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Applications due January 31, 2022

New Venture Challenge (NVC)—ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ's cross-campus entrepreneurial program and competition—connects the ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ campus with the Boulder community to develop and fund innovative impactful ideas. Participants attend expert-led events, network and collaborate with industry mentors to refine their ideas and form startup teams to pitch for funding (up to $100,000!) at the NVC Championships in April.

NVC isn't just for undergraduate students—graduate students, postdocs, faculty and staff who are forming research-based spinouts can participate as well! Several spinouts who have worked with Venture Partners in the past, such as Darwin Biosciences, TissueForm and Artimus Robotics have competed and won at NVC. 

Register your idea

Begins January 19

The Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator has selected its inaugural cohort from a large field of applicants. These early companies bring talented academic founders, business leads and truly innovative technologies from across CU's campuses. We are thrilled to follow these deep tech teams on their acceleration journey.

Ascent is a new accelerator program for deep tech startups facing unique challenges entering established industries. These teams will leverage ecosystem experts, our mentor network and Venture Partners staff to accelerate their viability and traction over the next four months. 

Learn more about each team

January 25, 2022
3 - 6 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom

This Demo Day is a capstone for seven teams who have worked to commercialize their ideas born out of the pandemic and find a viable market to grow, resulting in venture capital ready companies. Angel Investors and VCs will have a chance to see five-minute pitches from each team and to meet after the pitches and discuss the opportunities with other investors. 

February 16-17, 2022
Hybrid 

Destination Startup® is a collaboration among leading research universities and federal laboratories across the Intermountain West region to showcase the best companies from our innovation ecosystem.

The 2022 showcase will be a "hybrid" event, with companies presenting virtually OR in-person - with a live Q&A - over two days.

Deadline: Jan. 30 |

West Gate will support an inaugural cohort of up to five selected innovators with funding, resources, and entrepreneurial training to build their cleantech company in Colorado working closely with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Program offerings for each selected innovator over two years include:

- $100,000 annual stipend
- Two-year technical assistance funding of $175,000
- Curated, individualized programming
- Entrepreneurial curriculum, mentorship, and support
- Healthcare and relocation benefits for qualifying candidates

Complete the eligibility quiz at westgate.nrel.gov. If you successfully pass the quiz, you will be provided access to a pre-application.

Deadline: Jan. 31 |

Want a shot at $250,000 in cash prizes? The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Technology Transitions just launched the EnergyTech University Prize, a collegiate competition challenging multidisciplinary student teams to develop and present a business plan that leverages lab-developed and other high-potential energy technologies. EnergyTech UP awards cash prizes to teams that successfully identify an energy technology, assess its market potential and propose a strategy for commercialization.

Join the DOE at an upcoming virtual information session Jan. 13 - 14 to learn more:

Deadline: Feb. 2 |

The E-Team Grant Program offers up to $25,000 in catalytic grant funding and robust entrepreneurship training to student teams that are aiming to change the world through the development of scalable solutions to social, health and environmental challenges.

Interested? Contact brynmor.rees@colorado.edu

The Intuitive Founders 1 to N program provides startup founders opportunities to connect, discuss and share common issues with other startup leaders going through similar experiences. Through a series of brainstorming sessions, group activities and connections to world-class successful leaders, the program will provide founders the time and space to be challenged as well as gain unique insights into how to solve the issues they face, identify their gaps and blind spots, make better decisions, feel less isolated while leading a balanced lifestyle. All program expenses, including travel and lodging costs, are covered for all participants. This opportunity is for founders who are scaling their businesses, are committed, coachable, willing to get help and help others, and have $1M in revenue and/or have raised more than a $1M in capital.