$1.25M awarded to University of Colorado innovators to advance their discoveries
Fourteen teams of University of Colorado faculty, researchers and graduate student innovators competed for a combined $1.25 million in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC). Judges from CU Boulder’s entrepreneurial network heard Shark-Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.
Through LVC, top innovators from CU Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs compete for grants of up to $125,000. LVC supports 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 , as well as Venture Partners at CU Boulder and the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund. Ten awards were granted this year for a total of $1,250,000.
This culminating event for these groundbreaking teams showcased the university’s initiative to support innovators from discovery to economic success. LVC is run by Venture Partners at CU Boulder, the university’s 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 senior licensing manager 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..â€
To date, LVC has funded over 117 projects through 64 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 2025.
This year’s LVC was additionally made possible by , , and .
2024 Physical Sciences $125,000 Winners
Winners of the physical sciences competition from left to right: Gerry Conroy, Gregor P. Henze and Galen Williams of WHISPER Energy; Joshua Bennett, director of the Lab Venture Challenge (LVC); Roberta Leão of EcoValeric Innovations; Anthony Straub, Kian Lopez of OsmoPure Technologies; Gregory Whiting, Taylor Sharpe of Tierra Metrics; Thomas R. Schibli of Mode-Locked Laser Technology. Photo: Keanan Wilson.
EcoValeric Innovations
EcoValeric's invention is an electrochemical process that converts biomass-based levulinic acid into 4-hydroxyvaleric acid (HVA), a versatile intermediate for producing biodegradable plastics, biofuels and green solvents. This scalable, renewable process reduces reliance on fossil fuels while enhancing sustainability.
- (CU Boulder Embark EIR): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
- (CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering): PI
- : CTO
Mode-Locked Laser Technology
This groundbreaking mode-locked laser technology overcomes the limitations of existing systems and is suitable for harsh environments. These systems excel in applications that require the best phase noise performance in a small and efficient device. Applications include PNT and RF instrumentation.
- Thomas R. Schibli (CU Boulder Physics): PI, LVC Pitch Presenter
- (Alum: CU Boulder Business): Business Development
- : Product Design, Advanced Manufacturing
OsmoPure Technologies
OsmoPure is introducing a membrane for ultrapure water production tailored to the stringent demands of electronics, aerospace and green hydrogen sectors. The technology uses distillation driven by pressure, rather than heat, to produce high-purity product water with ten times higher energy efficiency.
- (PhD student, CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
- (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering): Principal Investigator (PI)
- (PhD candidate, CU Boulder Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering): Director of R&D
WHISPER Energy
is a wireless, battery-free sensor platform for smart buildings. It uses machine learning to cut energy consumption by 30%+, providing real-time data to optimize energy use and reduce emissions. Developed with a $2 million ARPA-E grant, it advances zero emissions economically and efficiently.
- (CU Boulder 2023 Embark EIR): Co-Founder and CEO
- Gregor P. Henze (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, RASEI): PI and Co-Founder
- : Technical Lead and Advisor
Tierra Metrics
Tierra Metrics' novel high-spatial density sensor innovation will enable real-time characterization of the soil nitrogen cycle which will help growers, land managers and others to improve efficiency and profitability, as well as improve soil health and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
- (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering): PI, LVC Pitch Presenter
- (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering) Chief Engineer
- : Co-Founder
- : Co-Founder
2024 Biosciences $125,000 Winners
Winners of the biosciences competition from left to right: Emmalee Biesiada of Sterio3; Eva Yao of Flari Tech; Tanya Warnecke of Codebreaker; Jesse M. Sheppard of IntraLumenus; Makenna Morck, Alec Santiago, Michael Stowell of Kitsune Bio. Photo: Keanan Wilson.
Codebreaker
Codebreaker is building a platform for generating variant genomes at scale in an AI framework that drives variant genome design and machine learning to generate significance maps broadly across human disease and drug response.
- (BioFrontiers Institute: PI, LVC Pitch Presenter
- : CEO
- : CTO
- : KOL-Collaborator
Flari Tech
Flari Tech is building a laser-based breathalyzer to detect lung cancer noninvasively and rapidly with high sensitivity. Powered by CU's Nobel Prize-winning optical frequency comb, it would empower healthcare providers, patients and researchers in lung cancer prevention, treatment and monitoring. Read more about Flari
- (CU Boulder 2023 Embark EIR): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
- (CU Boulder Physics, ): PI
- (PhD candidate, CU Boulder Physics, JILA): Technical Lead
- (PhD student, CU Boulder Physics, JILA): Research Assistant
Kitsune Bio
Kitsune Bio enhances the structural adaptability of cyclic peptides, improving their ability to bind, inhibit and access challenging intracellular targets. This unique platform unlocks new opportunities for treating complex diseases and improving patient outcomes.
- (CU Boulder Embark EIR): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
- (CU Boulder Embark EIR): COO, LVC Pitch Presenter
- Michael Stowell (CU Boulder Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology): PI
IntraLumenus
Let’s never cut open a patient again. IntraLumenus is a treaded robotic capsule endoscope that travels through the colon under its own power, provides localization and mapping, and dual channel tool access, enabling colorectal procedures to be performed intraluminally, or from within the colon.
- (CU Boulder Embark EIR): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
- (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering): PI
SteriO3
Peroxide Enhanced Germicidal Irradiation (PEGI) provides rapid, low-resource sterilization of microbial contaminants. With adaptable configuration capabilities, PEGI will be engineered into compact, portable units for low-temperature sterilization of surgical equipment, including 3D-printed implants.
- (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering): Principal Investigator (PI), LVC Pitch Presenter
- : CEO
- (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering): Chief Scientific and Project Advisor
The Newsroom
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