CU Startup News

Ventures putting people first at �Ͼ�Ʒ��

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 19:20:14 +0000

Ventures putting people first at �Ͼ�Ʒ�� Daniel Corbin … Tue, 12/16/2025 - 12:20

Heather Hansen

The �Ͼ�Ʒ�� actively incubates and supports nonprofit and for-profit ventures with broad societal impact, from far-reaching educational and wellness tools to vaccine accessibility and water security.

Are you faculty in the arts, humanities or social sciences?

�Ͼ�Ʒ��'s Creative Futures Fellowship supports faculty in the arts, humanities and social sciences with grants up to $25,000 to turn new ideas and creative work into impact.

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Kathy Perkins (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Physics Education Research) and colleagues have been successfully broadening the reach of �Ͼ�Ʒ�� PhET Interactive Simulations for over two decades. In that time, she fielded accolades from around the world on the game-changing impacts the simulations have had on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students and teachers.

But one note stands out, from a teacher in an under-resourced school in Texas. She couldn’t buy the items she wanted to teach a course on electrical circuits and was grateful for PhET free and stimulating online simulations. “We can’t buy the batteries, lightbulbs and wires to bring these lessons to life for students, so you don’t know how much [PhET] means to us,” she said. Reflecting on the note, PhET director Perkins said, “It really energizing and touching to know our work has that level of impact.”

PhET, which originally stood for “Physics Education Technology,” continues to grow and now boasts over 170 open-access simulations in math, science and statistics. It has what Perkins calls “the largest global footprint of any outreach project at �Ͼ�Ʒ��.”

Since Nobel laureate Carl Wieman (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Physics) launched the project in 2002 with the hope of boosting scientific exploration at all levels, users have run over 1.7 billion online simulations, and many more offline.

When using simulations in his lectures, Wieman noticed how engaged his audience was and how memorable the lessons were. “I was struck by the fact they were quite effective for very different audiences. I could use the same simulations talking to a bunch of physics professors as I could talking to middle schoolers,” he said. “I knew enough about education to know that was just unheard of, that it was unprecedented to have something that could reach so widely.”

The influential project has expanded and been updated within the university to maximize its impact—an unusual setup, according to Bryn Rees, senior associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships. “If the university was solely focused on monetizing that tool, there no doubt the accessibility wouldn’t be what it is today,” he said. “When you think about what PhET done for K-12 education and STEM, the impact has been broad-reaching, lining up with a core value and educational goal of the university.” Despite knowing how impactful simulations can be, said Wieman, “[PhET] gone so far beyond my expectations.”

“Ensuring maximum social impact”

VitriVax Inc.

Engineering innovative solutions to maximize global accessibility and utility of human vaccines—vaccines that save lives and protect our world from preventable disease.

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PhET is just one example of many innovations emerging from �Ͼ�Ʒ�� that prioritize social good. With its supportive innovation ecosystem, the university fosters nonprofit and for-profit ventures across multiple departments and programs with a focus on positively influencing society. Other socially conscious ventures the university has incubated and supported in recent years include several focused on vaccine technology, mental health, clean water and carbon credits, and planetary science. “Economic development impacts are important, but we also can and do prioritize social impact,” said Rees, who also leads Venture Partners at �Ͼ�Ʒ��, the campus' commercialization arm.

VitriVax, co-founded a decade ago by Robert Garcea (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology) and Ted Randolph (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Chemical and Biological Engineering), is a mission-driven biotechnology company that developed a new way to stabilize and deliver vaccines.

The one-shot, thermo-stable (resistant to heat and not requiring refrigeration) system maximizes effectiveness and global accessibility to critical vaccines, preventing disease and saving lives.

That technology was born of a chance conversation in the corridor of �Ͼ�Ʒ�� BioFrontiers Institute, according to Garcea, whose interest in developing innovative vaccines came from years devoted to studying viruses and caring for patients. From there, Garcea, Randolph and colleagues worked tirelessly to improve the vaccine delivery system. “One of the aims of BioFrontiers is to get the technology out of the laboratories and into use,” he said. “This is a good example of how that can happen. We’ve gone basically from the bench to somebody arm.”

Garcea credits the university with supporting both their research and spinout efforts. Helping the specially designed vaccines reach those most in need required an atypical licensing model, according to Rees. “The university came up with a creative licensing structure where we’re essentially waiving our royalties that we would normally charge the company for distribution of the product in countries below a certain wealth index,” he said.

Evan Thomas and doctoral student Whitney Knopp work together in the Mortenson Center lab with Virridy's "Lume" device for detecting water contamination (photo courtesy of the Mortenson Center).

With a similar desire to improve the lives of some of the world most vulnerable people, Evan Thomas (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering) founded Virridy, a company focused on water security and environmental resilience. The company invented and deploys satellite-linked sensors on water pumps in East Africa to monitor them remotely—greatly improving access to clean drinking water. That also critical to the region crops and livestock, and it reduces the carbon-intensive process of burning wood or fossil fuels to purify drinking water.

“Our most important accomplishment is that over five million people have received clean water for over 10 years. So about 50-million-person years of clean water because of the methodologies that our team developed starting over 15 years ago,” said Thomas, now director of the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience.

“We’re very proud of that.” Virridy and the Mortensen Center are currently on track to support another five million people with clean water in East Africa by 2030, he said.

That clean water also comes with a carbon-reduction twist, which is critical as climate change intensifies pressure on water systems worldwide. In addition to commercializing some of its water monitoring technologies, Virridy is also bringing to market some of the Mortensen Center carbon credit business models, which generate revenue to fund clean water projects by reducing emissions from boiling water. “�Ͼ�Ʒ�� 45 million carbon credits have been issued since 2010, using our methodology,” said Thomas.

Impactful programs, built on science and expertise

Students hear a presentation at an installation of Science on a Sphere® (SOS) developed at NOAA and CIRES (photo courtesy of SOS).

Other university efforts prioritizing social good include Science on a Sphere® (SOS), a six-foot diameter globe onto which planetary data is projected. The crowd-pleasing educational tool for all ages was developed at NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) in collaboration with CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences) nearly two decades ago. “It was originally created by a scientist for scientists, and they quickly realized that it was great for outreach, and so that shifted our focus,” said Beth Russell, SOS senior program coordinator at CIRES’ Center for Education, Engagement and Evaluation.

Since its debut at �Ͼ�Ʒ��'s Fiske Planetarium, SOS is now installed in over 200 museums, universities, government facilities and private companies with an annual audience of over 67 million people. SOS brings to life over 600 data sets with animations of often-complex environmental processes, including climate change.

“Climate can be a really hard topic to engage the public in, but being able to show climate models and how things are changing, and looking at different scenarios playing out over time has been really useful,” said Russell. “Our climate models are really impactful.”

When people first see SOS in action, said Russell, “Awe is the main reaction. We find that with a captivated audience, we really can teach someone more than with just a PowerPoint presentation on the same data sets.” In addition to its room-sized display, which can’t fit in the average classroom, researchers have developed a flat screen version called SOS Explorer, available as a desktop application and a free mobile app, which has already been downloaded over 25,000 times.

When Russell joined the SOS team 18 years ago, the project seemed like a fun, short-term one. “I never thought that it was going to go and go, and it still expanding and growing,” she said. “We’re always pushing to inform more people. We just want everyone to be showing this scientifically accurate content out in the world.”

That mission is also critical to the impactful programs being developed at the Renée Crown Wellness Institute, according to its director, Sona Dimidjian. “A key part of the Crown Institute research commitment is to collaboratively design and study programs that have a strong scientific evidence base and have the potential for real-world impact in people lives,” she said.

The Crown Institute work is built on multiple collaborations, both with the deep expertise of �Ͼ�Ʒ�� researchers and with the communities for whom the research is designed, said Dimidjian, who is also a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

“It a different way of doing research, and we think that a big part of the impact that we’ve had in the first five years, reaching many thousands of kids and young people, educators and schools and families.” According to Dimidjian, institute programming so far has reached over 30,000 kids and young people, 2,000 educators and 5,000 parents and family members.

An interactive exhibit of InsideU (photo courtesy of the Renée Crown Wellness Institute).

Three of its major initiatives revolve around emotional learning and regulation. InsideU is a learning tool aimed at improving mental and emotional wellness, inspired by Disney/Pixar characters from the animated film Inside Out and developed with their digital design experts. The Crown Institute officially launched their collaboration with Pixar Animation Studios in 2020 alongside child and clinical psychologists, the mental health team at Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, and youth participants in its clubs. On the benefits of InsideU, one child remarked, “When you’re sad, you can express your feelings…and it better to express your feelings because then people know what happening and then when you say it, they can help you every day and to go through it together.”

Another online program, Mindful Mood Balance for Moms, is based on learning and employing mindfulness to reduce prenatal and postpartum depression, which occurs in 20 percent of women. It was adapted from the Mindful Mood Balance program, where Dimidjian and colleagues studied several hundred adults in partnership with Kaiser Permanente. "We found that people who participated in this mindful mood balance program online relative to usual care had significant reductions in their residual depression symptoms,” said Dimidjian. The Crown Institute is now adapting that program for college students with histories of depression and suicidal ideation.

A third initiative, “Compassion and Dignity for Educators,” has focused successfully on how developing the skills of compassion for self and others can protect the passion that brought K-12 educators to their profession while reducing stress and burnout. Dimidjian said the response to the program has been extremely positive. After taking the course, one elementary school teacher commented, “…I am less reactive, I have strategies to help bring me back to the present moment, there is more time spent reflecting on and considering the perspective of others, I am more patient… I reflect on gratitude each day, my heart feels more open to the world and the beauty that is within it.” The institute now hopes to expand that model to K-12 educators in Colorado and higher education.

The Crown Institute has worked with Venture Partners to make their programs free, scalable and widely accessible, said Dimidjian. “Part of what we can do together is expand the boundary of what it means to be a researcher at �Ͼ�Ʒ��, which means that one work doesn't have to stop at publishing papers or speaking to one's academic colleagues,” she said. “Part of the research enterprise is also working collaboratively, envisioning how the kinds of innovations that are discovered within one academic research can live more fully and more stably in the world.”

She added, “�Ͼ�Ʒ�� brings a strong spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, which motivates us. We can powerfully enact those principles to build a future that is brighter than our current reality. And that ambition has always been at the heart of the scientific and scholarly enterprise.”

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Students gathered around an installation of Science on a Sphere® (SOS) developed at NOAA and CIRES (photo courtesy of SOS).

Startup application opens for the 2026 Destination Startup

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 20:16:54 +0000

Startup application opens for the 2026 Destination Startup Daniel Corbin … Fri, 12/05/2025 - 13:16

Launched in 2018, Destination Startup® connects investors with groundbreaking startups built on novel discoveries from leading national labs and universities in the Intermountain West. Participating startups must be actively raising and are selected through a competitive review process and robust pitch preparation.

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Agami Zero breaks through with magnetic hydrogen advance

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 19:31:40 +0000

Agami Zero breaks through with magnetic hydrogen advance Daniel Corbin … Wed, 12/03/2025 - 12:31

Renewable And Sustainable Energy Institute—A startup team led by RASEI Fellow Oana Luca, called Agami Zero, has just secured seed funding after winning the 2025 CU Lab Venture Challenge. Their winning idea? A new way to produce hydrogen fuel more efficiently, a key mechanism for decarbonizing our energy economy.

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Arpeggio Biosciences raises $20M in latest offering

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:12:35 +0000

Arpeggio Biosciences raises $20M in latest offering Daniel Corbin … Tue, 11/25/2025 - 13:12

BizWest—Arpeggio Biosciences, a �Ͼ�Ʒ�� startup that works in the development of pharmaceuticals, has raised about two-thirds of what it expects to collect in its latest investment offering.

Read the Full Announcement

The University of Colorado Connection

Arpeggio Biosciences is a Boulder-based biotechnology company developing a high-throughput transcriptomics platform to map how chemical compounds influence gene expression across entire biological networks. Founded in 2017 by Joey Azofeifa (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� BioFrontiers Institute) and Robin Dowell (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� BioFrontiers Institute and Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), the company originated from research conducted at CU's BioFrontiers Institute. Arpeggio's platform combines nascent RNA sequencing with machine learning to profile the immediate effects of drugs on gene expression, enabling the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for diseases such as cancer, chronic kidney disease and neurodegeneration. The company has raised over $20 million in funding, including a $17 million Series A round in 2022 led by Builders VC.

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BizWest—Arpeggio Biosciences, a University of Colorado startup that works in the development of pharmaceuticals, has raised about two-thirds of what it expects to collect in its latest investment offering.

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OEDIT announces grants to University of Colorado startups and researchers in the advanced industries

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 19:28:08 +0000

OEDIT announces grants to University of Colorado startups and researchers in the advanced industries Daniel Corbin … Thu, 11/20/2025 - 12:28

This announcement was originally published at oedit.colorado.gov.

Investor and Partnership Opportunities

Venture Partners at �Ͼ�Ʒ�� seeks entrepreneurs to start new companies, connects investors with high-potential ventures and facilitates collaborations with companies seeking to invest in research or license technologies from the �Ͼ�Ʒ��, Colorado Springs and Denver campuses. Explore the potential for growth and partnerships as you navigate the dynamic landscape of entrepreneurship and commercialization at the University of Colorado.

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The Global Business Development division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced that five companies based on innovations from the University of Colorado and one CU researcher have been awarded Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants through OEDIT Advanced Industries Accelerator Program. These grants promote the growth and sustainability of advanced industries in Colorado by driving innovation, commercialization and public-private partnerships that move this vital aspect of Colorado economy forward in communities across the state.

“The advanced industries account for nearly 30% of Colorado total wage earnings, approximately 30% of total sales revenue, and nearly 35% of the state total exports. The Advanced Industries Accelerator program is a national model, strengthening this critical part of Colorado economy by supporting companies developing disruptive and innovative technologies. By providing direct funding and enabling recipients to leverage third-party capital, we are supporting transformative commercial product development and end-use applications while growing businesses and supporting new jobs,” said Michelle Hadwiger, director of global business development at OEDIT.

The Proof of Concept grant is intended to help Colorado research institutions speed up applied research in the advanced industries, as well as commercialize products and services in partnership with the private sector. The Early-Stage Capital and Retention grant supports businesses commercializing innovative and disruptive technologies in the advanced industries that will be created or manufactured in Colorado.

The Advanced Industries Accelerator Program received 119 applications this grant cycle, which were reviewed in a multi-stage process by committees of business, technical and financial experts in the seven advanced industries. Final recommendations were approved by the Economic Development Commission on November 20, 2025.

The next application cycle for Proof-of-Concept and Early Stage Capital and Retention Grants will open on January 5, 2026 and applications will be due February 26, 2026. Learn more here

Proof-of-Concept Grants:

�Ͼ�Ʒ��, PI Jarrod Schiffbauer - Boulder, CO $85,023: Developing graphene-based aerogels for scalable high thrust efficiency solar photothermal propulsion.

Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grants:

ExoPower Inc. - Grand Junction, CO $150,000: Developing in-motion capacitive wireless charging technology to keep industrial mobile robots operating continuously.

Onconaut Therapeutics Inc. - Aurora, CO $246,868: Developing a first-in-class inhibitor of a protein that drives tumor growth, metastasis, and drug resistance in colorectal and other solid tumors.

Osmopure Technologies Inc. - Boulder, CO $250,000: Developing a new class of pressure-driven distillation membranes to remove contaminants from water.

Vega Surgical Inc. - Aurora, CO $250,000: Developing a bedside neurosurgical procedure solution for treating chronic subdural hematomas.

Vona Oncology LLC - Aurora, CO $250,000: Developing a novel small molecule designed to target aggressive triple-negative breast cancer.

OEDIT—The Global Business Development division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade announced that five companies based on innovations from the University of Colorado and one CU researcher have been awarded Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants through OEDIT Advanced Industries Accelerator Program.

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A window underground: New sensors measure emissions from soil in real time

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 18:18:08 +0000

A window underground: New sensors measure emissions from soil in real time Daniel Corbin … Thu, 11/20/2025 - 11:18

�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Today—A team of �Ͼ�Ʒ�� researchers is making reliable, inexpensive and easy-to-deploy sensors that monitor soil in real time as it, essentially, breathes in and out. Those data could help farmers optimize their use of fertilizers, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving money in the process. They have started Tierra Metrics to bring their inventions to market.

Read the Full Story

Tierra Metrics Inc.

Tierra Metrics combines low-cost sensors with continuous models of the agricultural nitrogen cycle. They envision a world where digital twins of farms inform farmers and land managers in real time to reduce excess fertilizer use, cutting costs, pollution and emissions to build more resilient farming systems. Visit the Tierra Metrics Website

Watch Taylor Sharpe, chief engineer of Tierra Metrics, pitch the company at the 2025 Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator Community Showcase.

�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Today—A team of �Ͼ�Ʒ�� researchers is making reliable, inexpensive and easy-to-deploy sensors that monitor soil in real time and have formed a new startup, Tierra Metrics.

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$755,000 awarded to University of Colorado innovators to advance their discoveries

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 22:18:03 +0000

$755,000 awarded to University of Colorado innovators to advance their discoveries Daniel Corbin … Mon, 10/27/2025 - 16:18

Eleven teams of University of Colorado faculty, researchers and graduate student innovators competed for a combined $755,000 in startup funding grants in this year Lab Venture Challenge (LVC). Judges from CU's entrepreneurial network heard Shark-Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

Interested in the 2026 LVC?

LVC supports CU projects that address a commercial need, have a clear path to a compelling market and have strong scientific support.

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Through LVC, top innovators from �Ͼ�Ʒ��, Denver and Colorado Springs compete for grants to fund projects that address a commercial need, have a clear path to a compelling market and have strong scientific support. The LVC grants are funded by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program, as well as Venture Partners at �Ͼ�Ʒ�� and the Chancellor Innovation Fund. Six awards were granted this year, and the funding goes directly to CU labs to further develop their innovations.

This culminating event for these groundbreaking teams showcased the university initiative to support innovators from discovery to economic success. LVC is run by Venture Partners at �Ͼ�Ʒ��, the university commercialization arm and central resource for researchers who wish to translate their work into impactful business and social ventures. As part of the LVC program, all the competitors worked with Venture Partners to protect their innovations and practice their funding pitches for business audiences. LVC awardees will continue to work and collaborate with Venture Partners on their path to commercialization.

“At this early stage, funding is essential, but can be a challenge to obtain,“ said Joshua Bennett, director of LVC and assistant director of licensing at Venture Partners. “All of these teams have promising innovations ready to launch new businesses. LVC is a unique opportunity for those innovators to receive that vital funding, and we’re proud to work with the State of Colorado to make it happen.”

To date, LVC has funded over 123 projects through 70 new deep-tech startup companies; collectively, these companies have raised over $349 million in follow-on financing.

Applications for the next LVC will open in July 2026.

This year LVC was additionally made possible by Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti LLP, Holland & Hart LLC, Johnson & Johnson, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Paralex

Photo Credit: TJ Zirkman

2025 Physical Sciences Winners

$127,500—Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis for H₂ Production

Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis (MEE) improves hydrogen generation efficiency by enhancing bubble release and energy transfer. Adapted from space technology, MEE offers scalable, cost-effective clean hydrogen for transportation, industry and off-grid power. The team has formed a startup, Agami Zero, to bring their innovation to market.

Oana Luca (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Chemistry), PI
Ankur Gupta (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Chemical and Biological Engineering), Co-PI
Hunter Koltunski (Student: �Ͼ�Ʒ�� Chemistry), Scientific Lead
Richard Noble (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Chemical and Biological Engineering), Scientific Advisor
Jafar Makrani, Co-Founder and CEO/CPO
Lyle Antieau III, Co-Founder and CTO/COO

$125,000—Low SWaP Frequency Comb for Quantum applications

Our Gen-III low-SWaP frequency comb, built on thin-film lithium niobate nanophotonics, delivers octave-spanning spectra with ultra-low power. Compact, scalable and robust, it enables deployable quantum clocks, sensors and communication systems beyond the lab. The team has formed a startup, Chi3 Optics, to bring their innovation to market.

Scott A. Diddams (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), PI
Tsung-Han Wu (Postdoc: �Ͼ�Ʒ�� Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Founder, CEO
Peter Chang, CTO
Nathan Brooks, Principal Scientist

$125,000—Novel Synergistic Catalysis for Clean Water and Fuel

A modular photo-thermo-catalysis device that rapidly activates a wide range of stubborn chemical bonds, enabling carbon-free fuel production at high reaction rates and the destruction of toxic PFAS in water, while reducing energy use and operating costs. The team has formed a startup, Synergia, to bring their innovation to market.

Longji Cui (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), PI
Dishan Chooi (Student: �Ͼ�Ʒ�� Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Technical Co-Lead
Sarang Gosavi (Student: �Ͼ�Ʒ�� Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Technical Co-Lead
Yunxuan Zhu (Postdoc: �Ͼ�Ʒ�� Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Director of R&D
Karen Crofton (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� College of Engineering and Applied Science), Advisor

2025 Biosciences Winners

$127,500—Metabolite-Based Therapeutics for Obesity

Pythons exhibit dramatic metabolic plasticity with feeding, increasing organ size and activity by up to 40% after consuming large prey. From this biology, the team discovered a novel feeding-induced metabolite that was upregulated by 1,000-fold and acts as a natural appetite suppressant through modulating satiety. The team has formed a startup, Arkana Therapeutics, to bring their innovation to market.

Leslie Leinwand (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), PI
Thomas Martin (Postdoc: �Ͼ�Ʒ�� Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), CSO
Jack Gugel, CEO
Yuxiao Tan (Postdoc: �Ͼ�Ʒ�� Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Co-Founder

$125,000—Computationally Designed IL-18 binders to Treat Sepsis

Enabled by recent advances in AI-driven protein design, minibinders are being engineered to target IL-18, a key driver of sepsis. These compact, stable proteins penetrate tissues efficiently and can be precisely dosed to avoid prolonged immune suppression, offering a next-generation therapeutic for sepsis. The team has formed a startup, iMembrane Therapeutics, to bring their innovation to market.

Jingshi Shen (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), PI
Suzhao Li (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), President
Charles Dinarello (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), Advisor

$125,000—Bioadhesive Patches That Seal Where Sutures Fail

DuraPatch provides rapid closure of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks during neurosurgery, eliminating the need for sutures. Engineered with high-resolution 3D printing and advanced biomaterials, DuraPatch strongly adheres to wet tissues to create a watertight seal while supporting and promoting healing. The team has founded a startup, Entangl3d, to bring their innovation to market.

Matt Davidson (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� BioFrontiers Institute), CEO and Founder
Jason Burdick (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Chemical and Biological Engineering and BioFrontiers Institute) Co-Founder, PI
Peter Lennarson (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), Advisor

Eleven teams of University of Colorado faculty, researchers and graduate student innovators competed for a combined $755,000 in startup funding grants in this year Lab Venture Challenge (LVC). Judges from CU's entrepreneurial network heard Shark-Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

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VitriVax raises $17.25M Series B financing to advance vaccine formulation platform

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 20:37:06 +0000

VitriVax raises $17.25M Series B financing to advance vaccine formulation platform Daniel Corbin … Wed, 10/22/2025 - 14:37

�Ͼ�Ʒ�� spinout VitriVax has raised $17.25 million in Series B financing to accelerate development of its Stablevax™ platform, which eliminates the need for cold storage in vaccines. The funding will support preclinical and clinical advancement of single-dose, thermostable vaccines aimed at improving global immunization access.

Read the Announcement

The University of Colorado Connection

VitriVax is a biotechnology company working to eliminate barriers to global vaccination, and has developed a novel stabilization and delivery platform for vaccines and therapeutics based on research in the laboratories of Bob Garcea (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology) and Ted W. Randolph at �Ͼ�Ʒ�� (�Ͼ�Ʒ�� Chemical and Biological Engineering).

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VitriVax—�Ͼ�Ʒ�� spinout VitriVax has raised $17.25 million in Series B financing to accelerate development of its Stablevax™ platform, which eliminates the need for cold storage in vaccines. The funding will support preclinical and clinical advancement of single-dose, thermostable vaccines aimed at improving global immunization access.

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VitriVax awarded $9.9M grant to enable scaling up of clinical manufacturing

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 22:32:47 +0000

VitriVax awarded $9.9M grant to enable scaling up of clinical manufacturing Daniel Corbin … Tue, 10/14/2025 - 16:32

Business Wire—VitriVax Inc., a �Ͼ�Ʒ�� vaccine formulation technology spinout, today announced it has been awarded a two-year, $9.9 million grant from the Gates Foundation. The funding will support the scale-up of VitriVax Atomic Layering Thermostable Antigen and Adjuvant (ALTA^®) technology, enabling Phase 1-ready GMP manufacturing and advancing the platform to prepare for Phase 1 clinical trials.

Read the Full Article

The University of Colorado Connection

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Business Wire—VitriVax Inc., a �Ͼ�Ʒ�� vaccine formulation technology spinout, today announced it has been awarded a two-year, $9.9 million grant from the Gates Foundation. The funding will support the scale-up of VitriVax Atomic Layering Thermostable Antigen and Adjuvant (ALTA®) technology, enabling Phase 1-ready GMP manufacturing and advancing the platform to prepare for Phase 1 clinical trials.

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Flari Tech clinches $400,000 DARPA MTO Pitch Day award

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 17:55:26 +0000

Flari Tech clinches $400,000 DARPA MTO Pitch Day award Daniel Corbin … Thu, 10/09/2025 - 11:55

�Ͼ�Ʒ�� startup Flari Tech was selected as a winner in DARPA Spark Tank competition, securing $400,000 in funding and direct engagement opportunities with program managers as it advances its next-generation technology.

Read the Announcement

Flari Tech's CU Connection

Flari emerged through the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator, which awards funding and pairs experienced entrepreneurs with high-potential technologies from �Ͼ�Ʒ��. Eva Yao (CEO) met Jun Ye (Physics, JILA) and Qizhong Liang (JILA) for a lab tour at JILA through the program. The company hopes to use Nobel Prize-winning frequency comb technology to detect diseases detectable in breath.

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DARPA—�Ͼ�Ʒ�� startup Flari Tech was selected as a winner in DARPA Spark Tank competition, securing $400,000 in funding and direct engagement opportunities with program managers as it advances its next-generation technology.

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CU Startup News

Ventures putting people first at �Ͼ�Ʒ��

“Ensuring maximum social impact”

Impactful programs, built on science and expertise

What Can We Do Together?

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Startup application opens for the 2026 Destination Startup

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Agami Zero breaks through with magnetic hydrogen advance

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Arpeggio Biosciences raises $20M in latest offering

The University of Colorado Connection

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OEDIT announces grants to University of Colorado startups and researchers in the advanced industries

Proof-of-Concept Grants:

Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grants:

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A window underground: New sensors measure emissions from soil in real time

Tierra Metrics Inc.

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$755,000 awarded to University of Colorado innovators to advance their discoveries

2025 Physical Sciences Winners

$127,500—Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis for H2 Production

$125,000—Low SWaP Frequency Comb for Quantum applications

$125,000—Novel Synergistic Catalysis for Clean Water and Fuel

2025 Biosciences Winners

$127,500—Metabolite-Based Therapeutics for Obesity

$125,000—Computationally Designed IL-18 binders to Treat Sepsis

$125,000—Bioadhesive Patches That Seal Where Sutures Fail

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VitriVax raises $17.25M Series B financing to advance vaccine formulation platform

The University of Colorado Connection

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VitriVax awarded $9.9M grant to enable scaling up of clinical manufacturing

The University of Colorado Connection

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Flari Tech clinches $400,000 DARPA MTO Pitch Day award

Flari Tech's CU Connection

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$127,500—Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis for H₂ Production