Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator
Ascent Community Showcase Wednesday, June 24: Register Now
Support Ascent and Innovation at CU: Opportunities for Support
An accelerator for research teams building deep tech startups coming out of the University of Colorado campuses in Boulder, Colorado Springs and Denver.
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.
The Ascent Advantage
Leveraging ecosystem experts, a robust mentor network and Venture Partners at CU Boulder staff, early-stage companies will accelerate their viability and traction over four months. Teams will work toward milestones focused on company formation, paths to market, entrepreneurial finance and fundraising, ultimately preparing them for a final pitch to a community of investors, entrepreneurs and industry experts at the Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase.
The Ascent Impact
47
Companies graduated
$20M
Non-dilutive funding raised by Ascent companies
$47M
Seed funding raised from prominent venture capitalists
Companies have also advanced to notable accelerator and incubator startup programs such as NREL West Gate, Creative Destruction Lab, Techstars and Activate.
Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase
The Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase brings together researchers, investors and community supporters to highlight innovative deep tech startups spinning out of the University of Colorado. Attendees will have a chance to see pitches from each of the Ascent 2025 cohort startups, followed by a networking happy hour to learn more.
Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Byron R. White Stadium Club, Folsom Field
2026 Ascent Cohort
*Team's primary point of contact for inquiries.
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 leverages animals with extreme physiology to discover novel therapeutic molecules and drug targets.
Team Members: Jack Gugel , 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 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 (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
Enlixa Bio helps biopharma precisely drug the “undruggable” world of transcription by turning complex transcriptional machinery into actionable, tractable targets.
Team Members: Nik Chopra (CU Boulder Embark Startup Founder), Co-Founder, CEO, chopranik@gmail.com*; Elie Maksoud (CU Boulder Embark Startup Founder), Co-Founder, CTO
Industry Applications: Biotech, Genomics, Diagnostics
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 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
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 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
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. is developing regenerative therapeutics for osteoarthritis (OA). The Renovare Therapeutics portfolio of products can be customized to meet OA 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; Liz Scott , Fractional-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 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
A collaboration between CU Boulder, AMC and Colorado State University, developing therapeutics to regenerate cartilage and bone in osteoarthritis. Founded by Stephanie Bryant, principal investigator (PI), they have $40 million in non-dilutive funding from ARPA-H and are raising funds to support IND-enabling studies and commercial plans.
Team Members: Liz Scott , CEO, elizabeth.scott-2@colorado.edu*; Stephanie Bryant (CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering), Founder, CSO; Karin Payne , Co-Principal Investigator; Kelly Santangelo , Senior Investigator
Industry Applications: Biotech, Therapeutics
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
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 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
VersaMesh 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 develops technologies for cancer research, drug discovery and clinical oncology.
Team Members: Savanh Chantha-Phavong (CU Boulder Embark Startup Founder), CEO, CSO, savanh.chantha1@gmail.com*
Industry Applications: Biotech
Past Ascent Cohorts
⚠ These company names and descriptions reflect their status at the time of graduation from Ascent and may not represent their current state.
ArgiLur
ArgiLur is a Boulder-based clothing company revolutionizing the fashion industry by offering carbon-sequestering clothing. Style and sustainability can go hand in hand, and we are committed to providing eco-friendly options for our customers. Visit the ArgiLur Website
Team:Maria Luisa Sánchez Montes (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering Department), Founder and CEO
Industry Applications: Advanced Materials, Environment and Sustainability, Fashion and Design, Biotech
Contact: Maria Luisa Sánchez Montes, marialuisa.sanchezmontes@colorado.edu
AtomTCAD Inc.
AtomTCAD provides precise and rapid thermal modeling of nanometer-scale semiconductors. Our software makes complex quantum physics simulations accessible. Leveraging AI, AtomTCAD enables chip designers and engineers to rapidly discover thermally optimal designs, empowering them to overcome heat challenges.
Team: Sanghamitra Neogi (CU Boulder Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences), Founder, Principal Investigator; Jason Rivas (CU Boulder Materials Science & Engineering Program), Research Engineer; Subrata Pal (CU Boulder Chemistry), Research Engineer; Dhiman Nandi (CU Boulder Chemistry), Research Engineer
Industry Applications: Aerospace, Advanced Materials, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, Research and Exploration
Contact: Sanghamitra Neogi, sanghamitra.neogi@colorado.edu
BoldRF LLC
BoldRF is a spin-off from Microwave Research Lab at CU Boulder, focused on the efforts to commercialize innovative tunable active RF circulators that enable resilient analog self-interference features for in-band full duplex (IBFD) RF front-ends for communication systems, radar, electronic warfare, aviation direction finding.
Team: Laila Fighera Marzall (CU Boulder Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Co-Founder, CEO; Zoya Popovic (CU Boulder Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Co-Founder; Marisha Parikh (CU Boulder Lockheed Martin Engineering Management Program), Head of Business; Sarah Johns (undergraduate student, CU Boulder Leeds School of Business), Business Strategist; Stephanie Torres (undergraduate student, CU Boulder Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Gary Dolsen, Industrial Mentor
Industries: Aerospace, Hardware and Instrumentation, Information Technology, Quantum, Research and Exploration, Smart Cities
Contact: Laila Fighera Marzall, laila.marzall@colorado.edu
EerDx Inc.
EerDx uses earbud sleep diagnostics to transform the diagnosis and treatment of the 100 Million Americans with sleep disorders, starting with drug and cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia. Visit the EerDx Website
Team: Bart Emery, CEO, Co-Founder; Samir Chabra, CTO, Co-Founder; Jianliang Xiao, Principal Investigator, Advisor (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering)
Industry Applications: Sensors, Health and Wellness, Medical Devices, Diagnostics
Contact: Bart Emery, bart@eerdx.com
Endios Bio
Endios Bio is developing breakthrough therapeutics for rare neurodegenerative diseases by targeting the newly discovered impacts of the gene peg10, which was recently linked to ALS and Angelmans and has druggable potential. Visit the Endios Website
Team: Wendy Overton (fmr. CU Boulder Embark Entrepreneur in Residence)
Industry Applications: Biotech, Health and Wellness, Therapeutics, Diagnostics
Contact: Wendy Overton, wendy.overton@endiosbio.com
Kitsune Biotherapeutics Inc.
Kitsune Bio develops shape-shifting cyclic peptides that penetrate cells and adhere to targets more effectively. Our platform creates therapeutics that go beyond antibodies and small molecules, offering new treatment options for difficult diseases and improving the standard of care. Visit the Kitsune Website
Industry Applications: Health and Wellness, Biotech, Therapeutics
Team: Makenna Morck (Alum: CU Boulder Biochemistry), CEO; Alec Santiago, COO; Michael Stowell (CU Boulder Molecular Cellular & Developmental Biology), CTO; Thomas Fallon, Advisor
Contact: Makenna Morck, makenna@kitsunebio.com
LEVL Inc.
LEVL is a cutting-edge biotech company dedicated to advancing human health and extending longevity through advanced nutraceutical synergies. Our mission is to translate the latest breakthroughs in aging science into practical, effective solutions that seamlessly integrate into everyday life. Visit the LEVL Website
Team:Kylen McClintock (fmr. CU Boulder Embark Entrepreneur in Residence), CEO, Co-Founder; Daniel Callen, CSO, Co-Founder; Tom LaRocca, CRO, Co-Founder (fmr. CU Boulder Integrative Physiology)
Industry Applications: Health and Wellness, Biotech, Therapeutics
Contact: Kylen McClintock, kylenmcclintock@gmail.com
OsmoPure Technologies Inc.
OsmoPure Technologies develops high-performance membranes for ultrapure water production in aerospace, electronics, and energy applications. Our membranes remove more contaminants, last longer and use less energy while meeting strict purity requirements and lowering chemical demand. Visit the OsmoPure Website
Team:Kian Lopez (CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering), CEO; Nadia Jorgenson (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering), CTO; Anthony Straub (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering), CSO
Industry Applications: Aerospace, Advanced Materials, Environment and Sustainability, Cleantech
Contact: Kian Lopez, Kian.lopez@colorado.edu
Tierra Metrics Inc.
Tierra Metrics combines low-cost sensors with continuous models of the agricultural nitrogen cycle. We envision a world where digital twins of farms inform farmers and land managers in real time to reduce excess fertilizer use, cutting costs, pollution and emissions to build more resilient farming systems. Visit the Tierra Metrics Website
Team: Taylor Sharpe (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering), Chief Engineer; Greg Whiting (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Co-Founder; Whendee Silver, Co-Founder; Ana Arias, Co-Founder
Industry Applications: Environment and Sustainability, Cleantech, Food and Agriculture, Hardware and Instrumentation, Sensors, Information Technology, Software, Manufacturing, Research and Exploration, Smart Cities
Contact: Taylor Sharpe, taylor.sharpe@colorado.edu
ZentusAI Inc.
ZentusAI optimizes wind farm performance through AI-driven wake steering control (WSC). Our deep learning models predict how turbine yawing impacts power output, adapting in real-time to site-specific wind conditions to maximize efficiency and asset performance.
Team: Aoife Henry, CEO, Co-Founder (CU Boulder Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering)
Industry Applications: Environment and Sustainability, Cleantech
IntraLumenus is revolutionizing interventional endoscopy with its single-use flexible robotic endoscope. Offering unparalleled precision, stability and control, our device reduces technical complexity and procedure times, enabling more endoscopists to perform advanced procedures, all while improving patient outcomes.
Team: Jesse M. Sheppard (Alum: CU Denver Business, CU Boulder Business), CEO, Co-Founder; Mark Rentschler (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Principal Investigator
Industry Applications: Biotech, Health and Wellness, Robotics, Medical Devices, Hardware and Instrumentation
Colexible Technologies LLC
Colexible Technologies develops cutting-edge flexible electronics. Our devices replace traditional rigid circuit boards and solid metallic wires with flexible polymers and liquid metal, offering unparalleled stretching, bending, and durability.
Team: C.J. Whelan, CEO, Founder (fmr. CU Boulder Embark Entrepreneur in Residence); Kris Obernyer, VP of Product; Jianliang Xiao (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Principal Investigator, Lead Advisor
Industry Applications: Advanced Materials, Hardware and Instrumentation, Robotics, Sensors, Medical Devices, Manufacturing
Canndoers' Hemp-Derived Cannabinoid library offers a revolutionary approach to wellness, providing natural relief from chronic pain, anxiety and sleep disturbances. Harnessing the healing power of cannabinoids, their meticulously crafted products target inflammation, epilepsy and addiction with unparalleled efficacy. With a diverse range of applications, from skincare innovations to neurological support, their offerings stand at the forefront of wellness innovation, providing tangible solutions to pervasive health challenges. By embracing the science-backed benefits of hemp-derived cannabinoids, individuals can embark on a journey towards vitality and fulfillment, elevating their well-being with Canndoers' premium formulations.
An innovative mobile application that uses native digital sensors and machine learning strategies to build personalized digital mental health models for users—their mental health fingerprint. Personalized models guide app functions that monitor daily mental health, generate wellness notifications to users and members of their community and provide evidence-based digital therapeutics that are customized for users, improving mental health at scale.
EndoGuard is a coating around stents that uses a combination of nano and bioactive materials to help mitigate conditions that re-narrow blood vessels. Coaterra's technology augments existing products in the market by minimizing damage to blood vessels on deployment and maximizing surface-to-surface contact of the stent to blood vessels to induce natural healing. Further, the coating is tuneable, opening the platform up for use in many applications.
Entangl3d is developing strong bioadhesive hydrogels that can seal off wet tissues and mechanically support them after surgical procedures. The platform technology improves the strength of 3D -rinted hydrogels to the level of casted materials and enables energy-free curing at room temperature. The team is pursuing applications in the spine, heart and defense sectors.
Green Steel Environmental provides patented and patent-pending products for wastewater treatment plants to clean wastewater and renewable natural gas in an economical and environmentally positive way. They upcycle an industrial by-product, use it to sequester important nutrients from renewable natural gas and wastewater and recycle those nutrients as fertilizer.
Mach Electric produces carbon fibers through a process that directly sequesters waste gas CO2 from industrial sources. As Mach Electric’s proprietary process is 30% more thermally efficient than the current state-of-the-art process for producing carbon fiber, their end product promises to be both cost-competitive and carbon-negative.
Sodium-based batteries have the potential to displace lithium-ion batteries in a variety of applications based on their promised low costs and abundant supply chain, but have been limited to date by insufficient cycle lifetimes and energy density. Formed in October 2023 by experienced energy storage technologists and entrepreneurs, Mana addresses these issues and delivers on the promise of the sodium-ion battery with a proprietary low-cost, self-extinguishing liquid electrolyte material and battery cell design platform.
MicroG Stem Cell Technologies harnesses cutting-edge microgravity environments to revolutionize stem cell expansion, enhancing therapeutic outcomes in regenerative medicine.
Ultrathin Endomicroscope (UTE) for real-time, high-resolution imaging inside volumetric scattering samples, particularly in neuroscience labs using animal models.
PAGE Technologies is developing high-tech chemical sensors for agricultural crop management that can be deployed directly into the environment at a >10x lower cost than competing products. They have developed a suite of sensors at the lab scale that can detect key parameters in aqueous media, including pH, electrical conductivity, moisture, temperature and nutrient content (e.g., nitrogen, potassium). These sensors are adaptable to many different use cases (such as handheld probes or deployable in-situ IoT sensors), and their low cost allows them to be easily replaced, eliminating the need for regular maintenance and recalibration. PAGE Technologies saves growers time and money and relieves the stress surrounding fertilizer management.
RayChill is committed to offering a zero-energy cooling solution by harnessing the natural coldness from the sky to improve energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, and thermal resilience on Earth. Their goal is to innovate radiative cooling materials and systems to reduce the energy consumption of cooling and refrigeration systems in every sector of society.
Science is under attack. Every year, millions of scientific papers are published, and a large portion contain figure manipulation, statistical inconsistencies and nonsensical or missing citations. ReviewerZero.ai is a technology that automatically scans and detects a range of issues with images, text and citations. It gives peace of mind to scientific publishers, journals, authors, funders and universities. ReviewerZero.ai is in the online digital trust market, which is becoming increasingly important due to GenAI. According to a 2022 McKinsey & Company Report, this market will reach $190 billion by 2030.
Terra Cognita helps farmers boost crop growth and health sustainably by harnessing the power of beneficial microbes in the soil. Their software tool uses advanced data analysis to recommend the best microbial products for each farmer's unique field conditions, soil type and crops. By making it easier for farmers to select and use these natural alternatives to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, Terra Cognita promotes eco-friendly farming practices while helping growers increase yields and profitability.
WHISPER Energy lowers building energy consumption by 30%+ with battery-free wireless sensors. Their sensors wirelessly communicate human occupancy and environmental attributes like air quality in commercial buildings. Using machine learning (ML), WHISPER Energy, unlike other sensor solutions, allows situation-specific controls targeted at personalized "smart" buildings and electric grid modernization opportunities. Savings are obtained by communicating occupancy and environmental levels with the building's heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) or building automation system (BAS) to apply energy only when and where needed.
Zero Gap Energy enables ultra-long duration energy storage for future renewable US grid at lower cost than current electrochemical solutions.
Icarus Quantum
TEGSAL
Poseidon Photonics
Twine
ExoPower
Nanoplasmonics
ImmunoLogic
Cascade BioCatalysts
LumenAstra
TissueForm
BCOS
Latimer Controls
Polaris
Vitro 3D
Afference (fka Human Fusions Corp.)
Amplified Space
Seedling Biosystems
BAuth
Sarus Lifting
Apply to the Accelerator
Program Dates
Program runs Feb.-June, 2026: Weekly workshops take place via Zoom on Wednesdays, noon-1:30 p.m. MT. This schedule is subject to change.
Module | Date | Topic |
Jan 28, 2026 | Introduction and Program Launch | |
| Company Formation | Feb 4, 2026 | "Startup 101 + Pitch" |
Feb 11, 2026 | "Legal Foundations and Founder Follies" | |
Feb 18, 2026 | "Building Successful Teams" | |
Feb 25, 2026 | "Board Formation and Strategy" | |
| Path to Market | Mar 4, 2026 | "Pitching to an Investor Audience" |
Mar 11, 2026 | "Getting (and Keeping) Your First Customer" | |
Mar 18, 2026 | Spring Break (office hours) | |
| Path to Market | Mar 25, 2026 | "Business Modeling" |
Apr 1, 2026 | "Systems Approach to Product Development" | |
Apr 8, 2026 | Mid-Program Report Out and Pitch | |
Entrepreneurial Finance | Apr 15, 2026 | "Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)" |
Apr 22, 2026 | "Finance Bootcamp" | |
Apr 29, 2026 | Finals Week (office hours and pitch practice)" | |
Entrepreneurial Finance | May 6, 2026 | "Finance Bootcamp" |
May 13, 2026 | "Finding Space for Your Startup" | |
May 20, 2026 | "Outside Investments and What to Consider" | |
Fundraising | May 27, 2026 | "Venture Capital Roundtable" |
Jun 3, 2026 | "Non-Dilutive Funding Roundtable" | |
Jun 10, 2026 | "Telling Your Story in a Pitch" |
Commitment
We expect this program to take 3-5 hours a week of your time.
- At least one team member is expected to attend every session
- Weekly check-ins with your Ascent mentor
- Monthly completion of in-program deliverables
Eligibility
- Teams are working to commercialize CU intellectual property disclosed to Venture Partners, based on engineering innovation or scientific discoveries.
- Teams have completed significant customer discovery in their target market, ideally through Venture Partners' NSF I-Corps™ Hub West programs.
Application
The 2026 Ascent application is now closed. Check back soon for information about future cohorts. Sign Up for Updates
Ascent Benefits
Ascent teams will receive coaching toward milestones in four key areas:
Company Formation
Incorporate your company, understand legal issues to watch for, build a successful team, and form a board.
Path to Market
Create a communications strategy for talking to partners and investors, start forming a pilot program or industry partnership to take tech to market, and understand how to approach a product development partner.
Entrepreneurial Finance
Learn about basic entrepreneurial finance and accounting, including basic financial statements and proformas.
Fundraising
Understand legal details of outside investment, meet funders supporting startups through grants and equity investments, and perfect your pitch to investors.
Thank You to Our Ascent Financial Supporters
Supporting entrepreneurial programs like Ascent enables individuals and organizations to play an active role in building CU’s pipeline of future business leaders and ventures. Learn more about our support levels and benefits or contact Emily Vogt to get started.