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Celebrated professor and prolific inventor Richard Noble reflects on decades of teaching and discovery and embarks on a new path to commercialization of a game-changing technology.

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Federal funding cuts could destroy the lab-grown unicorn

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 17:59:46 +0000

Federal funding cuts could destroy the lab-grown unicorn Daniel Corbin … Wed, 04/02/2025 - 11:59

PitchBook—Suspension of federal funding to universities and to the agencies that sustain their research risks cutting off a significant source of startup formation. “Most universities do not have the resources—by far—to weather the storm,” said Bryn Rees, associate vice-chancellor of innovation and partnerships at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ.

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Learn about the first step in funding your latest innovation

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 18:33:31 +0000

Learn about the first step in funding your latest innovation Daniel Corbin … Fri, 03/21/2025 - 12:33

To introduce the SBIR/STTR programs and highlight funding uses, Venture Partners at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ is hosting a session to help researchers understand how to find funding and prepare their companies for an SBIR/STTR proposal.

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Registration now open for the Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 19:30:45 +0000

Registration now open for the Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase Daniel Corbin … Thu, 03/20/2025 - 13:30

The Ascent Deep Tech Investor Showcase brings together researchers, investors and community supporters to highlight innovative deep tech startups spinning out of the University of Colorado. Attendees will have a chance to see pitches from each of the Ascent 2025 cohort startups, followed by a networking happy hour to learn more.

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Protect your discoveries before you publish them

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 22:06:22 +0000

Protect your discoveries before you publish them Daniel Corbin … Tue, 03/18/2025 - 16:06

As a researcher, creator or inventor at the University of Colorado, your work has the potential to change the world. Whether you’re advancing renewable energy solutions, developing breakthrough medical devices or creating innovative software, your discoveries could have far-reaching impacts beyond the lab, studio or classroom. Protecting these innovations may be necessary to ensure that they reach their full potential, benefiting society while securing recognition and opportunities for you.

What is Intellectual Property (IP)?

Ready to go further?

Find the market for your innovation: I-Corps serves as a practical and accessible first step for anyone looking to translate their discoveries into real-world solutions.

Fund your research or creative work through commercialization: transform your ideas into real-world solutions—while securing funding to advance your work.

IP refers to creations of the mind, including inventions, designs, original works of authorship, trade secrets and trademarks. IP encompasses both tangible creations, like a prototype or software and intangible assets, like ideas and processes. IP protections such as patents and copyrights are key tools for ensuring that your innovations have a lasting impact.

Why IP matters

When you publish your research, share your invention, or showcase your creation publicly, it becomes accessible to everyone around the world. While public disclosure can advance knowledge-sharing and inspire innovation, publishing without the proper IP protection could prevent the technology from being further developed into a product and made more widely available.

Venture Partners at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ is here to help secure IP rights and safeguard the discoveries researchers, inventors and creators at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ, UCCS and CU Denver (except CU Denver biosciences investigators, who should work with CU Innovations) make while at the university, ensuring you receive proper recognition and enabling opportunities for broader impact.

Securing IP rights can open doors to funding and partnerships. Protected innovations are more attractive to investors, collaborators and companies looking to license new technologies and in many cases are necessary for a company to partner with your lab or to invest in further research or development of a product. By protecting your work, you’re not only ensuring its impact but also creating opportunities for further growth and development.

How Venture Partners can help

Venture Partners is here to support you at every step of the IP process. We provide the expertise and resources you need to protect your innovations and bring them to the world.

Confidential Consultations: Have an idea or discovery? Share it with our team of experts, who can help you evaluate its potential and guide you on the next steps.
IP Protection: From patents to copyrights, our team specializes in identifying and securing the appropriate protections for your work.
Supporting Broader Impact: We connect university innovators with funding, mentors and industry partners to turn ideas into impactful products and services.

CU’s IP policy requires university-employed researchers, creators and inventors to disclose innovations to ensure protection and access to commercialization resources. Early disclosure—before public presentation or publication—preserves the university’s ability to secure IP protection, especially for patents. Learn more about CU’s IP policy here.

Unsure if your work should be disclosed? Venture Partners is happy to meet with you to discuss your work and opportunities before you commit to submitting a disclosure. Learn more and contact our team.

Opportunity begins with disclosure

One of the biggest misconceptions about commercialization is that researchers, inventors or creators must give up control of their intellectual property. Venture Partners empowers CU innovators to take the lead in translating their discoveries into real-world applications. Whether you want to launch a startup, collaborate with industry or license your technology to an existing company in exchange for royalties, Venture Partners provides guidance and funding opportunities to support your journey.

Venture Partners can also help connect you with experienced industry partners or entrepreneurs who will drive commercialization forward on your behalf—ensuring that your discoveries make an impact without requiring you to leave academia.

A record of success

In fiscal year 2023-24, Venture Partners secured 45 patents for university innovations, half of which are already partnered with new ventures and companies. In the same year, Venture Partners launched 36 new companies based on CU innovations—many founded by the innovators themselves and others formed in partnership with entrepreneurs from outside the university.

Protecting new intellectual property was the first step in creating a competitive strategy for new CU startups like LongPath Technologies, which was developed out of research by founder Greg Reiker (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering, NIST) to create a long-range methane detection system. Similarly, SomaLogic emerged from the groundbreaking work by Larry Gold (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology (MCDB)) revolutionizing proteomics methods to provide deeper insights into disease detection, treatment and personalized medicine.

Beyond startups, CU innovations are being licensed all over the world.

Riverware is a software tool for modelling river systems with over 200 licenses to water management groups around the world. It is one of the most used ��ƷSM��ӰƬ innovations.
PhET provides interactive learning simulations for science and math. Available in over 120 languages, and through partnerships with hundreds of education companies, PhET has transformed STEM learning across the globe.
New materials invented at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ and licensed by 3M provide more durable dental fillings, dentures and implants, for more effective and fewer trips to the dentist chair.

How to get started

New financial incentives for disclosing ��ƷSM��ӰƬ innovations

CU researchers, inventors and creators who submit a disclosure between March 1 and June 30 will be entered into drawings for $100 and $500 gift cards, and intellectual property eligible and selected by an Entrepreneur in Residence for the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator will be entered into a drawing for $2,000. Get the full terms and conditions

Protecting your innovation begins with a simple step: submitting a disclosure to Venture Partners. Our online disclosure form is quick and easy to complete, and our team is available to answer any questions you have along the way. Learn more and get started here.

Your work deserves protection

CU is committed to fostering innovation and supporting the incredible work of its researchers, creators and inventors. By protecting your discoveries, you’re taking the first step toward transforming your ideas into real-world solutions. Let Venture Partners help you navigate this journey and ensure your innovations make a lasting impact.

What can we do together?

Find partners and opportunities for your innovation

Explore investing in and partnering with CU researchers

Visit the Destination Startup Webpage

As a researcher, creator or inventor at the University of Colorado, your work has the potential to change the world. Protecting these innovations may be necessary to ensure that they reach their full potential, benefiting society while securing recognition and opportunities for you.

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��ƷSM��ӰƬ hosts showcases highlighting breakthrough innovations and investment-ready ventures

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 16:54:27 +0000

��ƷSM��ӰƬ hosts showcases highlighting breakthrough innovations and investment-ready ventures Daniel Corbin … Tue, 03/18/2025 - 10:54

Daniel Leonard

Venture Partners at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ and its partners across the Intermountain West once again demonstrated the power of university innovations with back-to-back startup showcases for the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator and Destination Startup. Both provided a platform for cutting-edge startups, breakthrough research and high-growth potential ventures to connect university innovation with industry leaders and investors.

Entrepreneurs bring university innovations to market

Ready to embark on a new entrepreneurial journey?

Visit the Embark Webpage

Embark is ��ƷSM��ӰƬ's deep tech startup creator for matching entrepreneurs with breakthrough innovations. With various ��ƷSM��ӰƬ technologies ready to make a real-world impact, Embark seeks out motivated entrepreneurs in a competitive application process to join the Embark Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) cohort. The program then provides IP rights, salary support, grant funds, startup acceleration resources and investor introductions to selected applicants.

“In just eight months,” said Amy Dodenhoff, director of venture development at Venture Partners, at the event, “these entrepreneurs have taken technologies invented in the lab and launched these companies. That’s incredible.”

The entrepreneurial community and investors gathered at the showcase to see these startups pitch for the first time. The groundbreaking innovations included new dietary ingredients that could fight inflammation and weight gain with beneficial bacteria (Kioga, pitched by EIR Justin Whiteley) and a new “secret sauce” for creating bioplastics that beats the competition by fully biodegrading in natural environments like oceans and landfills (Ecovaleric, pitched by EIR Roberta Leão).

The event ended with the pitch by Co-EIRs Makenna Morck and Alec Santiago, who walked away with a surprise $1,000 audience choice prize. Their company is developing a breakthrough solution for drug discovery, a “shape-shifting cyclic peptide,” that would allow drug makers to create new treatments for various, even untreatable, diseases.

“Like the other teams today,” Morck said while accepting the prize, “I want to thank the Venture Partners team for this opportunity and all of the [EIRs]; it’s been an honor working with everyone.”

This year’s showcase rounds out the second cohort of the new Embark program, and Marta Zgagacz, senior director at Venture Partners, alluded to even more success to come.

“We are so excited to see the success of this year’s cohort today,” she said, “and to see international interest from universities looking to launch their own Embark or Embark-like programs.”

The application for the third cohort of Embark is expected to open in the fall of 2025.

Embark was presented with financial support from Cooley.

The best of the Intermountain West innovation ecosystem

Join us at Destination Startup 2026

Are you an investor or researcher looking to bring the next great breakthrough to market? Learn more about getting involved with Destination Startup, a collaboration among leading research universities and federal laboratories across the Intermountain West to showcase the best companies from our innovation ecosystem.

Destination Startup is a collaboration among leading research universities and federal laboratories across the Intermountain West to showcase the best companies from the innovation ecosystem. Hosted by Venture Partners, the showcase demonstrates a powerful way to invest in and get funding for innovative research to translate it into impactful business ventures.

“The startups that have come through Destination Startup have raised more than $1.2 billion to date,” Dodenhoff said. “This year’s showcase was invite-only to maximize networking opportunities, and all of this year’s companies are actively raising funding.”

Companies from ��ƷSM��ӰƬ included Darwin Biosciences—which emerged in 2020 with a COVID-19 saliva test—where CEO Nicholas Meyerson unveiled a new bedside, saliva-based diagnostic tool to detect sepsis, and PAGE Technologies—a recent recipient of one of the first translational research grants from the NSF CO-WY Climate Resilience Engine—where CEO Elliot Strand pitched a cost-effective soil sensor for agriculturalists and environmentalists to monitor and improve soil health.

As energy storage needs grow from consumer electronics to decarbonizing the energy grid, three companies—Flow Aluminum (University of New Mexico), Otoro Energy and Mana Battery (both from ��ƷSM��ӰƬ)—presented new battery technologies and Doug Campbell, former CEO and co-founder of ��ƷSM��ӰƬ battery spinout Solid Power, gave the showcase’s keynote address.

Over the past six years, Destination Startup has hosted over 100 startup companies, and nearly a thousand investors, business leaders and innovators have attended. It remains critical to ��ƷSM��ӰƬ’s expanding innovation ecosystem, providing early-stage ventures with the exposure and connections needed to scale.

The startup application for Destination Startup is expected to open in the fall of 2025.

Destination Startup was presented with financial support from Cooley, J.P. Morgan, Foley Hoag, Cozen O’Connor, NOD Law and TriNet Group.

“A massive societal impact”

The back-to-back showcases reaffirmed ��ƷSM��ӰƬ’s role as a national leader in deep tech startups. From the new approach of Embark to the investment-readiness of Destination Startup, these programs exemplify the university’s commitment to translating research into real-world impact.

“With deep tech, there’s a massive societal impact,” said Ajay Rayasam of Osage University Partners during the investor panel at Destination Startup. “Whether that’s a drug that cures disease or a technology that reduces emissions, that’s possible here. And we know that university spinouts from the 1940s to today have had a massive impact.”

2024-25 Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator Startups

TerraMan Technologies

CEO: Nick Manuzak (Alum: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ Business)
PI: Wil Srubar (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering College of Engineering and Applied Science)

TerraMan Technologies is developing a process to help bioorganic building materials cure at an accelerated rate while sequestering additional carbon, making green building more cost competitive.

Colexible Technologies

CEO: C.J. Whelan
PI: Jianliang Xiao (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering)

Colexible Technologies specializes in developing and manufacturing cutting-edge flexible electronics. Our components and devices offer unparalleled stretching, bending and durability in wearable devices, automotive components and industrial electronics.

Ecovaleric

CEO: Roberta Leão
PI: Adam Holewinski (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Chemical and Biological Engineering)

Ecovaleric is pioneering a breakthrough electrochemical process that converts plant-derived feedstocks into high-performance biodegradable polymers, bioplastics, green chemicals and biofuels. This replaces fossil-based alternatives, enabling a circular economy and accelerating the transition to sustainable manufacturing. Visit the Ecovaleric Website

EerDx

CEO: Bart Emery
PI: Jianliang Xiao (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering)

EerDx is reinventing the sleep diagnostic experience for patients and physicians using earbud flexible biosensors that move full sleep lab capabilities to the home. EerDx is led by Bart Emery, a two-time CU alum and experienced venture capitalist passionate about improving healthcare for all.

Endios Bio

CEO: Wendy Overton
PI: Alexandra Whiteley (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Biochemistry)

Endios Bio is developing breakthrough therapeutics for rare neurodegenerative diseases by targeting the newly discovered impacts of the gene peg10, which was recently linked to ALS and Angelmans and has druggable potential. Visit the Endios Website

IntraLumenus

CEO: Jesse M. Sheppard (Alum: CU Denver Business, ��ƷSM��ӰƬ Business)
PI: Mark Rentschler (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering)

IntraLumenus is revolutionizing interventional endoscopy with its flexible robotic endoscope. Offering unparalleled precision, stability and control, our device reduces technical complexity and procedure times, enabling more endoscopists to perform advanced procedures, all while improving patient outcomes.

WindSenseAI

CEO: Aoife Henry
PI: Lucy Pao (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering)

WindSenseAI* (formerly FOWTech) specializes in advanced control systems for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs) and Floating Wind Farms. Our innovative technology manages seven degrees of freedom (DOFs) of floating platforms and AI to optimize the position of a fleet of turbines in a wind farm, improving power output and reducing maintenance costs.

*WindSenseAI was presented at the Embark Showcase by Embark EIR George Douaire

Kioga

CEO: Justin Whiteley
PI: Christopher A. Lowry (Integrative Physiology); Noah Fierer (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)

Kioga is discovering and commercializing new dietary ingredients to "vaccinate" consumers against stress and metabolic disorders by targeting brain and body inflammation. CEO and Cofounder Justin Whiteley is cofounder of Meati Foods and served as chief science and technology officer. Visit the Kioga Website

Kitsune Bio

CEO: Makenna Morck (Alum: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ Biochemistry)
COO: Alec Santiago
Principal Investigator (PI): Michael Stowell (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology)

Kitsune Bio (previously Aatxe Therapeutics) is transforming drug discovery with shape-shifting cyclic peptides—dynamic molecules that reconfigure their structure to access and engage challenging disease targets. Our groundbreaking platform overcomes key barriers in medicine, unlocking new treatments for patients who currently have no effective options.

Longevity Escape Velocity Labs

CEO: Kylen McClintock
PI: Tom LaRocca (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Molecular Biology of Neurodegeneration Laboratory)

Longevity Escape Velocity Labs (LEVL) targets the biology of aging to create novel therapeutics and personalized protocols that help people live longer and healthier. LEVL's first formulation is a fasting mimetic shown to restore older mice to youthful biomarkers by inducing levels of autophagy comparable to rapamycin. Visit the LEVL Website

2025 Destination Startup Presenters

Avesta76 Therapeutics Inc.

Avesta76 is a revolutionary biotech company that is developing cancer medications that can treat over half of all cancers safely and effectively. To do that, we have found the key to bypassing p53 mutations and deletions. We will begin first in-human clinical trials in early 2026. Visit the Avesta76 Website

Team: Ian Akash Morrison*, Co-Founder, CEO; Sanjay Awasthi, M.D., Co-Founder, Chief Research Officer; Arjun Awasthi, Co-Founder, COO

Affiliation: Texas Tech University System

Cascade Biocatalysts Inc.

Cascade Bio empowers enzymes to change how molecules are made. Our product extends enzyme lifespans in chemical processes, lowering the cost of sustainable biomanufacturing. Over 20 companies have paid to try our product across pharmaceuticals, foods, recycling, specialty chemicals and biomining. Visit the Cascade Bio Website

Team: Alex Rosay*, Co-Founder, CEO; James Weltz (Alum: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ Chemical and Biological Engineering), Co-Founder, CSO

Affiliation: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ

Darwin Biosciences Inc.

Darwin Biosciences develops saliva-based diagnostics for early infection detection. Our technology identifies immune response signatures before symptoms escalate, enabling faster intervention. We aim to revolutionize infectious disease diagnostics, starting with sepsis. Visit the Darwin Website

Team: Nicholas Meyerson*, CEO, Co-Founder; Sara Sawyer, Director, Co-Founder (��ƷSM��ӰƬ BioFrontiers Institute)

Affiliation: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ

EerDx Inc.

EerDx uses earbud sleep diagnostics to transform how we diagnose and treat the 100 million Americans with sleep disorders. By delivering advanced clinical-grade sensors in a consumer earbud factor that a patient can easily use at home, EerDx is making home sleep testing cool! Visit the EerDx website

Teams: Bart Emery*, CEO, Co-Founder; Samir Chabra, CTO, Co-Founder

Affiliation: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ

Flow Aluminum Inc.

Flow Aluminum develops Aluminum-CO₂ batteries for grid storage, microgrids and defense, offering extreme temperature performance (-40°C to 170°C), enhanced safety and CO₂ utilization. Safer and cheaper than lithium-ion, our rechargeable system enables carbon removal and sustainable energy storage at scale. Visit the Flow Website

Team: Chris Fetrow, Co-Founder, Chief Scientist; Tom Chepucavage, Co-Founder, CEO; Simit Shah, COO/CFO

Affiliation: University of New Mexico

Icarus Quantum Inc.

Quantum computers are yet to reach the size and scale required to unlock their true potential in exponential processing power. Icarus Quantum develops efficient and scalable quantum interconnects, providing scalability to quantum computers through modularity. Visit the Icarus Website

Team: Poolad Imany*, CEO, Founder; Fateme Mahdikhany, Photonics Engineer; Mohammad Habibur Rahaman, Device Engineer; Bradley Werner, Advisor; Shuo Sun, Advisor; Alisa Javadi, Advisor

Affiliation: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ

Illumen Therapeutics Inc.

Illumen Therapeutics is pursuing a p53 moonshot to transform cancer treatment by pioneering the development of PARN inhibitor drugs that increase functional p53, known as the 'Guardian of the Genome,' to treat aggressive cancers and improve patient survival. Visit the Illumen Website

Team: Bob Blomquist*, CEO, Co-Founder; Roy Parker (��ƷSM��ӰƬ BioFrontiers Institute), Co-Founder, Advisor; Brian Williams, CFO; Jim Winkler, Interim CSO

Affiliation: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ

Latimer Controls Inc.

Latimer Controls provides a software solution that addresses the critical issue of solar power intermittency, enabling precise real-time control and optimization of solar output. This transforms standalone solar generation into a controllable, dispatchable and flexible resource for the power grid. Visit the Latimer Website

Team: Simon Julien* (NREL West Gate, Alum: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ Applied Mathematics) CEO, Co-Founder; Tristan Liu (Alum: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences), Co-Founder; Zak Jacobs (Alum: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ Chemical and Biological Engineering), Co-Founder.

Affiliation: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ

Mana Battery Inc.

Founded by experienced battery technologists and entrepreneurs, Mana Battery delivers on the promise of the sodium-ion battery with best-in-class cost and performance through a proprietary low-cost, fire-extinguishing electrolyte platform and a high-energy battery cell design that offers higher energy density than LFP Li-ion at half-the-cost. Visit the Mana Website

Team: Tyler Evans*, Co-Founder, CEO; Nicholas Singstock, Co-Founder, CTO; Chunmei Ban (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Advisor; Douglas Campbell, Member of the Board of Directors; Heather A.S. Platt, Director of Materials Engineering and R&D; Peter Hosbein, Senior Cell Engineer; Salma Lira, Associate Cell Engineer; Ed Williams, Senior Business Advisor

Affiliation: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ

OMC Thermochemistry

OMC Thermochemistry offers a low-cost, massively scalable route for the efficient, highly durable production of hydrogen or the transformation of CO₂ back into useful fuels and chemicals using heat, a novel active material, and globally abundant resources within existing industrial formats and competencies. Visit the OMC Website

Team: Kent Warren (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Chemical and Biological Engineering), Co-Founder, CSO; Britt Boughey, Co-Founder, CEO; Patrick Vincent, Senior Process Engineer

Affiliation: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ

Otoro Energy Inc.

Otoro Energy is revolutionizing long-duration energy storage with a high-efficiency, low-cost flow battery. Backed by the largest U.S. utility and over $6 million in DOE grants, our non-flammable, non-toxic technology enables safe, 10+ hour discharge, delivering reliable, scalable and cost-effective grid resilience. Visit the Otoro Website

Team: Michael Marshak (frm. ��ƷSM��ӰƬ Chemistry, RASEI)

Affiliation: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ

PAGE Technologies Inc.

PAGE Technologies is redefining agricultural and environmental monitoring with a breakthrough analytics platform. Our proprietary printed electronics deliver real-time, ultra-low-cost data collection. With seamless API integration, PAGE enables strategic partners to scale impact and unlock new revenue opportunities. Visit the PAGE Website

Team: Elliot Strand* (��ƷSM��ӰƬ College of Engineering and Applied Science), Co-Founder, CEO; Payton Goodrich, Co-Founder, CTO; Cameron Handeland, Lead Systems Engineer

Affiliation: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ

Paramium Technologies Inc.

Paramium is an aerospace telecom company focused on building a global network of advanced ground stations for multiband satellite connectivity. Its centralized system simplifies scheduling, connection, downloading and mission control, much like scheduling an online conference. Visit the Paramium Website

Team: Justin Hyatt, CEO, Co-Founder; Christian Davila*, CTO, Co-Founder; Ken Gyure (University of Arizona Eller College of Management), COO, Michael Martin, CFO

Affiliation: University of Arizona

TheraCea Pharma LC

TheraCea Pharma is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing a new generation of radiopharmaceutical compounds as theranostics, molecules that have both diagnostic and therapeutic applications, and advanced diagnostics for detecting and treating cancers and neurological disorders. Visit the TheraCea Website

Team: Iman Daryaei*, CEO, Co-Founder; Pavel Rychetsky, Vice President of R&D; David Loynd, Fractional CFO; Justin Jeffery, Chief Business Officer; Rikki Waterhouse, Regulatory Affairs Consultant; Julian Dresler, Manager of R&D; Nathan Wright, Manager of Business Operations; Jacob Fussell, Scientist II; Caleb Brown, Business Intelligence Officer

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Tynt Technologies Inc.

Tynt’s platform technology enables real-time dynamic tinting through reversible metal electrodeposition (RME). It’s tunable by application, integrates into glass or plastic, has a wide dynamic range, neutral color, low cost and is flexible, unlocking new possibilities for smart materials. Visit the Tynt Website

Team: Ameen K. Saafir*, CEO; John Dwyer, COO; Tyler Hernandez, CTO; Michael McGehee, Chief Scientist

Affiliation: ��ƷSM��ӰƬ

What can we do together?

Find partners and opportunities for your innovation

Explore investing in and partnering with CU researchers

Venture Partners at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ and its partners across the Intermountain West once again demonstrated the power of university innovations with back-to-back startup showcases for the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator and Destination Startup. Both provided a platform for cutting-edge startups, breakthrough research and high-growth potential ventures to connect with industry leaders and investors.

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New financial incentives for disclosing ��ƷSM��ӰƬ innovations

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 17:35:05 +0000

New financial incentives for disclosing ��ƷSM��ӰƬ innovations Daniel Corbin … Tue, 03/11/2025 - 11:35

As a researcher, creator or inventor at the ��ƷSM��ӰƬ, your work has the potential to change the world. Whether you’re advancing renewable energy solutions, developing breakthrough medical devices or creating innovative software, your discoveries could have far-reaching impacts beyond the lab, studio or classroom. Protecting these innovations may be necessary to ensure that they reach their full potential, benefiting society while securing recognition and opportunities for you.

While disclosure is required under CU’s IP policy, ��ƷSM��ӰƬ researchers, inventors and creators who submit a disclosure between March 1 and June 30 will be entered into drawings for $100 and $500 gift cards, and intellectual property eligible and selected by an Entrepreneur in Residence for the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator will be entered into a drawing for $2,000.

Gift card drawing

Each month through June 2025, employees who disclose their innovation will be entered into a $100 gift card drawing for the month of their disclosure.

All employees who disclose their innovation between March 1 and June 30 will be entered into a $500 gift card drawing.

Cash prize

Disclosures made before June 30 will be considered for inclusion in the 2025-26 Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator. Embark is the ��ƷSM��ӰƬ's deep tech startup creator for matching entrepreneurs with breakthrough innovations to launch new startups.

If a 2025-26 Embark Entrepreneur in Residence selects an employee's disclosed innovation, they will be entered into a drawing for $2,000 cash.

Your work deserves protection

CU is committed to fostering innovation and supporting researchers, creators and inventors. By disclosing your innovation, you’re taking the first step toward transforming your idea into real-world solutions. Let Venture Partners help you navigate this journey and ensure your innovations make a lasting impact.

Disclose Your Innovation

What can we do together?

Find partners and opportunities for your innovation

Explore investing in and partnering with CU researchers

Explore the Path to Commercialization

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Photo: Qizhong Liang, works on a laser-based breathalyzer, in the Ye lab at JILA, being commercialized ��ƷSM��ӰƬ and Embark startup Flari Tech.

Alum Sristy Agrawal leads ��ƷSM��ӰƬ startup Mesa Quantum to success

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 14:27:12 +0000

Alum Sristy Agrawal leads ��ƷSM��ӰƬ startup Mesa Quantum to success Daniel Corbin … Mon, 03/10/2025 - 08:27

Heather Hansen

Mesa Quantum, a ��ƷSM��ӰƬ spinout and leader in quantum sensing, recently announced $3.7 million in seed funding and a $1.9 million grant from SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force. Both investments are fueling the company’s drive toward commercializing chip-scale quantum sensors for multiple applications including next-generation position, navigation and timing solutions.

Sristy Agrawal

Sitting in Mesa Quantum's new, airy headquarters in Boulder, co-founder and CEO Sristy Agrawal (NIST, JILA, ��ƷSM��ӰƬ Physics), is clearly exhilarated—if also a bit jet lagged. She’s been traveling around the U.S., to Europe, and next to Asia, attending conferences and talking to governments about her company’s tiny technology that’s offering big solutions. In those conversations, said Agrawal, “We want to make sure that our roadmap and our product development ensures we’re not just developing a cool technology but also solving a real problem.”

One of the issues Mesa Quantum aims to solve is current vulnerabilities in the aging U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) which is often the sole source of positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services. Accurate GPS and PNT are integral in our everyday lives, from mapping and surveying to stock trading, power grids and emergency response. But the satellite-based signals that GPS relies on can be inconsistent and are unencrypted.

Improperly configured, corrupted or hacked GPS receivers and signals have wreaked havoc recently on aviation and government operations, disrupting large sectors of the global economy. “As we’ve seen in the last few years, GPS is not resilient at all,” said Agrawal. “You can buy something from Amazon for $20 which can jam the GPS in an entire neighborhood.”

Mesa Quantum is addressing the issues of PNT resiliency, as well as filling certain GPS accessibility gaps, by designing and manufacturing next-gen quantum sensors with chip-scale atomic clocks. “One approach to solving that problem, which is very promising, is if we could build really tiny atomic clocks that we could integrate in our hardware,” said Agrawal. “So we wouldn’t have to rely completely on such a weak signal that is jammable. So that is what we’re trying to do.”

Timing is everything

Agrawal and her team are transitioning state-of-the-art lab research from ��ƷSM��ӰƬ into practical and deployable quantum solutions. The tech originates from Svenja Knappe’s lab (��ƷSM��ӰƬ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering, NIST) where, for over 20 years, her work has focused on developing miniaturized quantum sensors and systems. ��ƷSM��ӰƬ has a robust history of quantum innovators spanning 60 years, including four Nobel laureates. Mesa Quantum is licensing that tech from the university, with the help of Venture Partners at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ, and working to make components smaller and mass producible while driving down cost to make their sensors accessible across multiple applications. They hope to have a working prototype in 2026, and also worked with Venture Partners to launch the company.

Quantum sensors are essentially highly accurate measurement devices that collect data at the subatomic level by detecting the most minute changes in time, gravity, temperature, motion, magnetic and electrical fields and more. That kind of precision, in Mesa Quantum’s smaller, more cost-effective package could be tailored for a wide array of uses including medical diagnostics and biomedical research, environmental monitoring and, of course, positioning, navigation and timing.

In adapting Knappe’s novel atomic clock, Mesa Quantum is building sensors that can measure and detect changes in the environment around them to signal where they are in the world, where they need to go and to keep them in sync with other systems. Agrawal ultimately sees a place for their sensors anywhere highly accurate timekeeping is currently needed (like data centers and autonomous vehicles); where GPS may be weak, like in dense urban areas, and in challenging environments where GPS can’t currently go—underground, underwater and in secure military operations. They want their quantum sensors to “meet the market where it is,” she said.

Agrawal’s path to studying quantum science started back in high school where she first started to learn scientific concepts. Before, she never felt like a great student, but that sparked curiosity in her, and it remains so today. “Every day I had like 10 questions for the teacher which must have been very annoying,” said Agrawal, “but that’s when I really got interested in science.” Being open and curious have been key to Agrawal’s success. She grew up in a small town in a rural state in India where she’d go to a café to access the internet, or she’d stay at home reading H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” or watching “Stephen Hawking’s Universe.” Agrawal also values having the willingness to make mistakes and to continue learning. “It’s not the end of the world if something doesn’t work,” she said. “But I would regret not trying.”

When working toward her PhD in quantum information science, Agrawal was looking at how to use quantum technologies to transform lives. “I got exposed to a lot of incredible research being done at JILA and NIST in quantum sensing,” she said, “And I got the bug for the impact that quantum technologies could have to actually solve real world challenges.” At the same time, Agrawal didn’t have a particular concept in mind. “Because I wasn’t married to a particular idea to begin with, I think that gave me a lot of flexibility,” said Agrawal. “I got quite excited about chip-scale atomic clocks right away because I’d been reading about the GPS problem.” Her next logical step was to direct her knowledge of the quantum realm and a passion for solutions into a startup. But how?

Homing in on a winning innovation

When considering entrepreneurship, Agrawal turned first to Venture Partners at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ, the commercialization arm of the university, and began working with Justin Stitzlein, a venture analyst at Venture Partners. The two met for coffee and Stitzlein was excited to learn about her background in quantum physics. “Then we provided her with a curated list of potential quantum technologies, she looked through that list and selected one that she thought seemed interesting and that might have a market opportunity,” he said. “Through her research and just a few conversations, Sristy really conceptualized this gap in the market. I don’t think that everyone can do that; she’s such an expansive thinker.”

But what is "commercialization?"

In late 2022, Agrawal participated in the Venture Partners Starting Blocks Customer Discovery Workshop, offered as part of the NSF I-Corps™ Hub: West Region, where Mesa Quantum was conceived. The program helps researchers build a foundation for impactful businesses by identifying market needs for their breakthrough technologies with a robust process of customer discovery, according to Emily Vogt, director of venture development. “[Sristy’s] chip scale atomic clock technology had broad applications across different industries,” said Vogt. “Her customer discovery journey through multiple I-Corps programs helped her find the shortest and most compelling path to market, while also highlighting different uses of the technology for future growth."

During the Starting Blocks program, Stitzlein encouraged Agrawal to home in on the technology’s potential applications and to develop a business model. She then started developing that commercial strategy and meeting with potential customers. “I've never seen someone hit the road as hard as she did,” said Stitzlein.

During that time, Agrawal dove into several other Venture Partners’ programs including the 2023 Lab Venture Challenge (where Mesa Quantum was awarded $125,000) and 2024 New Venture Challenge Deep Tech Competition (where Mesa Quantum was a finalist). She also participated in New Venture Launch, a Leeds School of Business class for cross-disciplinary teams, individual founders and entrepreneur-focused students. During that time, Agrawal also connected with her co-founder and Mesa Quantum’s chief technology officer, Wale Lawal (Harvard, Rice University, U.S. Air Force Academy).

From when she first began working with Venture Partners, Agrawal felt tremendous backing. “I could brainstorm everything with them,” she said. Venture Partners helped Agrawal move seamlessly through ��ƷSM��ӰƬ’s many opportunities and resources for campus innovators to develop new ventures. Before, as an academic, Agrawal said, she didn’t have access to daily conversations about becoming an entrepreneur like someone at a business school might.

That resonates with Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ. “This is definitely a cross-campus collaboration, an example of a founder really leveraging all the different things that this campus has to offer,” he said. “Breaking down siloes is great.” Rees would like to see more founders like Sristy—“who’s got that commitment and willingness to try things”—bringing their knowledge and passion into the entrepreneurial arena.

Rees sees Agrawal and Mesa Quantum as the tip of the iceberg in terms of potential ventures spinning out of the university. “The vast majority of folks don’t know where to start, or don’t have the resources, or don’t have the bandwidth to do that,” he said. “What I think is so exciting about the university now is that for most of the iceberg that’s underwater, for those people who would love to do this if they have support, there are trainings, there are mentors, there’s funding, there’s access to a path to success.”

“Venture Partners created that space for me where I could have those discussions,” Agrawal said. “I cannot overstate how important the community has been in this journey. Mesa Quantum wouldn’t have happened without that support.”

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