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2023 was another tremendous year for innovation at the University of Colorado Boulder. Campus researchers and inventors created a strong crop of 162 breakthrough technologies this past year. These spanned the breadth of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú´«Ã½ÎÄ»¯×÷Ʒ’s research expertise, with innovations in climate tech, biotechnology, quantum science, optics and aerospace, to name a few. ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú´«Ã½ÎÄ»¯×÷Æ·'s commercialization arm, Venture Partners at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú´«Ã½ÎÄ»¯×÷Æ·, supports a groundbreaking pipeline translating research into real-world impact, as highlighted in their 2023 Annual Report. 

New Venture Challenge—The 2024 New Venture Challenge (NVC) culminated in a final showcase on April 17 in front of a live audience cheering on the University of Colorado Boulder’s next big innovations. At an event filled with great ideas and even greater entrepreneurial spirit, five teams competed for $165,000 in prize money. BioSensor Solutions, part of the first cohort of the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator launched by Venture Partners at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú´«Ã½ÎÄ»¯×÷Æ·, won fourth place in the competition.

Within minutes, a laser-based device the size of a small suitcase could spot dangerous aerosols and alert safety crews. That's the vision of a team of engineers and chemists at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú´«Ã½ÎÄ»¯×÷Æ·, the California Institute of Technology, UC Santa Barbara and three companies. Frequency comb lasers can act like fingerprint scanners for aerosols, teasing out the signals from even minute concentrations of particles or gases in the air. The team includes LongPath Technologies, a ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú´«Ã½ÎÄ»¯×÷Æ· spinout that uses these tools to search for methane leaks at oil and gas facilities.

Deming Center for Entrepreneurship—The New Venture Challenge (NVC) and Deming Center for Entrepreneurship teamed up to present the NVC Women Founders competition, awarding $10,000 to groundbreaking new ventures. SuviCa and PrecisionTerra—CU

The New Venture Challenge (NVC) and Venture Partners at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú´«Ã½ÎÄ»¯×÷Æ· teamed up to present the NVC Deep Tech competition, awarding $53,000 to groundbreaking new ventures.

Venture Partners at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú´«Ã½ÎÄ»¯×÷Æ· and the university’s Industry and Foundation Relations (IFR) team brought together dozens of stakeholders in the renewable energy and storage ecosystem to discuss innovations, issues and opportunities in the vibrant sector.

LongPath is harnessing quantum technology to detect methane emissions from oil and gas operations, innovation that benefits industry and investors—and the planet. Most recently, LongPath received landmark financial backing from the Department of Energy (DOE) for a loan of up to $189 million to accelerate the scale-up of the company’s monitoring systems.

Quantum Computing Report—Infleqtion announced that it has acquired both SiNoptiq Inc. and Morton Photonics Inc. Both companies work in the area of photonics. SiNoptiq has developed an ultra-low loss silicon nitride platform, while Morton Photonics

The Embark program pairs seasoned entrepreneurs with university technologies to bring those breakthroughs to market in response to urgent societal needs. The recent Embark Showcase was the pinnacle of the program’s first year working with selected entrepreneurs to provide IP rights, salary support, grant funds and investor introductions to launch startups with real-world impact.

LiteWave Technologies, a spinout of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú´«Ã½ÎÄ»¯×÷Æ· and a subsidiary of Orion Space Solutions, has been acquired by Arcfield, a leading government technology and mission support provider.