CU Boulder has launched Boulder Climate Ventures, a new interdisciplinary program that equips students to develop and launch high-impact startups focused on climate solutions.

Three CU Boulder startups advancing solutions in biopharma, digital health, diagnostics and medical devices have been announced as part of Innosphere's 2025 Life Sciences Incubator cohort, which provides hands-on development, strategic mentorship and investor connections.

Scott Sternberg, executive director of the CUbit Quantum Initiative at CU Boulder, highlights how quantum computers and sensing technologies promise to revolutionize various industries, as well as why Colorado needs to be at the center of this technology and innovation hub.

The 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics went to four international collaborations working at the Large Hadron Collider, which is operated by an organization called CERN. These collaborations encompass thousands of scientists from around the globe, including 32 current and former physicists at CU Boulder.