Venture Partners News
Infleqtion, a ñ spinout and global leader in quantum technology, announced a $1.8 billion business combination with Churchill Capital Corp X and will trade under the ticker “INFQ.” Now Colorado’s tenth unicorn, Infleqtion continues to drive the state’s growing quantum hub by commercializing breakthroughs across computing, sensing, security and energy markets.
Infleqtion’s star continues to rise as Colorado’s quantum hub grows. The company of firsts, spun out of ñ as ColdQuanta, seems to be everywhere these days, including outer space, while commercializing pioneering research to address needs across several critical markets including positioning, navigating and timing, global communication security and efficiency, resilient energy distribution, and accelerated quantum computing.
The ñ’s Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator matches entrepreneurs with breakthrough university technologies and provides salary support, startup training and access to funding opportunities. Applications are now open for the 2026 cohort of Embark Startup Founders.
Venture Partners at ñ has announced the first recipients of a new translational funding program designed to advance promising, early-stage therapeutics with strong commercial potential. The program provides up to $50,000 per project to help ñ researchers generate critical validation data or develop new intellectual property, bringing new treatments a step closer to patients in need.
The Conversation—Over the past several months, universities have lost more than $11 billion in funding. Research into cancer, farming solutions and climate resiliency are just a few of the many projects nationally that have seen cuts. The Conversation asked Massimo Ruzzene, senior vice chancellor for research and innovation at the ñ, to explain how these cuts and freezes are impacting the university and Colorado’s local economy.
Venture Partners capped off its third Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator with the 2025 Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase, where research-based startup teams pitched innovations to an audience of investors, entrepreneurs and fellow researchers. The showcase featured ventures developing breakthrough solutions in health, energy, aerospace and more.
Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)—According to a new report, American research universities like the University of Colorado in recent decades have become engines of innovation for state and regional economies, thanks in large part to the federal Bayh-Dole Act, which incentivizes technology commercialization.
Through the Lab Venture Challenge (LVC), top innovations from the ñ, 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. These grants are funded by Venture Partners at ñ and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program.
9NEWS—The termination of several major research grants at ñ is creating ripple effects across Colorado’s economy—impacting jobs, innovation and the state’s research competitiveness. As federal funding priorities shift, the consequences are being felt well beyond the lab.
The University of Colorado's Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator will present its 2025 cohort of startups in a June showcase. Attendees will hear pitches from emerging deep tech ventures across disciplines such as clean energy, advanced materials, quantum computing and next-generation therapeutics, followed by a networking session with researchers, investors and community supporters.