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2026 Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase highlights CU’s next breakthrough startups

2026 Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase highlights CU’s next breakthrough startups

Interested in the Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator?

Deep tech startups, or new companies based on technological innovation in science or engineering, face unique challenges because of their disruptive nature, intensive research and development, and significant capital requirements. Ascent understands the needs and pathways for deep tech startups to find early success.

Visit the Ascent Website

Venture Partners at CU Boulder capped off its fifth Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator with the 2026 Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase, where research-based startup teams pitched innovations originating from the University of Colorado to an audience of investors, entrepreneurs and fellow researchers. The showcase featured ventures developing breakthrough solutions in health, robotics, advanced materials and more.

Over five months, Ascent teams received mentorship from deep tech experts and Venture Partners staff as they worked toward company formation, refined their paths to market and built compelling fundraising strategies. The showcase marked a milestone for the teams as they emerged ready to engage with early investors, partners and national accelerators.

A Track Record of Impact

Since its launch in 2021, Ascent has supported 67 teams across CU’s Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs campuses. Program alumni have raised over $20 million in non-dilutive funding and $47 million in venture capital investment, with many advancing to top-tier programs such as NREL West Gate, Creative Destruction Lab, Techstars and Activate. Ascent is now a cornerstone of CU Boulder’s deep tech pipeline, helping to turn university inventions and research into impactful startups that solve global challenges. 
 


Illustration of a mountain as a metaphor where researchers can climb one of two paths with their discovery of either starting a company or licensing their protected intellectual property

But what is "commercialization?"

The path to commercialization—also known as "research translation" or "tech transfer"—can be challenging, so Venture Partners unites industry partners, entrepreneurs and investors to help researchers, inventors and creators at the University of Colorado bring their groundbreaking discoveries into the marketplace.

Explore the Path to Commercialization


With 22 teams, 2026 was Ascent's largest cohort to date, including several teams from the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator, which matches motivated entrepreneurs with breakthrough innovations developed at CU Boulder.

Ascent addresses the unique challenges faced by deep tech startups (companies based on groundbreaking science or engineering) that often require substantial time, research and capital to reach the market. The five-month program builds upon prerequisite customer-discovery training through the NSF I-CorpsTM Hub West—also offered through Venture Partners—and provides tailored support in business formation, market strategy and fundraising.

“This showcase was such an exciting opportunity for us and for everyone to see what the next phase of impactful companies are doing,” said Emily Vogt, director of venture development at Venture Partners. “I truly believe these companies are going to be big names in Colorado and for investors everywhere.”

"Every company on the stage represents years of research, countless conversations with customers, and the courage to turn a scientific breakthrough into a startup," said Emily Vogt, director of venture development and Ascent at Venture Partners. "The showcase is our opportunity to celebrate those founders and the community that's committed to helping them build what's next."

Recordings of the showcase pitches will be available for viewing through the Venture Partners website in the coming weeks. Subscribe for Updates

The Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase was presented with financial support from Holland & Hart and Richtr Financial Studio.

Presenters: 2025 Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase

Agami Zero

Agami Zero

Agami Zero Inc. develops hydrogen-powered, off-grid EV fast charging and clean power systems for grid-constrained and remote locations. Leveraging CU-licensed electrolysis technology, Agami Zero enables reliable EV charging and energy access without requiring utility upgrades, using cost-effective green hydrogen. Visit the Agami Zero Website

Team Members: Jafar Makrani , Co-Founder, CEO, jafar.makrani@agamizero.com*; Lyle Antieau , Co-Founder, CTO

Industry Applications: Environment and Sustainability, Cleantech, Hardware and Instrumentation

 


Arkana Therapeutics

Arkana Therapeutics leverages animals with extreme physiology to discover novel therapeutic molecules and drug targets.

Team Members: Jack Gugel  (Alum: CU Boulder Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Co-Founder, CEO, jack@arkanatx.com*; Thomas Martin , Co-Founder, CSO;  Jonathan Long (Stanford Medicine), Co-Founder, Scientific Advisor; Leslie Leinwand (CU Boulder Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, BioFrontiers Institute), Scientific Advisor

Industry Applications:Biotech

BioStamp

BioStamp

BioStamp synthesizes DNA barcodes for engineered microorganisms, enabling biological intellectual property protection, compliance and high-fidelity identification. BioStamp's technology reduces detection false positives and collision probability through deterministic sequences, improving upon core limitations of random barcoding.

Team Members:John Docter  (CU Boulder Environmental Engineering Program), Co-Founder, CEO, john.docter@colorado.edu*; Cresten Mansfeldt  (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering), Co-Founder, CSO

Industry Applications: Environment and Sustainability, Biotech, Genomics, Research and Exploration

 


BoBoRobo

BoBoRobo

BoBoRobo (Boulder-Born Robotics) automates the design, validation and deployment of industrial robotic workcells from a simple English prompt, cutting integration costs by 50% and time-to-live from six months to 10 days. Visit the BoBoRobo Website

Team Members:Alessandro Roncone  (CU Boulder Computer Science), Co-Founder, CEO; Anuj Pasricha  (Alum: CU Boulder Computer Science), Co-Founder, CTO, anuj.pasricha@colorado.edu*

Industry Applications: Robotics

 


Dualys Bio

Dualys Bio

Dualys Bio is developing a programmable bacterial enzymes platform—a CRISPR for proteins—to destroy undruggable fusion oncoproteins in childhood cancers. The mRNA-LNP platform delivers precision protein cleavage where no drug has gone before.

Team Members: Andrew Zorn , andrew@dualys.bio*, CEO; Scott McMenemy , CSO; 

Industry Applications: Biotech, Therapeutics

 


Enlixa Bio

Enlixa Bio is building an in vitro platform that quantifies transcription kinetics to help biopharma identify and validate drug candidates against transcriptional targets.

Team Members: Nik Chopra  (CU Boulder Embark Startup Founder), Founder, CEO, nik@enlixabio.com*; Dylan Taatje (CU Boulder Biochemistry), Scientific Advisor, dylan.taatjes@colorado.edu 

Industry Applications: Biotech, Genomics, Diagnostics

 


Flari

Flari Tech

Flari Tech Inc. is building a breath analysis platform powered by the 2005 Nobel Prize-winning optical frequency comb technology, based on cutting-edge innovations from Jun Ye's lab at JILA. Flari Tech aims to provide affordable, accessible disease detection solutions by revolutionizing breath diagnostics with quantum sensing. Visit the Flari Tech Website

Team Member:Eva Yao , Founder, CEO, info@flaritech.com*

Industry Applications: Medical Devices, Diagnostics

 


FlowPoint Bio

FlowPoint Bio is redefining cell engineering with its high-viability, continuous-flow microfluidic platform that enables delivery of gene-editing payloads directly into the nucleus, regardless of cell type or payload size. Visit the FlowPoint Bio Website

Team Members: Vineet Erasala , Co-Founder, CEO, vineet@flowpoint.bio*; Xiaoyun Ding  (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Co-Founder, Scientific Advisor

Industry Applications: Biotech, Manufacturing

 


Games and Theory

Games and Theory LLC applies game theory and AI to model adversaries' thinking, competition and adaptation. Our simulation platform serves defense wargaming and commercial strategic foresight, exploring hundreds of scenarios with statistical analysis to inform high-stakes decisions. Visit the Games and Theory Website

Team Members: Marcus Holzinger  (CU Boulder Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences), marcus@gamesandtheory.space*, Co-Founder, Principal Investigator (PI); Jay McMahon  (CU Boulder Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences), Co-Founder, Principal (PI)

Industry Applications: Aerospace, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, Civic Engagement and Government, Software

 


iMembrane Therapeutics

iMembrane Therapeutics

iMembrane Therapeutics develops AI-designed miniproteins that overcome limitations of conventional biologics. The iMembrane Therapeutics platform enables stable, tunable and precisely dosed cytokine modulators for treating severe inflammatory diseases such as sepsis.

Team Members: Jingshi Shen, Co-Founder, CSO; Suzhao Li, sli@imembranetherapeutics.com*, Co-Founder, CEO; Charles Dinarello, Advisor

Industry Applications: Therapeutics

 


LeTau Robotics

LeTau Robotics develops AI foundation models to teach robots human-like dexterity with 100x less training data. LeTau Robotics enables rapid deployment (hours vs. months) for complex manipulation across manufacturing, logistics and labs—at a fraction of traditional costs.

Team Members: Zhengxiong Li  (CU Denver Computer Science and Engineering), CEO, Co-Founder, zhengxiong.li@ucdenver.edu*; Lingfeng Tao , Co-Founder, Advisor; Xinmin Fang (Student: CU Denver Engineering, Design and Computing), Co-Founder, Advisor; Fenglong Ma , Co-Founder, CTO

Industry Applications: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, Robotics

 


Nanosynth

Nanorobotic DNA synthesis using error detection and real-time correction to overcome fundamental limits of traditional DNA manufacturers. Visit the Nanosynth Website

Team Members: Joshua Johnson  (The ATLAS Institute), joshua@nanosynthbio.com*, Co-Founder, CEO; Mirela Alistar , Co-Founder, CTO (The ATLAS Institute)

Industry Applications: Biotech

 


PEGI LLC

PEGI LLC

Peroxide Enhanced Germicidal Irradiation (PEGI) rapidly inactivates microbes, allergens and volatile organic compounds in HVAC systems, keeping coils clean between seasonal maintenance. PEGI boosts energy efficiency, extends system life, improves indoor air quality, and is easily retrofitted into existing commercial and residential systems.

Team Members: Emma Biesiada  (CU Boulder Aerobiology and Disinfection Lab), Founder, CTO, emmalee.biesiada@gmail.com*; Mark Hernandez  (CU Boulder Environmental Engineering Program), Advisor

Industry Applications: Environment and Sustainability, Cleantech, Medical Devices

 


Renovare Therapeutics Inc.

Renovare Therapeutics is developing regenerative therapeutics for osteoarthritis. Our portfolio of products can be customized to meet patients where they are, enabled through technologies including innovative biomaterials, gene therapies and controlled delivery of drugs and biologics that regenerate joint tissues.

Team Members: Stephanie Bryant  (CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering), Founder, CSO; Liz Scott , CEO, elizabeth.scott-2@colorado.edu*; Karin Payne , Co-Principal Investigator (PI); Laurie Goodrich, Co-PI; Kelly Santagelo , Senior Investigator; Mike Zuscik , Co-PI

Industry Applications: Advanced Materials, Biotech, Therapeutics

 


RipaLith

RipaLith is based on the research by Mija Hubler  (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering), an expert in concrete degradation and structural performance. RipaLith is developing a concrete preservation solution that can be applied to existing concrete infrastructure to repair cracks—extending lifespan without costly replacement.

Team Members:Mija Hubler  (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering), Co-Founder, Engineering Advisor; Elena Forchielli  (Embark Startup Founder), Co-Founder, CEO, elena.forchielli@colorado.edu*; Paolo Forchielli , Co-Founder, COO;

Industry Applications: Advanced Materials, Construction, Biotech

 


SureFire

SureFire employs breakthrough LLM and quantum information techniques to more quickly and accurately detect wildfire ignitions from existing thermal camera images. SureFire is launching solutions for fire detection and risk management for customers such as fire agencies, power utilities, insurance companies, and sensor vendors.

Team Members: Gary Robert Dolsen  (CU Boulder Embark Startup Founder), Co-Founder, CEO, garydolsen@gmail.com*; Longji Cui  (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Co-Founder, CSO, Principal Investigator (PI); Kyle Kuczun , Co-Founder, CTO, CPO;

Industry Applications: Environment and Sustainability, Sensors, Software

 


Synforce

Synforce develops a synergistic catalytic technology to enable efficient clean-fuel generation and water treatment.

Team Members: Sarang Gosavi, Co-Entrepreneurial Lead; Dishan Chooi, Co-Entrepreneurial Lead; Yunxuan Zhu, Co-Technical Lead; Longji Cui (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), longji.cui@colorado.edu*, Advisor, Principal Investigator (PI); Anurag Chauhan, Co-Technical Lead

Industry Applications: Environment and Sustainability, Cleantech

 


Synteric Robotics

Synteric Robotics builds small, autonomous insect-inspired inspection robots designed to navigate tight, hazardous environments. Our technology combines novel micromechanics, sensing and autonomy to inspect infrastructure humans can’t easily reach.

Team Members:Rob Carpenter  (CU Boulder Embark Startup Founder), Founder, rob@frostrivercapital.com*

Industry Applications: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, Robotics

 


VeriLocal

VeriLocal

VeriLocal Inc. is an AI platform that filters out non-local social media noise during fast-moving events. Using machine learning to identify geographically authentic content, it delivers real-time, high-signal local insight for crisis response, utilities, insurance, media and other decision-makers. Visit the VeriLocal Website

Team Members: Todd McGuire   (CU Boulder Embark Startup Founder), Co-Founder, CEO, todd@verilocal.ai*; Lise St. Denis  (Earth Lab), Co-Founder, CSO

Industry Applications: Information Technology, Software, Smart Cities

 


Fortifyd

Fortifyd develops software-designed, 3D-printed impact-absorbing metamaterials that outperform traditional foams. Our precisely tuned materials protect against repetitive low-energy hits and high-impact forces, enabling safer, customizable protection for helmets and other impact-critical applications.

Team Members: Teri Ham  (CU Boulder Embark Startup Founder), Co-Founder, CEO, hamteri@gmail.com*; Renee Sanchez  (CU Boulder Embark Startup Founder), Co-Founder, COO; Sloan Le , CTO

Industry Applications: Advanced Materials, Software, Additive Manufacturing

 


YarraBio

Yarrabio develops technologies for cancer research, drug discovery and clinical oncology.

Team Members: Savanh Chantha-Phavong  (CU Boulder Embark Startup Founder), Co-Founder, CEO, CSO, savanh.c@yarrabio.com*; Corey Neu , Co-Founder, Scientific Advisor, Principal Investigator (PI)

Industry Applications: Biotech

 


 

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