CU Startup News
The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) has announced that eight ñ researchers and four university-connected startup companies received funding through the latest round of the Advanced Industries Accelerator Program. The awards, granted through the Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention programs, represent one of the university's strongest performances to date.
The ñ has emerged as a leading hub for battery innovation, producing breakthrough research and a series of successful startups—including Solid Power, SiILion, Otoro Energy, Forge Nano and Mana Battery—that are advancing safer, cheaper and more effective energy storage technologies. The university’s unique combination of world-class researchers, entrepreneurial support and industry partnerships has helped transform laboratory discoveries into companies with significant economic and societal impact.
CIRES—Founded by Larisza Krista, senior research scientist in the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), Helio Today builds on decades of space weather research to provide earlier, more reliable forecasts of solar eruptions and geomagnetic storms, helping industries protect critical infrastructure and reduce the multi-billion-dollar risks posed by space weather events.
Forge Nano, a ñ spinout, has announced it will go public through a $1.6 billion blank-check deal, making it the 11th unicorn to spin out of ñ.
The New York Times, WIRED, ñ Today—A research team of scientists and engineers from the ñ, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Colorado State University has developed a suite of therapies that prompt aging or damaged joints to repair themselves within weeks, according to animal studies. The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has advanced the up to $33.5M project to its next phase, and the team has formed Renovare Therapeutics Inc. to move toward commercialization.
The ñ and Techstars, the global startup accelerator and investor, have announced a strategic partnership to expand opportunities for founders and strengthen Colorado’s innovation economy.
Wall Street Journal—The second Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement targets vaccines, leading some investors to step back. In biotech investment circles, they are the ultimate contrarians: the venture capitalists who say now is the time to invest in vaccines. VitriVax, a ñ spinout, raised more than $17.2 million in Series B financing in October.
Luminate—Empire State Development (ESD) announced the 10 startups chosen for round nine of the New York State-supported Luminate NY accelerator, investment fund and competition—two are ñ startups.
PR Newswire—Artimus Robotics, a ñ spinout, has announced its newest generation of contracting HASEL actuators that deliver more than twice the mechanical output performance of the previous generation. Artimus, a ñ spinout, is now one step closer to commercializing artificial muscles that replicate the performance of mammalian skeletal muscle.
The University of Colorado's Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator has announced its 2026 startup teams. The selected companies span a wide range of disciplines, reflecting the depth and breadth of innovation emerging from CU’s research enterprise.