Promo Kit—Lab Venture Challenge Showcases

This page contains all the information available to help you promote this opportunity to your network and community. If you have questions or suggestions, please reach out to Daniel Leonard, senior marketing and communications specialist for Venture Partners at daniel.leonard@colorado.edu. 

Event Information

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—that's $750,000 in total awards—for their early-stage projects in bio- and physical sciences with compelling market potential. Enjoy great food, make new connections and see what’s next in innovation. View the 2025 Finalists

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.

At the showcase, finalists will deliver pitches to a live audience and panel of business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors. LVC is the can't-miss event of the year to see CU's next wave of breakthrough innovations!

“In a sentence” 

Join us Oct. 22 and 23 at the Boulder Dairy Arts Center for the Lab Venture Challenge Community Showcases, where CU innovators will pitch their most promising early-stage projects in bio- and physical sciences to a panel of judges and a live audience for a share of $750,000 in grants—your front-row seat to CU’s next wave of breakthrough startups.

Event Details 

When:

Where: Gordon Gamm Theater, Dairy Arts Center, Boulder

Who:  All Are Welcome—CU Affiliation is Not Required

How: Tickets are free, and attendees should reserve their tickets in advance; tickets at the door are not guaranteed.

Learn More and Register: (QR Code) colorado.edu/venturepartners/lvc

About Venture Partners at CU Boulder

Set in the heart of our university's bold, innovative community of scholars and learners, Venture Partners at CU Boulder brings the university's world-class researchers together with business, startup and entrepreneurial communities to translate groundbreaking solutions into economic and social impact. Learn More

Promotional Assets

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Digital Flyer

Print-Ready Flyer

Presentation and Digital Sign Slides

Announcement Article

Social Media Posters

Tag us!

Ready-to-Share Social Media Posts

CU Boulder Calendar Listing

If you would like this event to appear on your community calendar or CU Boulder website, please contact daniel.leonard@colorado.edu

Sample Emails

Inviting People to the Showcase

Subject line options:
  • CU's Next Breakthroughs Take the Stage
  • You’re Invited: Lab Venture Challenge Showcases at the Dairy Arts Center
  • Innovation, Food and Networking: Join Us at LVC
Email body:

Hi [First Name],

[include a note about the last time you saw them, interacted with them, etc. ! crucial so they do not pass over it !]

You’re invited to the University of Colorado’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder. These events bring together CU innovators, entrepreneurs, investors and community members for an evening of breakthrough ideas, great food and valuable connections.

On the main stage, top university researchers will pitch their most promising early-stage projects in biosciences and physical sciences for a share of $750,000 in grants. Past LVC teams have launched more than 60 startups that have raised over $350 million, including Darwin Biosciences, Manifest Technologies and Mesa Quantum.

The physical sciences showcase is on Wednesday, Oct. 22, and the biosciences showcase is on Thursday, Oct. 23, from 6-8 p.m. at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder. Get your tickets here!

We would love to see you there to celebrate innovation and connect with CU’s entrepreneurship community.

Best,
[Signature]

Asking for Help Promoting

Subject Line Options:
  • Help Us Spread the Word: Lab Venture Challenge Showcases
  • Share CU's Innovation Showcases
  • Support Innovation: Promote LVC
Email Body:

Dear [First Name],

[include a note about the last time you saw them, interacted with them, etc. ! crucial so they do not pass over it !]

We’re preparing for this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder. These events are a chance to enjoy great food, connect with CU’s innovation and entrepreneurship community and watch CU researchers pitch their most promising projects for up to $125,000 each in grants, with a total of $750,000 awarded. LVC has helped launch dozens of CU Boulder startups that have raised hundreds of millions in follow-on funding, and this year promises to be just as inspiring.

The showcases will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 22 and Thursday, Oct. 23, 6-8 p.m. at the Dairy Arts Center. We'd love it if you could join us. Get your tickets here!

If it fits your messaging, we could use your help sharing the event with your network. You can share the above link directly, or share our post on LinkedIn. We have also prepared a promotional kit with sample posts, newsletter blurbs and graphics if that would be useful.

Thank you for helping us spread the word about this opportunity to see CU’s next wave of breakthrough startups.

Warm regards,
[Signature]