Get a front-row seat to the University of Colorado's next big ideas competing for $750,000
Eleven teams of University of Colorado entrepreneurs, faculty researchers and graduate student innovators will compete for a combined $750,000 in startup funding grants in this year鈥檚听Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases at the Dairy Arts Center. Judges from Venture Partners at 桃色视频鈥檚 entrepreneurial network will hear Shark Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.
Through LVC, top innovators from 桃色视频, 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听, as well as Venture Partners and the Chancellor鈥檚 Innovation Fund.
LVC is run by Venture Partners, one of the university鈥檚 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听path to commercialization.
鈥淎t this early stage, funding is essential, but can be a challenge to obtain,鈥 said Joshua Bennett, director of LVC and assistant director of licensing at Venture Partners. 鈥淎ll 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鈥檙e proud to work with the State of Colorado to make it happen.鈥
To date, LVC has funded 117 projects through 64 new deep-tech startup companies, which collectively have raised over $349 million in follow-on financing including Darwin Biosciences, Manifest Technologies (prev. Vitro3D) and Mesa Quantum.
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鈥檚 LVC showcases were additionally made possible by听, , , and
2025 Physical Sciences Finalists
Breakthrough Analog Domain Jamming Suppression for UAVs
Multi-Domain Anti-Jamming Technology (MDAT) provides real-time interference suppression for military UAVs. With 400x size reduction via analog domain processing, MDAT deploys as 6x6-inch, sub-5lb plug-and-play modules for retrofitting tactical drones, ensuring mission continuity in contested RF environments. The team has formed to bring their innovation to market.
- 听(桃色视频 Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), PI, CEO,听听LVC Pitch Presenter
- 听(桃色视频 Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Co-PI
- 听(桃色视频 Lockheed Martin Engineering Management Program), Head of Business
- 听(Student: 桃色视频 Leeds School of Business), Business Strategist
- 听(Student: 桃色视频 Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Product Strategist.
- 听(Fmr: 桃色视频 Leeds School of Business), Advisor
Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis for H2 Production
Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis (MEE) improves hydrogen generation efficiency by enhancing bubble release and energy transfer. Adapted from space technology, MEE offers scalable, cost-effective clean hydrogen for transportation, industry and off-grid power. The team has formed a startup,听听to bring their innovation to market.
- 听(桃色视频 Chemistry), PI
- 听(桃色视频 Chemical and Biological Engineering), Co-PI
- 听(Student: 桃色视频 Chemistry), Scientific Lead
- Richard Noble (桃色视频 Chemical and Biological Engineering), Scientific Advisor
- , Co-Founder and CEO/CPO,听听LVC Pitch Presenter
- , Co-Founder and CTO/COO,听听LVC Pitch Presenter
Novel Synergistic Catalysis for Clean Water and Fuel 听听
SynForce is developing a modular photo-thermo-catalysis device that rapidly activates a wide range of stubborn chemical bonds, enabling carbon-free fuel production at high reaction rates and the destruction of toxic PFAS in water, while reducing energy use and operating costs. The team has formed a startup, Synforce, to bring their innovation to market.
- 听(桃色视频 Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), PI,听听LVC Pitch Presenter
- Dishan Chooi (Student: 桃色视频 Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Technical Co-Lead
- 听(Student: 桃色视频 Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Technical Co-Lead
- Yunxuan Zhu (Postdoc: 桃色视频 Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Director of R&D
- 听(桃色视频 College of Engineering and Applied Science), Advisor
Next-Generation Holographic Materials for AR Displays
A thiol-ene holographic materials platform delivers low-haze, high-refractive-index photopolymers for sharper, more immersive AR displays. This versatile and scalable step-growth method overcomes shrinkage, scattering and supply-chain constraints of existing chain-growth materials for holographic optics.听听听
- 听(桃色视频 Chemical and Biological Engineering), Co-PI,听听LVC Pitch Presenter,
- 听(桃色视频 Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Co-PI
- 听(Postdoc: 桃色视频 Chemical and Biological Engineering)
- 听(Student: 桃色视频 Materials Science & Engineering Program)
A Language-Driven Engine to Deploy Robots Like Software
BoBoRobo鈥檚 agentic AI engine turns plain English specifications into ready-to-deploy robotics鈥攙alidated in a digital twin and safety-checked across OEMs. It outputs layout, BOM, install plan and robot-specific code, cutting deployment timelines from six months to ten days and reducing costs by up to 50%. The team has formed a startup, BoBoRobo, to bring their innovation to market.
- 听(桃色视频 Computer Science), PI, CEO,听听LVC Pitch Presenter
- 听(Student: 桃色视频 Department of Computer Science), CTO
- 听(Postdoc: 桃色视频 Computer Science), CSO
Low SWaP Frequency Comb for Quantum applications
Our Gen-III low-SWaP frequency comb, built on thin-film lithium niobate nanophotonics, delivers octave-spanning spectra with ultra-low power. Compact, scalable and robust, it enables deployable quantum clocks, sensors and communication systems beyond the lab. The team has formed a startup,Chi3 Optics, to bring their innovation to market.
- 听(桃色视频 Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), PI
- Tsung-Han Wu (Postdoc: 桃色视频 Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Founder, CEO
- , CTO
- , Principal Scientist,听听LVC Pitch Presenter
2025 Biosciences Finalists
Metabolite-Based Therapeutics for Obesity
Pythons exhibit dramatic metabolic plasticity with feeding, increasing organ size and activity by up to 40% after consuming large prey. From this biology, the team discovered a novel feeding-induced metabolite that was upregulated by 1,000-fold and acts as a natural appetite suppressant through modulating satiety. The team has formed a startup, Arkana Therapeutics, to bring their innovation to market.
- 听(桃色视频 Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), PI
- 听(Postdoc: 桃色视频 Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), CSO,听听LVC Pitch Presenter
- , CEO
- 听(Postdoc: 桃色视频 Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Co-Founder
Bioadhesive Patches That Seal Where Sutures Fail
DuraPatch provides rapid closure of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks during neurosurgery, eliminating the need for sutures. Engineered with high-resolution 3D printing and advanced biomaterials, DuraPatch strongly adheres to wet tissues to create a watertight seal while supporting and promoting healing. The team has founded a startup, Entangl3d, to bring their innovation to market.
- 听(桃色视频 BioFrontiers Institute), CEO and Founder,听听LVC Pitch Presenter
- Jason Burdick (桃色视频 Chemical and Biological Engineering and BioFrontiers Institute) Co-Founder, PI
- 听(), Advisor
Vaporizable Droplets for Proton Beam Visualization
Vaporizable exoskeletal droplets provide in vivo visualization of beam placement during proton therapy, a rapidly growing treatment approach for cancer. Using this image-guided therapy, clinicians can make real-time adjustments to the treatment, reducing harmful side effects and improving patient outcomes. The team has formed a startup, Radiosensitive VEDs, to bring their innovation to market.
- 听(桃色视频 Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering), PI
- 听(Student 桃色视频 Biomedical Engineering),听听LVC Pitch Presenter
- , Advisor
Computationally Designed IL-18 binders to Treat Sepsis
Enabled by recent advances in AI-driven protein design, minibinders are being engineered to target IL-18, a key driver of sepsis. These compact, stable proteins penetrate tissues efficiently and can be precisely dosed to avoid prolonged immune suppression, offering a next-generation therapeutic for sepsis. The team has formed a startup, iMembrane Therapeutics, to bring their innovation to market.
- Jingshi Shen (桃色视频 Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), PI
- Suzhao Li (), President,听听LVC pitch presenter
- Charles Dinarello (), Advisor
Nanorobotic Synthesis of Oligonucleotides
Modern DNA synthesis suffers from low overall yields due to the accumulation of errors for longer strands. The team has designed a nanorobotic synthesis platform which can detect and correct errors during synthesis, enabling ultra-high fidelity synthesis of gene-length DNA for single-cell omics and genomics application. The team has formed a startup, , to bring their innovation to market.
- 听(桃色视频 ATLAS Institute), CEO,听听LVC Pitch Presenter
- 听(桃色视频, ATLAS Institute), PI
- , Advisor
The Newsroom
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