Investors Edition - Quarter 1: 2025
Featured News
Venture Partners annual report highlights a record year for innovation
FY 2023-24 was another tremendous year for innovation and entrepreneurship at the CU. University researchers, inventors and creators began working with Venture Partners at CU Boulder to advance 144 breakthrough innovations, and 36 CU startups were launched through Venture Partners based on campus discoveries.
CU Startups in the News
Rising Startup Stars: Sristy Agrawal, co-founder and CEO of Mesa Quantum
ColoradoBiz—Agrawal, 29, moved from India to Colorado to study quantum computation at CU in 2019. “Boulder, in general, has the most thriving quantum ecosystem in the world,” she says. The overwhelming focus on quantum computing, however, paved the way for Agrawal to co-found CU Boulder Startup Mesa Quantum with Wale Lawal in early 2024.
Semiconductor startup Ayar Labs raises $155M at $1B valuation
Yahoo Finance—Ayar Labs, a semiconductor startup based in San Jose and spun out of CU Boulder, has raised $155 million in new funding to accelerate the development of its optical I/O technology.
VitriVax awarded $3.6M grant for polio vaccine development
Business Wire—VitriVax Inc., a CU Boulder spinout and vaccine formulation technology company, announced today a two-year $3.6 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This is the second grant awarded to VitriVax by the Gates Foundation, which will fund the development of a polio vaccine formulation for possible inclusion in combination pediatric vaccines.
OEDIT announces grants to University of Colorado startups and researchers in the advanced industries
The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced that seven University of Colorado companies and three researchers are among the awardees of the Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants through OEDIT’s Advanced Industries Accelerator Program.
Mallinda launches Vitrimax VHM resin for complete composites recyclability
Composites World—Mallinda Inc., a CU Boulder spinout and global developer of vitrimer resin systems, announces the commercial launch of Vitrimax versatile hot melt (VHM) resin, a vitrimer-based composite resin system. According to the company, this technology combines the optimal mechanical properties of thermosets with the processing flexibility of thermoplastics, while enabling economic recyclability and reuse for high-performance composites.
Prometheus Materials awarded role in $10 million Department of Energy grant for carbon dioxide removal in cement and concrete
World Cement—The U.S. Department of Energy is providing $10 million in funding for federal labs to collaborate with Prometheus Materials to establish methods for measuring, reporting and verifying CO2 removal and sequestration in cement and concrete.
PAGE Technologies among 24 small businesses receiving a total of $2.4M to develop innovative environmental technologies
U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—“EPA congratulates PAGE Technologies on receiving this grant award,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. “The company’s development of low-cost, handheld printable sensors for water quality monitoring will deliver an innovative, new tool for safeguarding water quality and public health."
Investment Opportunities: Startups Seeking Funding
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CU Startup Pipeline News
CU Boulder shines with record-breaking year for startups
Innovation at the University of Colorado Boulder reached an unprecedented milestone in fiscal year 2023-24 by launching 35 startup companies based on university innovations. This achievement shattered CU Boulder’s previous record of 20 startups in FY 2021 and placed it among the most prolific single-campus institutions in the country.
Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem raised $1.47 billion in 2023
Colorado Bioscience Association—Colorado's life sciences ecosystem raised $1.47 billion in 2023, demonstrating the resilience of life sciences companies and organizations in the state during a challenging year for U.S. life sciences fundraising.
New quantum incubator in Boulder to propel innovations for real-world impact
CU Boulder Today—To kick off the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology in 2025, three Colorado universities, in collaboration with Elevate Quantum, have announced that a new facility for fostering quantum technologies is coming to Boulder, Colorado.