The Insider: Investors Edition - Quarter 2: 2024
CU «Ƶ Startups in the News
CU «Ƶ spinout that revolutionized LiDAR acquired by major government contractor
LiteWave Technologies, a spinout of CU «Ƶ and a subsidiary of Orion Space Solutions, has been acquired by Arcfield, a leading government technology and mission support provider.
Revolutionary magic ink transforming tattoo artistry
Global Cosmetics News—Tattoo artist Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy, famous for working with celebrities, has created a company, Hyprskn, to launch a new product called “Magic Ink.” Developed with Professor Carson Bruns from CU «Ƶ, Magic Ink can be controlled with a special stylus, the “magic pen,” that uses two wavelengths of light to activate or deactivate the tattoo’s visibility.
Infleqtion, a CU «Ƶ spinout, acquires two integrated silicon photonics companies to accelerate their efforts in commercializing quantum products
Quantum Computing Report—Infleqtion announced that it has acquired both SiNoptiq Inc. and Morton Photonics Inc. Both companies work in the area of photonics. SiNoptiq has developed an ultra-low loss silicon nitride platform, while Morton Photonics develops advanced silicon photonics-based component...
Pollution to production: student startup transforms CO2 into aerospace hardware
College of Engineering and Applied Science—Aerospace PhD student Spencer Dansereau aims to take carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and extract the carbon molecules to create 3D-printed carbon fiber, which can be used for everything from bicycles to aerospace components. In 2023, Mach Electric Aerospace took first place in CU «Ƶ’s Lab Venture Challenge business development competition and second place in the New Venture Challenge.
LongPath Technologies, a CU «Ƶ spinout, leads on methane detection
LongPath is harnessing quantum technology to detect methane emissions from oil and gas operations, innovation that benefits industry and investors—and the planet. Most recently, LongPath received landmark financial backing from the Department of Energy (DOE) for a loan of up to $189 million to accelerate the scale-up of the company’s monitoring systems.
CU «Ƶ Startup Pipeline News
Venture Partners Annual Report highlights a growing innovation pipeline and national recognition
2023 was another tremendous year for innovation at the University of Colorado «Ƶ. Campus researchers and inventors created a strong crop of 162 breakthrough technologies this past year. These spanned the breadth of CU «Ƶ’s research expertise, with innovations in climate tech, biotechnology, quantum science, optics and aerospace, to name a few. CU «Ƶ's commercialization arm, Venture Partners at CU «Ƶ, supports a groundbreaking pipeline translating research into real-world impact, as highlighted in their 2023 Annual Report.
CU «Ƶ part of $160M NSF-funded effort to promote climate resilience
CU «Ƶ Today—The National Science Foundation today announced the Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine (CO-WY Engine) as a recipient of its inaugural Regional Innovation Engines program. The prestigious award totals up to $160 million over 10 years and positions the CO-WY Engine at the forefront of the nation's environmental and climate technology initiatives.
Pressing energy challenges and potential solutions at the center of CU «Ƶ’s Renewable Energy and Storage Solutions Summit
Venture Partners at CU «Ƶ and the university’s Industry and Foundation Relations (IFR) team brought together dozens of stakeholders in the renewable energy and storage ecosystem to discuss innovations, issues and opportunities in the vibrant sector.
Quantum seed grants awarded to advance industry and university innovation projects in Colorado
Research & Innovation Office (RIO)—CU «Ƶ announced seven winners of the 2023-2024 translational quantum research seed grants, incentivizing quantum science and technology innovations launched from the lab to accelerate them along the development path to new programs and businesses.
2024 Destination Startup connects investors, entrepreneurs and groundbreaking innovations
The Intermountain West innovation ecosystem came together at the sixth annual Destination Startup Investor Showcase hosted by Venture Partners at CU «Ƶ. In a highly competitive field, twenty-three select ventures from the region’s research institutions presented at the showcase.
Groundbreaking innovations win big at the 17th New Venture Challenge Finals
New Venture Challenge—The 2024 New Venture Challenge (NVC) culminated in a final showcase on April 17 in front of a live audience cheering on the «Ƶ’s next big innovations. At an event filled with great ideas and even greater entrepreneurial spirit, five teams competed for $165,000 in prize money. BioSensor Solutions, part of the first cohort of the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator launched by Venture Partners at CU «Ƶ, won fourth place in the competition.