Opportunities and Events
Signature Venture Partners Programming
A partnership with top research universities across the Western U.S. to reduce the time and risk associated with translating promising ideas and technologies to the marketplace.
Applications Now Open
A campus-wide resource for both existing and aspiring university-originated startups seeking non-dilutive funding—to translate their university inventions into a startup company.
Accepting Support Requests
With myriad CU Boulder technologies ready to make a real-world impact, Embark seeks motivated entrepreneurs ready to launch new companies.
A competition for CU Boulder's top innovations showing high commercial potential, a clear path to a compelling market and strong scientific support.
An accelerator for research teams building deep tech startups coming out of the University of Colorado campuses in Boulder, Colorado Springs and Denver.
Community ShowcaseWednesday, June 24, 2026
A collaboration among the Intermountain West region's leading research universities and federal laboratories, showcasing the best companies from the region’s innovation ecosystem to investors and the business community.
Investor Showcase Thursday, Feb. 26
New! Creative Futures Fellowship
The new CU Boulder Creative Futures Fellowship is designed for faculty researchers, inventors and creators in the arts, humanities and social sciences. This fellowship offers grants of $5,000-$25,000, along with support and community, to transform new ideas, creative works and social innovations into positive impact beyond CU Boulder. Eligible projects must be faculty-led and focused on delivering tangible outcomes that strengthen communities, advance positive social change or create economic opportunity.
Information Session Monday, Feb. 2
Pre-Application Workshop Deadline Tuesday, March 17
Upcoming Opportunities and Events at the University of Colorado
Starting Blocks Customer Discovery Workshop
Application Deadline Thursday, Jan. 15
Jan. 22-Feb. 5, Virtual Opportunity
All Are Welcome—CU Affiliation is Not Required
Do you have an innovation that could make a difference? Whether a researcher, entrepreneur, inventor or problem solver, this workshop can help you transform your concept into a successful venture. Over three weeks, gain a deeper understanding of the commercialization process, test your ideas with real potential customers and accelerate your journey toward bringing your idea to market. This workshop is for anyone from a research or community institution—not just CU—motivated to bring their ideas to life, secure funding and create lasting impact.
Offered by Venture Partners and NSF I-CorpsTM Hub West
Creative Futures Fellowship
Information Session, Monday, Feb. 2, 11 a.m.-noon, Chamber Hall (S102), Imig Music Building
Pre-Application Workshop Deadline Tuesday, March 17
More dates Feb.-Sept.
For CU Boulder Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty
The new CU Boulder Creative Futures Fellowship is designed for faculty researchers, inventors and creators in the arts, humanities and social sciences. This fellowship offers grants of $5,000-$25,000, along with support and community, to transform new ideas, creative works and social innovations into positive impact beyond CU Boulder. Eligible projects must be faculty-led and focused on delivering tangible outcomes that strengthen communities, advance positive social change or create economic opportunity.
Offered by Venture Partners
New Venture Challenge
Deadline Friday, Feb. 6
Feb.-April
For CU Boulder Faculty, Staff and Students
During this multi-round, multi-event entrepreneurial competition, teams can win a share of more than $200,000 and pitch to a live audience at the Boulder Theater. Participants can compete in one of two NVC categories: Deep Tech Category, for ventures based on scientific or technological innovations developed using fundamental scientific disciplines or Open Category, for all other ventures.
Offered by the CU Boulder Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative
Space Tech Variety Show
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 5-8 p.m.
All Are Welcome—CU Affiliation is Not Required
The Variety Show is one of the best ways to engage with Colorado’s Front Range entrepreneurial community, stitching together the startup scene, CU Boulder, innovators from the Federal Labs, as well as technologists from incumbent technology companies.
Offered by the CU Boulder Silicon Flatirons Center
Destination Startup
Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Boulder, CO
For Startup Investors
Launched in 2018, Destination Startup® connects investors with groundbreaking startups built on novel discoveries from leading national labs and universities in the Intermountain West. Designed for deal-flow, the showcase is for active investors, who can request an invitation here. Participating startups must be actively raising and are selected through a competitive review process and robust pitch preparation. With over $1.2 billion collectively raised to date by startups like VitriVax, Arpeggio Biosciences and Manifest Technologies, Destination Startup is for investors and founders ready to catalyze real-world impact.
Hosted by Venture Partners
Research-to-Market (R2M) Customer Discovery Program
Application Deadline Tuesday, May 5
May 12-June 23, Virtual Opportunity
All Are Welcome—CU Affiliation is Not Required
This four-week program helps teams through customer discovery and finding a market for their innovation. Derived from the National Science Foundation's I-Corps™ program, R2M leverages the nationally recognized Lean LaunchPad and Business Model Canvas methodologies specifically designed for researchers, entrepreneurs, inventors and problem solvers from any research or community institution.
Offered by Venture Partners and NSF I-CorpsTM Hub West
Opportunities Outside the University of Colorado
Featured Opportunities
Tuesday, Jan. 20, May 19 (deadlines) | National Science Foundation Translation to Practice-Translate (NSF TTP-T)—Supporting projects that build on early translational work to refine ideas, improve solutions and reduce barriers to moving research from the lab into real-world use.
Tuesday, Jan. 20, May 19 (deadlines) | National Science Foundation Translation to Partner-Translate (NSF TTP-P)—Supporting translational efforts that demand one or more partnerships for technology development and deployment.
Rolling Deadline |National Science Foundation Translation to Practice-Explore (NSF TTP-E)—Offers up to two additional years of funding on a current NSF award to support high-risk, use-inspired research and early translation efforts not included in the original project.
Receiving Applications | Leveraging Entrepreneurship to Accelerate Partnerships with Universities (LEAP-U)—An incubation program to mature technologies in North American universities towards commercialization.
More Opportunities
Thursday, Jan. 15 (deadline) | TechConnect: Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles Innovation Challenge—Calling on innovators to develop and demonstrate the next generation of fiber-based systems that are responsive, tailorable and scalable.
Friday, Jan. 16 (deadline) | Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) Incubation Cohort 12—A six-month cleantech startup incubation program offering intensive curriculum, founder coaching, networking, pilot support and investor readiness to accelerate commercialization and growth in Los Angeles and beyond.
Friday, Jan. 16 (deadline) | TechConnect: Safety Innovation Challenge: Workplace Fatigue—Seeking technologies that measure, predict, mitigate or reduce workplace fatigue, with selected innovators showcasing at the NSC Spring Safety Congress & Expo.
Friday, Feb. 20 (deadline) | Denver Business Journal: 2026 Leaders in Small Business Nominations—Recognizing and celebrating small-business leaders and high-performing companies in the Denver metro area.
March 30-April 3 | Colorado Cleantech: Colorado Climate Week—A dynamic gathering of cleantech innovators, policy makers, corporate leaders, and investors driving actionable change.
Sept. 30-Oct. 2 | Colorado Bioscience Association: Rocky Mountain Life Sciences Investor & Partnering Conference—Bringing the most promising life sciences companies from the Rocky Mountain West together with leading investors and strategic partners.
Rolling Applications
OEDIT's Advanced Industries Accelerator Programs—Promoting growth and sustainability in Colorado’s advanced industries that increase the state's global competitiveness.
OEDIT's Advanced Industry Investment Tax Credit—Encouraging investments in Colorado advanced industry businesses by incentivizing investors with state income tax credits.
Calling International Student Entrepreneurs & Offering Support—Unshackled Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused exclusively on immigrant-founded startups.
Evergreen Climate Innovations Investment Fund—Application open for this fund, which is structured as a revolving evergreen fund in which Evergreen reinvests returns from prior investments.
NYSERDA's Building Better Homes Program—Expanding the capacity of builders and developers to construct and market zero emissions (all-electric) homes.
SBIR/STTR Funding—Funding is granted through many different agencies across the federal government and in various areas of innovation.
Techstars Accelerator Programs—Empowering entrepreneurs by providing access to mentorship, capital and a global network to help them succeed and scale their startups.
Various Deadlines
National Technology Alliance—A curated pipeline of vetted opportunities aligned with industry and national priorities from Catalyst Partners, government requirements and industry targets.
U.S. Federal Prize Competitions—Empowering the federal government and the public to participate together in equitable forms of innovation through prize competitions.
Employment Opportunities
For more opportunities, please check back soon or subscribe for updates.
Are you a CU startup with an employment opportunity to share with the CU community? Send it to vpnews@colorado.edu for posting here. Also, you can post to CU Boulder's recruitment platform Handshake and/or join the Startups2Students career fair.