News

College of Engineering and Applied Science—Svenja Knappe and her colleagues have developed a helmet that contains 128 sensors and is customizable for different sizes of the human head. Knappe founded the Boulder-based company FieldLine and has begun to bring these sensors to market. In the not-so-distant future, they could aid in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of neurological conditions like epilepsy, autism and traumatic brain injuries.

Tech Transfer Central—CU Boulder has developed the Embark Deep Tech Start-Up Creator to provide an alternate mechanism for forming a new business: their founders are not the inventor but rather outside entrepreneurs who are matched with existing innovations to build a start-up around.

CU Boulder Today—Chemists at CU Boulder have developed a new way to recycle a common type of plastic found in soda bottles and other packaging and are working with Venture Partners at CU Boulder to bring it to real-world applications. The team’s method relies on electricity and some nifty chemical reactions, and it’s simple enough that you can watch the plastic break apart in front of your eyes.

Innosphere Ventures—New Iridium, a CU Boulder spinout dedicated to decarbonizing the chemical industry and driving sustainable innovation, announced it has been awarded a $1 million National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant. This grant will enable New Iridium to advance its cutting-edge photocatalysis platform that uses light rather than heat, revolutionizing the production of low-carbon chemicals while significantly reducing costs compared to today’s processes.

CU Boulder Today—In 2016, Pfizer began collaborating with Sabrina Spencer, a global leader in time-lapse cell imaging and member of the CU Cancer Center, to study how cancer cells respond to their potent new drugs called CDK2 inhibitors.

CU Boulder researcher Linda Watkins and CU startups Beryl Therapeutics Inc., Modendo Inc. and TissueForm Inc. are among 37 companies and researchers awarded Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital Retention grants through the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).

VegNews—Meati Foods, a CU Boulder spinout and the innovative producer of plant-based meat alternatives crafted from mushroom root, announced that former Major League Baseball (MLB) Hall of Fame member and entrepreneur Derek Jeter has become an investor and advisor for the company.

CU Boulder researchers have identified a surprising new player in ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)—an ancient, virus-like protein. With funding from the ALS Association, the National Institutes of Health, and Venture Partners at CU Boulder, Alexandra Whiteley's lab is now working to understand the molecular pathways involved and to find a way of inhibiting the rogue protein.

Virridy Carbon LLC—M. A. Mortenson Companies Inc. signed a carbon credit pre-purchase agreement with Virridy, a CU Boulder spinout, to enable programs in Rwanda, Kenya and the USA. The deal will ensure the emissions avoidance of at least 50,000 tonnes CO2 equivalent.

As the deep tech startup scene rapidly grows, the Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator, created by Venture Partners at CU Boulder, helps founders move past sticking points to hit critical milestones in transitioning their technologies from lab to marketplace.