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.
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.
Application Now Open
An accelerator for research teams building deep tech startups coming out of the University of Colorado campuses in Boulder, Colorado Springs and Denver.
Community Showcase: Wednesday, June 25
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 at CU
Venture Partners: Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase
Wednesday, June 25, 4:30-7:30 p.m., Byron R. White Stadium Club, Folsom Field, CU Boulder Campus
Bringing together researchers, investors and community supporters to highlight innovative deep tech startups spinning out of the University of Colorado.
Venture Partners and OEDIT: Lab Venture Challenge
Tuesday, July 15, 5 p.m.: Deadline to disclose innovations
Friday, Aug. 22, 11:59 p.m.: Deadline to apply to LVC
Through the Lab Venture Challenge (LVC), top innovations from the University of Colorado Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs compete for grants of up to $125,000. LVC supports projects that address a commercial need, have a clear path to a compelling market and have strong scientific support. These grants are funded by Venture Partners at CU Boulder and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program.
Venture Partners and NSF I-Corps: Starting Blocks Customer Discovery Workshop
Aug. 1-15, BaseCamp at the Pearl East Innovation Campus, Boulder | Application Deadline Friday, July 25
Do you have an innovation that could make a difference? Whether a researcher, entrepreneur, inventor or problem solver, the Starting Blocks Customer Discovery Workshop at Venture Partners at CU Boulder can help you transform your concept into a successful venture—even if you aren't a CU student or employee.
Venture Partners and NSF I-Corps: Research-to-Market (R2M) Customer Discovery Program
Sept. 3-Oct. 10, Virtual Event | Application Deadline Wednesday, Aug. 27
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.
Opportunities Outside CU
June 9-11: TechConnect World Innovation Conference & Expo—Connecting top applied research and early stage innovations from universities, labs and startups with industry end users and scouts.
June 9-11: Nanotech 2025 Conference & Expo—Thousands of leading researchers, scientists, engineers and technology developers participate in Nanotech to identify new technology trends, development tools, product opportunities, R&D collaborations, and commercialization partners.
June 9-11 |SBIR/STTR Spring Innovation Conference—Connect directly with over $4 billion in early stage funding, learn to compete effectively for those resources and network with leadership representing the nation's largest seed fund.
Friday, June 20 | Colorado for All: Business Showcase & Resource Fair—A gathering of local business leaders and community members showcasing Colorado's vibrant business ecosystem.
Friday, June 20 (deadline) | TechConnect Critical Technologies Challenge: Energy and Resilience—An open innovation program designed to accelerate transformative technologies in lockstep with rapidly evolving strategic priorities for national, societal, and economic security.
Monday, June 22 (deadline) | The Environmental Sustainability Entrepreneurship Program—Empowering impact-driven, underserved entrepreneurs who are building ventures to solve critical environmental challenges.
Wednesday, June 25 (deadline) | Dual-Use University Accelerator Challenge—A 12-week accelerator program and a share of $500,000 in prize awards for innovative ventures from academic ecosystems.
Friday, June 20 (deadline) | DOE Boost: Building American Energy—An initiative that brings national labs, startups, academia, and DOE-developed technologies together to find solutions to regional energy and infrastructure challenges.
Monday, July 7 (deadline) | LabStart Innovations Fellowship—Empowering entrepreneurs to transform cutting-edge climate technologies from U.S. research labs into market-ready startups.
Rolling Applications
Calling International Student Entrepreneurs & Offering Support—Unshackled Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused exclusively on immigrant-founded startups.
Advanced Industries Accelerator Programs—Promoting growth and sustainability in Colorado’s advanced industries that increase the state's global competitiveness.
Advanced Industry Investment Tax Credit—Encouraging investments in Colorado advanced industries businesses by incentivizing investors with state income tax credits.
Techstars Accelerator Programs—Empowering entrepreneurs by providing access to mentorship, capital and a global network to help them succeed and scale their startups.
SBIR/STTR Funding—Funding is granted through many different agencies across the federal government and areas of innovation.
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
RayChill: Co-Founder/CEO—RayChill, a startup built on IP from CU Boulder, provides a passive radiative cooling material that cools structures without power and is seeking a Co-Founder/CEO.
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.