Technology and Discovery News

CU researchers to compete for share of $1.25M in grant funding to bring bio- and physical-sciences innovations to market

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 16:13:05 +0000

CU researchers to compete for share of $1.25M in grant funding to bring bio- and physical-sciences innovations to market Daniel Corbin … Wed, 10/02/2024 - 10:13

Fourteen teams of University of Colorado entrepreneurs, faculty researchers and graduate student innovators will compete for a combined $1.25 million in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases. Judges from Venture Partners at ��ſ��2023��¼’s entrepreneurial network will hear Shark Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

2024 LVC Showcases

Physical Sciences Showcase: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 5:30-8 p.m.

Biosciences Showcase: Thursday, Oct. 24, 5:30-8 p.m.

Founder Central by Sweater, 2000 Central Ave #100, Boulder

Learn More and Register

Through LVC, top innovators from ��ſ��2023��¼, 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 Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program, as well as Venture Partners and the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund.

LVC is run by Venture Partners, one of the university’s commercialization arms and a central resource for researchers who wish to translate their work into impactful business and social ventures. LVC finalists are working and collaborating 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..”

To date, LVC has funded 107 projects through 54 new deep-tech startup companies, which collectively have raised over $349 million in follow-on financing.

Members of the entrepreneurial and university communities are invited to attend the LVC Showcases to enjoy good food, network and see which teams will walk away with $125,000 of funding.

This year’s LVC was additionally made possible by Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti LLP, Wilson Sonsini, Cooley and Cozen O'Connor.

2024 Physical Sciences Finalists

Colexible

Colexible's liquid metal printed circuit board technology offers deformable, stretchable and affordable electronic assemblies that address the challenges that current rigid PCBs face with emerging technologies, such as wearable electronics, virtual/augmented reality and collaborative robots.

Jianliang Xiao (��ſ��2023��¼ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering): PI
C.J. Whelan (��ſ��2023��¼ Embark EIR): CEO
Kris Obernyer: Chief Product Officer

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. Visit EcoValeric's website

Roberta Leão (��ſ��2023��¼ Embark EIR): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Adam Holewinski (��ſ��2023��¼ Chemical and Biological Engineering): PI
Will Lucas: CTO

InfraInform

I2M-B is an end-to-end AI-based software tool that integrates cutting-edge temporal deep learning techniques with novel operations research methodologies to address the lack of an optimized, predictive and proactive approach for cost-efficient bridge and culvert maintenance planning.

Farnoush Banaei-Kashani (CU Denver Computer Science and Engineering): Co-PI, LVC Pitch Presenter
Moatassem Abdalla (CU Denver Civil Engineering): Co-PI, LVC Pitch Presenter
Kevin Rens: Co-Investigator, Subject Matter Expert (SME)

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 (��ſ��2023��¼ Physics): PI, LVC Pitch Presenter
Chris Singer (Alum: ��ſ��2023��¼ Business): Business Development
Christopher B. Oei: 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. Visit the OsmoPure website

Kian Lopez (PhD student, ��ſ��2023��¼ Chemical and Biological Engineering): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Anthony Straub (��ſ��2023��¼ Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering): Principal Investigator (PI)
Nadia Jorgenson (PhD candidate, ��ſ��2023��¼ Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering): Director of R&D

WHISPER Energy

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. Visit the WHISPER website

Galen Williams (��ſ��2023��¼ 2023 Embark EIR): Co-Founder and CEO
Gregor P. Henze (��ſ��2023��¼ Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, RASEI): PI and Co-Founder
Gerry Conroy: 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. Visit the Tierra Metrics website

Gregory Whiting (��ſ��2023��¼ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering): PI, LVC Pitch Presenter
Taylor Sharpe (��ſ��2023��¼ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering) Chief Engineer
Whendee Silver: Co-Founder
Ana Claudia Arias: Co-Founder

2024 Biosciences Finalists

Aatxe Therapeutics

Aatxe Therapeutics 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.

Makenna Morck (��ſ��2023��¼ Embark EIR): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Alec Santiago (��ſ��2023��¼ Embark EIR): COO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Michael Stowell (��ſ��2023��¼ Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology): PI

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.

Ryan Layer (BioFrontiers Institute: PI, LVC Pitch Presenter
Ryan T. GIll: CEO
Tanya Warnecke: CTO
Jordan Abbott: KOL-Collaborator

Entangl3d

Entangl3d is transforming spine surgery with a groundbreaking 3D printing platform that produces strong, bioadhesive hydrogels. Easily deployable without tissue damage, our hydrogels will reinforce intervertebral discs to prevent reherniation and degeneration.

Matt Davidson (��ſ��2023��¼ Chemical and Biological Engineering, BioFrontiers Institute): PI, Co-Founder, CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Jason Burdick (��ſ��2023��¼ Chemical and Biological Engineering, BioFrontiers Institute): Co-Founder

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

Eva Yao (��ſ��2023��¼ 2023 Embark EIR): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Jun Ye (��ſ��2023��¼ Physics, JILA): PI
Qizhong Liang (PhD candidate, ��ſ��2023��¼ Physics, JILA): Technical Lead
Apoorva Bisht (PhD student, ��ſ��2023��¼ Physics, JILA): Research Assistant

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.

Jesse M. Sheppard (��ſ��2023��¼ Embark EIR): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Mark Rentschler (��ſ��2023��¼ 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. Visit the SteriO3 website

Emmalee Biesiada (��ſ��2023��¼ Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering): Principal Investigator (PI), LVC Pitch Presenter
Steve Hughes: CEO
Mark Hernandez (��ſ��2023��¼ Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering): Chief Scientific and Project Advisor

STAT3 Isoform-Selective Antisense Oligonucleotide (ASO)

This team is developing a proprietary STAT3 isoform-selective antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) using novel thiomorpholino chemistry (TMO) for the treatment of head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer type, with a low survival rate due to poor responsiveness to treatments.

Xuedong Liu (��ſ��2023��¼ Biochemistry): PI
Marvin H. Caruthers (��ſ��2023��¼ Biochemistry)
Antonio Jimeno (CU Anschutz)
Jing Hong Wang

Fourteen teams of University of Colorado entrepreneurs, faculty researchers and graduate student innovators will compete for a combined $1.25 million in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases. Judges from Venture Partners at ��ſ��2023��¼’s entrepreneurial network will hear Shark Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

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Polaris Electro-Optics demonstrates groundbreaking 102 Gbps PAM-4 silicon photonic modulator technology

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 18:54:00 +0000

Polaris Electro-Optics demonstrates groundbreaking 102 Gbps PAM-4 silicon photonic modulator technology Daniel Corbin … Wed, 09/25/2024 - 12:54

Photonics Online—A new variant of liquid crystal is at the core of ��ſ��2023��¼ startup Polaris Electro-Opstics' technology. Designed as a seamless drop-in enhancer of silicon photonic chips, Polaris's modulator technology paves the way for the next generation of optical interconnects critical to the future of data center disaggregation.

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Discovery could lead to longer-lasting EV batteries, hasten energy transition

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 18:01:28 +0000

Discovery could lead to longer-lasting EV batteries, hasten energy transition Daniel Corbin … Thu, 09/12/2024 - 12:01

��ſ��2023��¼ Today—An international team of researchers led by an engineer at ��ſ��2023��¼ has revealed the underlying mechanism behind battery degradation. Their discovery could help scientists to develop better batteries.

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Physics professor Ivan Smalyukh and his team receive Guinness Book of World Records award for most transparent material

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 17:00:01 +0000

Physics professor Ivan Smalyukh and his team receive Guinness Book of World Records award for most transparent material Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/15/2024 - 11:00

College of Arts & Sciences—��ſ��2023��¼ Physics Professor Ivan Smalyukh and his team have achieved a remarkable milestone by receiving a Guinness World Records award for creating the world's most transparent material. Their aerogel, which has now been successfully patented, can be added to windows to boost thermal insulation, increasing the overall efficiency of a building.

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A Band-Aid for the heart? New 3D printing method makes this, and much more, possible

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 19:59:58 +0000

A Band-Aid for the heart? New 3D printing method makes this, and much more, possible Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/01/2024 - 13:59

��ſ��2023��¼ Today—A ��ſ��2023��¼-led team, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, has taken a critical step toward developing a new way to 3D print material that is at once elastic enough to withstand a heart’s persistent beating, tough enough to endure the crushing load placed on joints and easily shapable to fit a patient’s unique defects.

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LASP team awarded NASA technology grant to develop dust analyzer

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 20:03:48 +0000

LASP team awarded NASA technology grant to develop dust analyzer Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/22/2024 - 14:03

LASP—To learn more about how dust particles may affect future missions, NASA has awarded $1 million to a team from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at ��ſ��2023��¼ to develop a Rubik’s cube-sized instrument. Once built and tested, CEDA (Compact Electrostatic Dust Analyzer) will be capable of measuring the speed, size and charge of tiny dust particles on rocky bodies less than 5 kilometers across.

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Separating gases is hard but might get easier, researchers find

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 22:03:17 +0000

Separating gases is hard but might get easier, researchers find Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/27/2024 - 16:03

College of Arts and Sciences Magazine—��ſ��2023��¼ chemist Wei Zhang has developed a novel method to separate gases more efficiently, potentially revolutionizing industries reliant on gas separation technologies. Their breakthrough, which utilizes advanced materials and innovative techniques, promises to reduce energy consumption and enhance the sustainability of these processes.

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��ſ��2023��¼ wins $20M to lead National Quantum Nanofab facility

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 22:48:02 +0000

��ſ��2023��¼ wins $20M to lead National Quantum Nanofab facility Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/20/2024 - 16:48

��ſ��2023��¼ Today—Researchers at ��ſ��2023��¼ will soon begin working on what they call the “quantum machine shop” of the 21st century. The U.S. National Science Foundation today announced a $20 million grant to ��ſ��2023��¼ to launch a facility known as the National Quantum Nanofab (NQN). In this facility, Colorado researchers and quantum specialists from around the country will be able to design and build incredibly small devices that tap into the world of atoms and photons—the tiny packets of energy that make up light.

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Gov. Jared Polis signs quantum industry bill on ��ſ��2023��¼ campus

Anonymous — Thu, 30 May 2024 20:25:07 +0000

Gov. Jared Polis signs quantum industry bill on ��ſ��2023��¼ campus Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/30/2024 - 14:25

��ſ��2023��¼ Today—Colorado Gov. Jared Polis ushered in a new bill to support the state’s rapidly growing quantum industry. Polis signed the bill from the top floor of the JILA Tower, one of the epicenters of quantum research on campus, with a view of the Flatirons in the background.

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Plastic waste is a global problem. Carbon recycling can help

Anonymous — Fri, 24 May 2024 18:52:33 +0000

Plastic waste is a global problem. Carbon recycling can help Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/24/2024 - 12:52

��ſ��2023��¼ Today—While scientists are continuously exploring ways to reduce fossil fuel use in these sectors, Oana Luca, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at ��ſ��2023��¼, explores technologies like recycling and carbon capture to prevent carbon from ending up in the environment.

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Technology and Discovery News

CU researchers to compete for share of $1.25M in grant funding to bring bio- and physical-sciences innovations to market

2024 LVC Showcases

2024 Physical Sciences Finalists

Colexible

EcoValeric Innovations

InfraInform

Mode-Locked Laser Technology

OsmoPure Technologies

WHISPER Energy

Tierra Metrics

2024 Biosciences Finalists

Aatxe Therapeutics

Codebreaker

Entangl3d

Flari Tech

IntraLumenus

SteriO3

STAT3 Isoform-Selective Antisense Oligonucleotide (ASO)

Off

Polaris Electro-Optics demonstrates groundbreaking 102 Gbps PAM-4 silicon photonic modulator technology

Off

Discovery could lead to longer-lasting EV batteries, hasten energy transition

Off

Physics professor Ivan Smalyukh and his team receive Guinness Book of World Records award for most transparent material

Off

A Band-Aid for the heart? New 3D printing method makes this, and much more, possible

Off

LASP team awarded NASA technology grant to develop dust analyzer

Off

Separating gases is hard but might get easier, researchers find

Off

���ſ������2023������¼ wins $20M to lead National Quantum Nanofab facility

Off

Gov. Jared Polis signs quantum industry bill on ���ſ������2023������¼ campus

Off

Plastic waste is a global problem. Carbon recycling can help

Off

��ſ��2023��¼ wins $20M to lead National Quantum Nanofab facility

Gov. Jared Polis signs quantum industry bill on ��ſ��2023��¼ campus