Lab Venture Challenge announces finalists in funding competition for leading innovations

Through the Lab Venture Challenge (LVC), top innovations from CU Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs compete for grants of up to $125,000. LVC supports projects that address a commercial need, have a clear path to a compelling market and have strong scientific support. These grants are funded by Venture Partners at CU Boulder and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program.

LVC has funded more than 95 projects through 48 new deep-tech startup companies; collectively, these companies have raised over $233 million to date in follow-on financing.

"LVC demonstrates a powerful way to advance innovative research and translate it into impactful business ventures," says Amy Dodenhoff, director of LVC. "We are thrilled to announce this year's finalists and welcome Colorado's entrepreneurial community to our final showcases."

LVC culminates in two evening showcases where finalists will deliver pitches to a panel of business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors. A total of $1.5 million in funding will be awarded across two nights in the Biosciences (Nov. 8) and the Physical Sciences (Nov. 9) Showcases.

The showcases are free with registration and open to all at Founder Central by Sweater in Boulder. LVC is also sponsored by Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti and Wilson Sonsini.

2023 LVC Finalists

Biosciences

• Coaterra—A self-healing pro-regenerative coating for vascular stents and grafts. Wei Tan (Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering) and Brian Dao (Embark Deep Tech Accelerator).
• A device for improved MRI imaging of cartilage structure and mechanical function. Corey Neu (Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering).
• siRNA targeting of PRDX6 for cancer therapy. Xuedong Liu (Biochemistry) with Vesicle Therapeutics.
• Mycobacteria Therapeutics Corporation—Oral supplements of beneficial mycobacteria for stress resilience. Christopher Lowry (Integrative Physiology), Adam Bohr and Chris Stamper (both, Mycobacteria Therapeutics).
• MDS II—A rotational nail system for femoral surgery. Jacob Segil (Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering) and Omer Mei-Dan (Orthopedics, CU Anschutz Medical Campus).
• ImmunoLogic—Site-specific therapeutics for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Linda Watkins and Suzanne Fulgham (both Psychology and Neuroscience), Peter Grace (MD Anderson Cancer Center, ImmunoLogic), John Forsayeth and Raymond Chavez (both ImmunoLogic).
• APE2 inhibitors targeting HR-deficient cancers. Nausica Arnoult (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Xiang Wang (Chemistry), Kerri Ball (MCDB).
• Peptide therapeutics targeting tau aggregation in dementia. Roy Parker (BioFrontiers, Biochemistry), Charles Hoeffer (Integrative Physiology), Meaghan Van Alstyne (Biochemistry).

Physical Sciences

• Mach Electric Aerospace—Fabricating carbon fibers from gaseous carbon dioxide using energy-efficient and eco-friendly methods. Spencer Dansereau (Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences) and Wesley Whitaker (College of Engineering and Applied Science).
• ReviewerZero.ai—An artificial intelligence technology suite to ensure research integrity in scientific publications. Daniel Acuña (Computer Science).
• Mesa Quantum—Commercializing more accurate chip-scale atomic clocks. Sristy Agrawal (NIST), Svenja Knappe (Psychology and Neuroscience) and Juniper Pollock (NIST).
• ZeroGap Energy—Thermovoltaic cells for high-efficiency thermal energy conversion. Longji Cui and Mohammad Habibi (both Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering).
• BoldRF—Tunable circulators for simultaneous transmit and receive radio-frequency phased array applications. Zoya Popovic, Laila Marzall and Stefan Stroessner (all Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering).
• Icarus Quantum—Developing the first deterministic photon entanglement generator to drastically boost quantum repeater protocols for long-range quantum networking. Poolad Imany (NIST, Physics), Shuo Sun (JILA).
• Green Steel Environmental—Providing products that sustainably improve wastewater treatment and biogas production. Jon Teaford, Jon Jonis, Mark Hernandez (all Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering).
• Mana Battery—New battery materials for a sustainable future. Chunmei Ban, Nick Singstock and Tyler Evans (all Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering).