Opportunities and Events
Signature Venture Partners Programming
A partnership with seven of the 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.
Translational Funding Week Oct. 27-30
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.
Community Showcases Oct. 22-23
An accelerator for research teams building deep tech startups coming out of the University of Colorado campuses in Boulder, Colorado Springs and Denver.
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.
Upcoming Opportunities and Events at CU
CU Boulder Research & Innovation Week
Oct. 6-10, Various Venues
All Are Welcome—CU Affiliation is Not Required
The seventh annual Research & Innovation Week is designed to elevate awareness across campus, build a sense of shared community, create opportunities for collaboration and recognize exceptional leadership and outcomes. Join CU Boulder's research community as we highlight and shape tomorrow's leaders, showcase some of our most compelling innovations and demonstrate CU Boulder's positive impact on humanity.
Offered by the CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office (RIO)
Unlocking New Funding Opportunities for Research
Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, 9:30-11 a.m., Sustainability, Energy and Environment Community (SEEC) S372
All Are Welcome and Great for Researchers—CU Affiliation is Not Required
Join Venture Partners at CU Boulder during CU Boulder’s Research & Innovation Week for an insightful discussion focused on translational research funding. Explore how Venture Partners can support you in securing funding, including SBIR/STTR grants, National Science Foundation Translation to Practice grants, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries grants and more. We will highlight success stories and provide practical advice on navigating the landscape of funding opportunities. Whether new to these programs or looking to expand your research’s impact, this event will equip you with the knowledge and connections to take your work to the next level.
Offered by Venture Partners at CU Boulder and the CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office (RIO)
Engineering Startup Showcase
Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, 3:30-4:45 p.m., Engineering Center, Computer Science Wing (ECCS) Room 201
All Are Welcome—CU Affiliation is Not Required
Discover how CU Boulder Engineering researchers are translating their innovations into real-world impact. This showcase spotlights early-stage startups emerging from the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the partnerships and programs that support their success, and the personal journeys behind these ventures. Graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and community members are invited to learn about CU Engineering’s vibrant innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem and explore the resources that can help you turn your own bold discoveries into technologies that change the world.
Offered by the CU Boulder College of Engineering & Applied Science and Research & Innovation Office (RIO)
Brunch & Learn: The Do’s, Don’ts and Discoveries of Industry Research Partnerships
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, 9-10 a.m., University Memorial Center Room 247
Open to CU Boulder Faculty
Join the Industry Research Partnerships team for an engaging Brunch & Learn featuring a panel of leaders from the energy and manufacturing industries alongside CU Boulder researchers. Together, they will share candid stories of collaboration—what worked, what didn’t and the lessons learned along the way. Through these real-world tales, you’ll gain practical insights and best practices to help you navigate and optimize your own research partnerships.
Offered by CU Boulder Industry Research Partnerships and Research & Innovation Office (RIO)
ATLAS Institute Research Open Labs
Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, 3-5 p.m., Roser ATLAS Center
All Are Welcome—CU Affiliation is Not Required
One of twelve institutes at CU Boulder, ATLAS is home to researchers who transcend traditional disciplinary structures of engineering, design, science and art to inspire new realms of invention. The 8th annual ATLAS Institute Research Open Labs is your time to get a first-hand view of the diverse and intriguing engineering, design and creative projects our lab teams are engaged in.
Offered by the ATLAS Institute and CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office (RIO)
Research & Innovation Seed Grant Program
Application Deadline Monday, Oct. 13
Open to CU Boulder Faculty and Teachers
Seed Grants aim to stimulate inter- and multidisciplinary research, scholarship and creative projects with high potential for innovation and/or impact. These grants support creative, and sometimes high-risk, high-reward initiatives, including team development proposals for future large collaborative projects. Projects may take a variety of forms but should represent an investment in advancing the university’s future research, scholarly or creative activities.
Offered by the CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office (RIO)
Business Opportunities in Climate
Wednesdays, Oct. 15-Dec. 3, 1-3 p.m.
Open to CU Boulder Students
This program is designed for bold and ambitious innovators looking to solve climate issues with next-generation technologies. This seven-week seminar series will bring experts to campus to discuss the next big business opportunities in climate tech. It is a prerequisite for BCV's "Venture Discovery" class in Spring 2026.
Offered by Boulder Climate Ventures
2025 Smart Futures Lab Program Graduation
Friday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m.
All Are Welcome—CU Affiliation is Not Required
Celebrate those who completed the 2025 Incubator and Accelerator programs. This milestone event marks the culmination of months of intensive innovation, collaboration and groundbreaking work in urban technology solutions.
Offered by CU Denver Smart Futures Lab
Startup Variety Show
Tuesday, Oct. 21, Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom
All Are Welcome and Great for Entrepreneurs, Innovators and Business Leaders—CU Affiliation is Not Required
Now in its third year, the Startup Variety Show is one of the best ways to connect with Colorado’s Front Range innovation scene. It brings together CU Boulder researchers, federal lab innovators, startup founders and technologists from established companies—all on one stage. The show highlights the region’s most creative minds and the ideas shaping what’s next.
Offered by CU Boulder Silicon Flatirons
Lab Venture Challenge Community Showcases
Oct. 22-23, Dairy Arts Center, Boulder
All Are Welcome—CU Affiliation is Not Required
Join us at the Boulder Dairy Arts Center for the Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Community Showcases, where teams of top innovators from CU will pitch to a panel of judges and a live audience for grants of up to $125,000—$750,000 in total funding—for their early-stage projects in bio- and physical sciences with compelling market potential. Past pitches have included everything from next-generation batteries to cancer treatments and LVC has helped launch 64 new startups that have gone on to raise more than $350 million, including Darwin Biosciences, Manifest Technologies (prev. Vitro3D) and Mesa Quantum.
Offered by Venture Partners and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)
New Venture Launch Class
Application Deadline Friday, Oct. 24
Spring Semester
Cross-Disciplinary Teams, Individual Founders, and Students
MBAX 6180 New Venture Launch is an application-based class for cross-disciplinary teams, individual founders, and entrepreneurially-focused students who are driven to succeed in a startup ecosystem.
Offered by CU Boulder Leeds School of Business
Translational Funding Week
Oct. 27-30 | Daily Lunchtime Sessions Noon–2 p.m. MT | All Sessions Available Virtually and Day 1 Available In Person
All Are Welcome and Great for Researchers, Inventors and Creators—CU Affiliation is Not Required
Are you a university researcher, inventor or deep tech founder exploring ways to translate your innovation into real-world impact? Join us for Translational Funding Week—a series of engaging lunchtime sessions designed to demystify the landscape of non-dilutive funding opportunities that support the journey from lab to market. These sessions are tailored to faculty, postdocs, PhD students and startup teams who want to learn how to secure early-stage funding to commercialize research, build ventures and scale innovation.
Offered by Venture Partners and the Center for Translational Research
Starting Blocks Customer Discovery Workshop
Application Deadline Thursday, Oct. 30
Nov. 6-20, 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
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 CU
Featured Opportunities
Tuesday, Oct. 7 (deadline) | Meet with Johnson & Johnson in Denver—Rodrigo Rodrigues from Johnson & Johnson's external innovation group is eager to connect with innovators and early-stage companies on Oct. 22.
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
Friday, Oct. 10 (deadline) | Termeer Institute 2026 Fellows Program (prescreen)—Leadership and mentorship program for emerging biotech CEOs; prescreen applications due Oct. 10.
Friday, Oct. 10 (deadline) | Cure by Deerfield Middle East Health Accelerator—Global accelerator with kickoff at Cure (NYC) and demo day in Doha.
Friday, Oct. 10 (deadline) | PsyMed Ventures and KdT Ventures Future Neuro Founders Program—A virtual founder program for neuro/mental-health startups.
Friday, Oct. 17 (deadline) | 2025 Alnylam and Nucleate BioVenture Challenge—Competition for trainee-led genetic-medicine ventures; finalists pitch in November.
Tuesday, Oct. 28 (deadline) | Activate Fellowship—A two-year fellowship that transforms scientists and engineers into founders, empowering them to reinvent the world by bringing their research to market.
Wednesday, Oct. 29 | Ask Gigascale Anything—An informal, virtual gathering for early-stage founders to explore commercializing deep tech solutions with Gigascale Capital's partnerships team.
Friday, Oct. 31 (deadline) | Bayer LifeHub California at Woodland: Golden Ticket III: Unlocking the Potential of Vegetables with Gene Editing—A competition through which the winning AgTech startup receives 12 months of fully funded access to lab space, equipment, and Bayer’s innovation network.
Friday, Oct. 31 (deadline) | ERDCWERX's Construction Engineering Research Laboratory CSO—Seeking innovative solutions or potential new capabilities, which may include existing technologies or procedures that are not currently in use, that would improve mission capabilities.
Monday, Nov. 10 (deadline) | One Mind Accelerator (OMA)—10-week accelerator for mental-health startups with capital, network and mentorship.
Monday, Nov. 10 (deadline) | Breakthrough Energy Fellows—One-year full-time climate technology fellowship offering funding, curriculum, tech management and network support.
Thursday. Nov. 13 | CBSA's and Foley Hoag Colorado Life Sciences Summit—A high-energy afternoon of insights, networking and practical strategies—right before the 21st Annual Awards Celebration.
Friday, Nov. 14 (deadline) | Science2Startup (S2S)—Top academic researchers submit one-page ideas and selected finalists receive mentorship and present to biotech investors at May 2026 in Cambridge, MA.
Friday, Nov. 14 (deadline) | Equalize Startups—A pitch competition and symposium to empower academic women entrepreneurs with six-month free mentoring, training and networking.
Nov. 19-21 | TechConnect's Defense Innovation Summit and Expo—The U.S.'s premier defense innovation event, connecting top dual-use solution providers with top military, industry and investment leadership.
Wednesday, Dec. 10 | CBSA's Finding Success in a Challenging Environment: Biotech & Medtech Symposium—A half-day symposium bringing together leaders, investors and innovators from across Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem, centered on the EY Biotech and Medtech Reports, cornerstone analyses that reveal the realities behind industry headlines.
Monday, March 30 (deadline) | C3 Accelerator—A growth stage Accelerator that offers grants, investments and services to support product development and scaling of cleantech, climatech and circular economy technologies.
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
CU Innovations | HIE Initiative Communication & Marketing Fellow: Seeking a creative and proactive CU student to support our marketing and communications efforts, with a focus on content creation and community engagement.
OsmoPure | Membrane Development Scientist: Focused on scaling up pressure-driven distillation membranes by developing and optimizing fabrication methods for full-scale membrane modules, with hands-on work in nanomaterials, surface coatings, chemical vapor deposition and membrane
characterization.
For more opportunities, please check back soon or sign up 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.