Campus News

What if improving one’s athletic performance through supplements was simpler and more affordable? What if instead of producing emissions, airplanes could take carbon out of the air? And what if learning a new language was as fun as listening to music? New Venture Challenge judges awarded $100,000 to help see these innovations through.

CU Boulder’s top student and faculty startups will pitch their business ideas to a panel of esteemed judges and you, a live audience, at the 16th annual New Venture Challenge. Come support the next big innovation, and see which startups walk away with funding.

Five promising startups comprise the first cohort of companies to receive investments from the Buff Venture Fund. The fund is the newest opportunity for CU Boulder startups to access critical funding on the path to success.

On two exciting nights of pitches and prizes, 10 startups brought a broad range of ideas to the stage, involving more sustainability in gardening, the downsides of social media, practical prosthetics for kids, sustainable water filters and hydroponic produce for all. Across the two events, eight teams took home a total of $20,000.

The Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator is a new program created by Venture Partners at CU Boulder to match business minds outside the university with breakthrough inventions created within the walls of the university—and to provide those ventures funding.

CU Boulder has developed a groundbreaking pipeline to translate research into real-world impact, as highlighted in the 2022 annual report of Venture Partners at CU Boulder, the university’s commercialization arm.

Putting students to work on a company project helps them apply their learning in meaningful ways. But it can also help companies consider innovative ideas.

Twelve teams of faculty, researchers and graduate students competed for a combined $1.25 million in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge. Judges heard Shark Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and the other for physical sciences and engineering.

Vitro3D, a startup founded by CU Boulder doctoral students, just closed its first investment round of $1.3 million. The venture involves novel, high-speed volumetric 3D printing technology with potential applications in industries such as dental, medical and drug development.

Lab Venture Challenge culminates in two evening showcases, where finalists will deliver pitches to a panel of business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors. These are the can't-miss events of the year to see CU Boulder's next wave of breakthrough innovations.