Venture Partners at CU Boulder

Funding opportunity! The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Freedom 250 is a nationwide pitch competition for entrepreneurs building and scaling businesses within their communities. The quarter-final round will select one entrepreneur per state, and the final pitch competition in Washington, D.C. will culminate in a $1 million prize pool. ⏰ Wednesday, June 10 ➡️ Learn more and apply at https://lnkd.in/gbS_-t-r 🚀 Need support with your translational funding grant? Contact the Center for Translational Research: https://lnkd.in/gdRjk7u7 💡 Find More Opportunities: https://lnkd.in/gqYRy8KA

This monthly edition of The Insider from Venture Partners at CU Boulder delivers upcoming events, opportunities and top headlines for industry partners, entrepreneurs and business community members. This Edition Includes: ⭐ Forge Nano to go public via $1.6B SPAC, becoming CU Boulder’s 11th unicorn ⭐ Light without electricity? Glowing algae could make it possible 📅 June 24: Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase And more!

Behind every headline milestone at Venture Partners is a team doing work that’s rarely flashy and never simple. Throughout the year, we’ll celebrate members of the Venture Partners team—through the words of their colleagues—whose contributions help turn university innovation into real-world impact. Today: Christine Jackson by Margaret Bryant (she/her) Christine is a consistently caring and bright light in any space. At work, she is observant, proactive, conscientious and incredibly skilled. She ensures things operate smoothly and without fuss. Though she may appear quiet, her giant heart sparkles beneath the surface of her approachable nature, cultivating safe spaces for all she encounters and finding ways to bring out kindness in others. She creates community, whether by asking thoughtful questions or gifting impressive abundance from her garden. Christine strives to understand who people are and uplift their autonomy. She is a friend to all creatures great and small, especially her familial companions Tofu and Ellie whom she cares for with her partner Chris. In her waking life away, you can find her upside down and at great heights—literally. Her devoted practice as an aerialist shows how she maintains awe and curiosity about our world, finding new approaches and explorations in the face of what comes before us. For Christine, a love of animals, our planet and humanity are lived values. As a warrior for whimsy, Christine knows that being playful and joyful are the most powerful tools we have to endure whatever life throws at us. --- Can't wait? Read more about our team at https://lnkd.in/gwyiaTmp

Forge Nano, Inc., an advanced materials company and University of Colorado Boulder startup, has reached a $1.6 billion valuation, making it CU Boulder's 11th "unicorn," or a privately held company with a valuation of $1 billion or more. ➡️ Read the full Daily Camera story at https://lnkd.in/g7GpXkU4 🤝 Learn more about partnering with CU startups, innovators and their discoveries at https://lnkd.in/gJeBk5wh 💡 Explore how Venture Partners can support your research, invention or creative work at https://lnkd.in/grrYvuJv

Opportunity outside the University of Colorado!  Colorado Cleantech's Colorado Fusion Week: From strengthening the industry’s foundation to tackling immediate workforce needs, this convening will focus on what it takes to move forward together. 🗓️ July 20-22, Golden, CO ➡️ More info and apply at https://lnkd.in/g6WgwT7y 💡 Find more opportunities at https://lnkd.in/gqYRy8KA

Opportunity outside the University of Colorado! National Safety Council's Safety Innovation Challenge: Energy Control aims to highlight innovative technologies that can identify, secure and communicate hazardous energy risks in the workplace, to drive down rates of injuries and fatalities. ⏰ Deadline Wednesday, June 10 ➡️ More info and apply at https://lnkd.in/gg_Kdq9d 💡 Find more opportunities at https://lnkd.in/gqYRy8KA

Opportunity outside the University of Colorado! The Techstars Boulder Accelerator is now accepting applications. Techstars backs ambitious founders building companies with the potential to scale in a big way. Each company receives funding, access to a worldwide network of investors, hands-on mentorship and over $4 million of perks. ⏰ Deadline Wednesday, June 10 ➡️ Learn more and apply at https://lnkd.in/gnkGUPCK 🚀 Read about CU Boulder and Techstars' partnership to accelerate Colorado’s entrepreneurial ecosystem at https://lnkd.in/gwtMUsb9 💡 Find more opportunities at https://lnkd.in/gqYRy8KA

Imagine a sea of glowing blue lights pulsing to the beat of the music. But instead of glow sticks filled with toxic chemicals, the luminescence comes from living algae, shimmering on demand. In a new study published May 6 in Science Advances, University of Colorado Boulder researchers and collaborators unveil a new technology that could make it possible. They’ve successfully turned on the “light switch” in algae and kept them lit up using simple chemical solutions. The finding opens the door for future technologies such as autonomous robots that can operate in dark environments and living sensors for water quality. “This project was a moonshot idea,” said Wil V. Srubar III, PhD Srubar, professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering (University of Colorado Boulder College of Engineering & Applied Science). “I was curious if we could create a world in which we don’t use electricity but rather use biology to produce light. This discovery really paves the way for engineering other living light materials and devices.” ➡️ Read the full story at https://lnkd.in/gJvFNZrD 🤝 Learn more about partnering with CU startups, innovators and their discoveries at https://lnkd.in/gJeBk5wh 💡 Explore how Venture Partners can support your research, invention or creative work at https://lnkd.in/grrYvuJv

Join us for an info session on how to compete for up to $250,000 in translational funding through the University of Colorado’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) and Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) grants during this informational session featuring program leaders, funding experts and guidance on eligibility, timelines and best practices. 🗓️ Thursday, June 11, 2026, noon-2 p.m. MT 🖥️ Virtual 👥 For Those Commercializing Technologies From the University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Denver and University of Colorado Colorado Springs 🎟️ https://lnkd.in/gyy66tJu

Opportunity outside the University of Colorado! Telluride Venture Network's Climate Solutions Investment Bootcamp is an opportunity to connect with investors, learn from founders and refine the skills and tools needed to kick off fundraising or complete a round. 🗓️ June 22-July 2 📍 Virtual and in Telluride, CO ➡️ More info and apply at https://lnkd.in/gPJbFXjW 💡 Find more opportunities at https://lnkd.in/gqYRy8KA