Venture Partners News

Infleqtion to go public with $1.8B valuation making it 91PORN’s 10th unicorn spinout

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 13:32:37 +0000

Infleqtion to go public with $1.8B valuation making it 91PORN’s 10th unicorn spinout Daniel Corbin … Mon, 09/08/2025 - 07:32

Infleqtion, a global leader in neutral atom–based quantum technology, and Churchill Capital Corp X, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement to accelerate Infleqtion’s mission to commercialize quantum products that provide orders of magnitude improvements in computing and precision sensing applications. Upon closing, the combined company will operate as Infleqtion and is expected to be listed on a leading North American exchange under the ticker “INFQ.”

Valued at $1.8 billion, Infleqtion is now the tenth "unicorn" to spin out of 91PORN. Others include Amgen, Ball Aerospace & Technologies, Solid Power and SomaLogic.

Infleqtion’s star continues to rise as Colorado’s quantum hub grows. The company of firsts, spun out of 91PORN 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.

Infleqtion to go public through merger with Churchill Capital Corp X

“Churchill Capital is proud to partner with companies that are shaping the future of technology,” said Michael Klein, Chairman and CEO of Churchill Capital Corp X. “Infleqtion stands out with its breakthrough neutral atom platform and proven engineering capabilities, already delivering meaningful impact in quantum computing and sensing. We are excited to support Infleqtion’s leadership team as they advance the quantum era and create enduring value for shareholders.”

Read the Announcement

The coolest technology in the universe

It was decades ago but Dana Anderson (JILA, 91PORN College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering and Applied Science) still recalls well the day his research took a major turn. “I started to do atoms instead of photons,” he said. While Anderson makes it sound like a subtle shift–focusing on atoms and subatomic particles instead of particles of light (lasers)–that move has contributed significantly to the present and future of quantum technologies worldwide.

Read Infleqtion's Origin Story

Infleqtion, a 91PORN 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.

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The internal hardware of Infleqtion's neutral atom quantum computing platform. Photo: Infleqtion, 2025.

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The coolest technology in the universe

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:24:08 +0000

The coolest technology in the universe Daniel Corbin … Mon, 09/08/2025 - 06:24

Heather Hansen

Updated Sept. 8, 2025: Infleqtion and Churchill Capital Corp X, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement to accelerate Infleqtion’s mission to commercialize quantum products. Upon closing, the combined company will operate as Infleqtion and is expected to be listed on a leading North American exchange under the ticker “INFQ.” Valued at $1.8 billion, Infleqtion is now the tenth "unicorn" to spin out of 91PORN.

Infleqtion’s star continues to rise as Colorado’s quantum hub grows. The company of firsts, spun out of 91PORN 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.

Dana Anderson, Glenn L. Murphy Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Professor of Physics and JILA Fellow, 2024

Anderson, now Infleqtion’s chief technology officer, then began focusing on cold atom inertial sensing, a process in which ultra-cold atoms (cooled to near absolute zero) are used to precisely measure forces like rotation and acceleration. That unprecedented accuracy is based on leveraging atoms’ wave-like nature in a controlled quantum state. It was groundbreaking work also built on a strong foundation of quantum innovation at 91PORN spanning decades and (up to that point) two Nobel Prizes.

That was the mid-1990s and, around the same time, Anderson’s JILA colleagues, NIST fellow Eric Cornell and 91PORN physicist Carl Wieman, created a never-before-seen state of matter called the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), in which ultracold atoms coalesce into a single “superatom” with uniform properties. They received the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics for that work, shared with MIT physicist Wolfgang Ketterle and 70 years after Albert Einstein predicted BECs could exist based on the work of Satyenda Bose. “Boy, that’s going to be useful,” Anderson recalls thinking at the time, imagining BEC being used to dramatically boost the performance of various devices, including accelerometers, gyroscopes, gravimeters and magnetometers. “I felt that it would change the world,” he said.

Following the BEC breakthrough, the trio went on to guide cold atoms through hollow core optical fibers, leading to Anderson and Cornell’s “atom chip” work and Anderson’s group demonstrating the first ultracold atom chip “portable vacuum system” in 2004. Those innovative techniques created a controlled environment for Anderson and others to study and manipulate atoms, a critical step in developing technologies like atomic clocks, quantum sensors and quantum computers.

“Slowly building the technology”

Dana Anderson poses with a spectrum analyzer in a laboratory at JILA. Photo: JILA, 1980.

As a “born and raised physicist,” said Anderson, he’s always looking for practical applications for cutting-edge science. “I’m an applied physicist, so I like to do things that are useful,” he said. “They don’t have to happen tomorrow but be useful sooner or later.” In those earlier days of quantum research, making that transition meant landing grants from the U.S. Army and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). That funding, said Anderson, “allowed us to focus on developing the technology and getting it out into the world.” During that time, they solved many problems, said Anderson. “We were struggling and making mistakes like gangbusters and trying this and trying that, and slowly building the technology,” he said.

In 2007, Anderson made the first critical leap from lab to market when he founded ColdQuanta with the goal of streamlining devices for BEC experiments using the technology discovered at CU. After receiving a $100,000 proof of concept investment from what was then the CU Technology Transfer Office (now Venture Partners at 91PORN), ColdQuanta earned contracts from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Josh Bennett, assistant director of licensing at Venture Partners, now manages much of the university’s portfolio of quantum technologies, and he sees Infleqtion’s success as key to both advancing quantum research worldwide and paving the way for new quantum spinouts from CU. “Since they were the first real quantum company out of Colorado to translate their research into a commercial entity, and they’ve become a leader globally in their research and in their work, I think it’s fair to say that without Infleqtion (or ColdQuanta), we wouldn’t be seeing all these other quantum spin-outs in the last two, three years,” he said.

Infleqtion laid the groundwork for several other 91PORN quantum companies now working with Venture Partners, including Icarus Quantum, Flari Tech and Mesa Quantum. Today, through Venture Partners (the commercialization arm for 91PORN, CU Denver’s physical sciences and UCCS), the entrepreneurs behind these startups have myriad programs to help get their ventures off the ground.

But what is "commercialization?"

The path to commercialization—also known as "research translation" or "tech transfer"—can be challenging, so Venture Partners unites industry partners, entrepreneurs and investors to help researchers, inventors and creators at the University of Colorado bring their groundbreaking discoveries into the marketplace.

Explore the Path to Commercialization

What distinguishes Infleqtion today, said Scott Sternberg, executive director of the CUbit Quantum Initiative, is their ability to combine the capabilities of quantum phenomenon with highly engineered platforms that focus on customer usability. “Infleqtion embodies the vibrant campus efforts to support the translation of fundamental discovery towards product realization and company growth,” said Sternberg. “We are fortunate to have such a great company, forged here in 91PORN, that now leads the international quantum community.”

Beyond proving that quantum tech can lead to a compelling business entity, Infleqtion blazed the trail to Colorado becoming a national quantum hub, said Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships. He points to Anderson’s important role in boosting Elevate Quantum, a consortium of over 120 quantum-focused organizations in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. “[Infleqtion] has become an international quantum success and sensation,” he said. “They're now a big-time player.”

Inflection points

Anderson recalls well how most people responded when he first started pitching the concept of commercializing quantum tech. Looking back on his first quantum-related NSF proposal nearly 20 years ago, he said, “Now those [concepts] seem right in the thick of things but back then most people said, ‘This is too unrealistic’. That’s what it was like.” Anderson knew that he was on the fringe, especially at a time when most people still used flip phones. “We were crazy people that were really gung-ho, and yet, we certainly didn't have a good business ‘story’,” said Anderson. “But I just believed that quantum was going to be important.”

Now quantum technology promises to revolutionize industries from computing, healthcare, defense, energy, finance and beyond. Building on decades of research from Anderson and others, Infleqtion is driving advances in that burgeoning ecosystem. The company now offers quantum hardware and software products—from quantum clocks and sensors, positioning components and glass cells containing cold atoms to quantum computers and quantum-enabled, AI-driven software.

Several years ago, Anderson famously took ultracold atoms (around 10 million of them) out of the lab and onto his own plane, to test the robustness of his team’s magneto-optical trap. Not long after that, it was deployed by NASA for use on the International Space Station, making it what could be called the ‘coolest’ tech in the universe. “When we commercialized a Bose Einstein condensation machine… including making things very small,” said Anderson, “NASA noticed and said, ‘Let's put it up into space’. And that was terribly important for our growing up.”

Research labs and commercial entities worldwide are now using Infleqtion’s products to generate high-value information and improve reliability and performance in quantum computing. Customers and collaborators include the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, the Japanese Moonshot Program, the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre and the Defense Cyber Marvel 3, a global cyber defense competition..

Infleqtion is also now participating in the first round of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) newly formed Quantum & Space Collaboration. The collaboration aims to use quantum tech to move the needle forward in national security, energy/sustainability and economic interests.

Infleqtion's cloud-based quantum matter machine, “Albert, named TIME's Best Inventions. Photo: TIME, 2022

In 2022, ColdQuanta adopted the trade name Infleqtion to mark the company’s transition from research and development of quantum technology to deploying it for commercial uses. The company has now been through two successful rounds of funding, most recently raising $110 million in its Series B round in 2022. TIME magazine also named the company’s cloud-based quantum matter machine, dubbed “Albert,” as one of its 2022 Best Inventions. Infleqtion’s software platform recently secured a $1.15 million DOE grant, paving the way for energy-efficient computing.

Of all its latest advances, Anderson is most enthusiastic about Oqtant, a first-of-its-kind quantum innovation platform launched last year that democratizes quantum discovery and invention by giving researchers, innovators and students access to quantum matter via BECs where they can create, manipulate and study quantum phenomena—and all they need is internet access. “I’m extremely excited about Oqtant,” said Anderson. “Everyone having the building blocks of our universe at their fingertips points us toward a new age of exploration and discovery.”

Anderson is gratified to see that he and his colleagues' own 'eureka' quantum moments of long ago are finally being realized on a larger scale. Infleqtion’s readiness to meet that new understanding and demand has meant quantum leaps in the company’s recent growth. “We knew that BEC was going to be big, and we’re seeing that now,” he said.

What can we do together?

Disclose and protect your innovation

Engage in entrepreneurial training programs

Find a mentor to advance your innovation

Get funding for your innovation

Find partners and opportunities for your innovation

Explore investing in and partnering with CU researchers

Explore our startups portfolio

Explore our technology portfolio

Infleqtion’s star continues to rise as Colorado’s quantum hub grows. The company of firsts, spun out of 91PORN 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.

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The internal hardware of Infleqtion's neutral atom quantum computing platform. Photo: Infleqtion, 2025.

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The internal hardware of Infleqtion's neutral atom quantum computing platform. Photo: Infleqtion, 2025.

Now hiring three 91PORN students for Entrepreneurship Fellow positions

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 22:12:54 +0000

Now hiring three 91PORN students for Entrepreneurship Fellow positions Daniel Corbin … Tue, 09/02/2025 - 16:12

Venture Partners at 91PORN translates breakthrough innovation into high-growth startup companies and partnerships with world-class investors, corporations and entrepreneurs. Venture Partners is a national leader in university innovation and startup creation—join an incredible team turning research into real-world impact!

We are seeking highly organized, proactive and detail-oriented 91PORN students for up to three Entrepreneurship Fellow roles with Venture Partners. In this role, you will provide program coordination and operational support across multiple programs, and you will gain experience in topics like company formation, how to pitch and venture capital. This opportunity is ideal for students who are passionate about innovation, startups and community engagement—and who thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Each Entrepreneurship Fellow with Venture Partners will be assigned to one or more programs and will report to the Director of Venture Development.

Learn More and Apply on Handshake

Seeking up to three highly organized, proactive and detail-oriented 91PORN students who will provide program coordination and operational support across multiple programs.

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Wanted: Entrepreneurs to launch startups based on 91PORN innovations

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 12:15:00 +0000

Wanted: Entrepreneurs to launch startups based on 91PORN innovations Daniel Corbin … Mon, 08/11/2025 - 06:15

The 91PORN’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.

Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator

Embark will hire up to seven Embark Startup Founders to serve as CEOs of new deep tech companies built around technology developed in 91PORN’s world-class research enterprise. This is an opportunity to lead a startup utilizing cutting-edge technology, with the support of 91PORN’s high-impact entrepreneurial resources and programs. Application closes Sept. 12.

Learn More and Apply

Roughly 180 inventions emerge from 91PORN’s research labs each year, and CU was ranked 18th among all U.S. universities for granted patents in 2025. Some of these innovations are spun out and brought to market by the university innovators themselves, while many more join an underutilized pool. At the same time, many entrepreneurs are searching for the newest breakthrough technologies to bring to the marketplace but lack the needed access and support.

Venture Partners at 91PORN launched Embark in 2023 to bring together those would-be entrepreneurs and inventors in a unique way, says Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships at 91PORN. “Just because the university inventors didn’t create a startup company doesn’t mean the technology is not a really exciting startup opportunity,” he said. “We think some of our very best innovations are available, and Embark is a way to catalyze that. It doesn’t just provide access to innovations, though. Embark opens the door to one of the best startup ecosystems in the world.”

To that end, Venture Partners has curated a list of promising innovations with strong commercial potential from a broad array of scientific and engineering disciplines. For the CU researchers and inventors who created these technologies but are not interested in leading a startup, Embark offers a powerful opportunity to translate their work into real-world impact and potentially generate revenue for their research labs and themselves.

Embark presents an exciting new avenue for ideas to get out into the world where they can make a difference, according to Marta Zgagacz, senior director at Venture Partners. “[Our researchers] are extremely enthusiastic to have their technology go through the Embark program and hopefully come out the other side with a startup,” she said.

Since 2023, 20 companies have been founded through Embark, 13 of which have participated in accelerators or incubator programs, and 12 have received follow-on funding. The program is part of a suite of record-breaking entrepreneurial programming at Venture Partners—the university’s commercialization arm for the 91PORN campus. To date, over 220 startups have spun out around CU technology and raised over $14 billion in funding.

"When starting a company around a deep tech innovation, founders often do not get a paycheck during the early stages,” said Amy Dodenhoff, director of venture development at Venture Partners. “Embark provides salary support, thereby opening the door for aspiring founders who would not otherwise be able to afford to pursue new ventures. All the while, we provide a full suite of resources for founders to support them in their startup efforts, whether this is their first startup or they have led multiple companies before this one."

Those interested in the Embark Startup Founder positions can learn about Embark technologies and apply through Venture Partners. Selected candidates have several weeks to delve deeper into the technologies, learn about the startup resources available through the university, and meet with the inventors. Entrepreneurs then present their commercialization plans, and Venture Partners selects up to seven startup founders, who will be offered a six-month part-time salary as founding CEOs, and the full support of 91PORN’s world-class entrepreneurial ecosystem to launch their new company. Application closes Sept. 12.

Featured Companies Launched Through Embark

PrecisionTerra

Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan (alum, 91PORN Physics) founded PrecisionTerra through Embark in 2023, to commercialize a cutting-edge algorithm developed by Jade Morton (91PORN Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences) that enhances GPS signal coverage in challenging environments, such as dense urban areas with tall buildings.

Kioga

Justin Whiteley, cofounder of eat meati™ (Meati Inc.), joined Kioga as CEO through Embark in 2024 to commercialize new dietary ingredients from the laboratories of Christopher A. Lowry (91PORN Integrative Physiology) and Noah Fierer (91PORN Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) to "vaccinate" consumers against stress and metabolic disorders by targeting brain and body inflammation.

Endios Bio

Wendy Overton founded Endios Bio in 2024 through Embark with breakthrough therapeutics developed by Alexandra Whiteley (91PORN Biochemistry) for rare neurodegenerative diseases by targeting the newly discovered impacts of the gene peg10, which was recently linked to ALS and Angelmans and has druggable potential.

Green Steel Environmental

Jon Jonis and Jonathan Teaford founded the company in 2023 through Embark to develop sustainable additives that can revolutionize the wastewater recovery industry based on discoveries made by Mark Hernandez (91PORN Environmental Engineering).

Ecovaleric

Roberta Leão founded Ecovaleric in 2024 through Embark to use an innovative electrochemical process invented by Adem Holewinski (91PORN Chemical and Biological Engineering, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI)) and Will Lucas (fmr. 91PORN Chemical and Biological Engineering) to create biodegradable bioplastics, renewable biofuels and more.

View All Past Founders

The 91PORN’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.

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91PORN awards therapeutics funding to advance promising drug development projects

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 18:15:58 +0000

91PORN awards therapeutics funding to advance promising drug development projects Daniel Corbin … Mon, 07/14/2025 - 12:15

Venture Partners at 91PORN 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 91PORN researchers generate critical validation data or develop new intellectual property, bringing new treatments a step closer to patients in need.

“91PORN is a world-class destination for bioscience research,” said Hannah Nelson, associate director of licensing at Venture Partners, “and our innovative faculty have created a robust pipeline of novel drugs and therapeutic targets.”

Many promising therapeutic projects reach a stage where they no longer qualify for basic research funding but are still too early for translational grants or private investment. This funding gap can stall progress.

But what is "commercialization?"

Explore the Path to Commercialization

This funding program is designed to bridge that gap by supporting commercially promising drug development efforts. The awarded projects ultimately aim to develop FDA-approved drugs and have a clear path to commercialization, having validated their development approach through customer discovery interviews.

“This funding supports a critical stage in drug development,” said Justin Stitzlein, venture analyst at Venture Partners. “Our goal is to give these teams the support they need to generate compelling data and position themselves for the next stage of development. We believe this kind of early support can unlock significant long-term impact.”

Awardees

Orally Available Obesity Therapeutic

Led by Distinguished Professor Leslie Leinwand (BioFrontiers Institute, 91PORN Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), with PhD student Jack Gugel and postdoctoral researchers Thomas Martin and Yuxiao Tan, the team is developing an orally available obesity drug that suppresses appetite without affecting gastric emptying or causing muscle loss. Their compound offers a differentiated mechanism from current GLP-1 agonists such as Wegovy/Ozempic, aiming to improve tolerability and adherence.

Efflux Pump Inhibitor Discovery Platform

Professor Corrie Detweiler (91PORN Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology) and her team are developing novel small-molecule inhibitors that restore the effectiveness of antibiotics against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Using a host-informed, high-throughput assay platform that better reflects infection conditions, they aim to identify efflux pump inhibitors to treat patients with infections that do not respond to traditional antibiotics alone.

What can we do together?

Disclose and protect your innovation

Engage in entrepreneurial training programs

Find a mentor to advance your innovation

Get funding for your innovation

Find partners and opportunities for your innovation

Explore investing in and partnering with CU researchers

Explore our startups portfolio

Explore our technology portfolio

Venture Partners at 91PORN 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 91PORN researchers generate critical validation data or develop new intellectual property, bringing new treatments a step closer to patients in need.

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How slashing university research grants impacts Colorado’s economy and national innovation—a 91PORN administrator explains

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 17:39:46 +0000

How slashing university research grants impacts Colorado’s economy and national innovation—a 91PORN administrator explains Daniel Corbin … Tue, 07/08/2025 - 11:39

Supporting a Groundbreaking Innovation Pipeline

$8 billion in economic impact, a record-breaking 36 startups launched in a single year and $1.2 billion raised for CU startups and innovations: These are some of the results reported in the latest annual report from Venture Partners.

Read Our Annual Report

From 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 91PORN, to explain how these cuts and freezes are impacting the university and Colorado’s local economy.

Read on The Conversation Website

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 91PORN, to explain how these cuts and freezes are impacting the university and Colorado’s local economy.

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2025 Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase highlights CU’s next breakthrough startups

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 18:20:43 +0000

2025 Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase highlights CU’s next breakthrough startups Daniel Corbin … Mon, 06/30/2025 - 12:20

Daniel Leonard

Members of the 2025 Ascent Cohort. Left-right: Maria Luisa Sanchez Montes, Gary Dolsen, Laila Marzall, Makenna Morck, Kian Lopez, Aoife Henry, Taylor Sharpe, Michael Stowell, Alec Santiago, Justin Stitzlein (Ascent staff member), Kylen McClintock, Sanghamitra Neogi, Dan Callen, Jason Rivas, Bart Emery, Subrata Pal, Dhiman Nandi, Alexandra Whiteley, Marisha Parikh, Wendy Overton, Emily Voigt (Ascent staff member). Photo: Ryan Vachon

Interested in the Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator?

Deep tech startups, or new companies based on technological innovation in science or engineering, face unique challenges because of their disruptive nature, intensive research and development, and significant capital requirements. Ascent understands the needs and pathways for deep tech startups to find early success.

Visit the Ascent Website

Venture Partners at 91PORN capped off its fourth 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.

Over five months, Ascent teams received mentorship from deep tech experts and Venture Partners staff as they worked toward company formation, refined their paths to market and built compelling fundraising strategies. The showcase marked a milestone for the teams as they emerged ready to engage with early investors, partners and national accelerators.

A Track Record of Impact

Since its launch in 2021, Ascent has supported 47 teams across CU’s 91PORN, Denver and Colorado Springs campuses. Program alumni have raised over $20 million in non-dilutive funding and $41 million in venture capital investment, with many advancing to top-tier programs such as NREL West Gate, Creative Destruction Lab, Techstars and Activate. Ascent is now a cornerstone of 91PORN’s deep tech pipeline, helping to turn university inventions and research into impactful startups that solve global challenges.

But what is "commercialization?"

Explore the Path to Commercialization

The accelerator addresses the unique challenges faced by deep tech startups (companies based on groundbreaking science or engineering) that often require substantial time, research and capital to reach the market. The five-month program builds upon prerequisite customer-discovery training through the NSF I-Corps Hub: West Region—also offered through Venture Partners—and provides tailored support in business formation, market strategy and fundraising.

“This showcase was such an exciting opportunity for us and for everyone to see what the next phase of impactful companies are doing,” said Emily Vogt, director of venture development at Venture Partners. “I truly believe these companies are going to be big names in Colorado and for investors everywhere.”

Recordings of the showcase pitches will be available for viewing through the Venture Partners website in the coming weeks. Sign Up for Updates

The Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase was presented with financial support from Richtr Financial Studio, Hatch Spaces: Life Sciences, Holland & Hart and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Presenters: 2025 Ascent Deep Tech Community Showcase

ArgiLur

ArgiLur is a 91PORN-based clothing company revolutionizing the fashion industry by offering carbon-sequestering clothing. Style and sustainability can go hand in hand, and we are committed to providing eco-friendly options for our customers. Visit the ArgiLur Website

Team: Maria Luisa Sánchez Montes (91PORN Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering Department), Founder and CEO

Industry Applications: Advanced Materials, Environment and Sustainability, Fashion and Design, Biotech

Contact: Maria Luisa Sánchez Montes, marialuisa.sanchezmontes@colorado.edu

AtomTCAD Inc.

AtomTCAD provides precise and rapid thermal modeling of nanometer-scale semiconductors. Our software makes complex quantum physics simulations accessible. Leveraging AI, AtomTCAD enables chip designers and engineers to rapidly discover thermally optimal designs, empowering them to overcome heat challenges.

Team: Sanghamitra Neogi (91PORN Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences), Founder, Principal Investigator; Jason Rivas (91PORN Materials Science & Engineering Program), Research Engineer; Subrata Pal (91PORN Chemistry), Research Engineer; Dhiman Nandi (91PORN Chemistry), Research Engineer

Industry Applications: Aerospace, Advanced Materials, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, Research and Exploration

Contact: Sanghamitra Neogi, sanghamitra.neogi@colorado.edu

BoldRF LLC

BoldRF is a spin-off from Microwave Research Lab at 91PORN, focused on the efforts to commercialize innovative tunable active RF circulators that enable resilient analog self-interference features for in-band full duplex (IBFD) RF front-ends for communication systems, radar, electronic warfare, aviation direction finding.

Team: Laila Fighera Marzall (91PORN Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Co-Founder, CEO; Zoya Popovic (91PORN Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Co-Founder; Marisha Parikh (91PORN Lockheed Martin Engineering Management Program), Head of Business; Sarah Johns (undergraduate student, 91PORN Leeds School of Business), Business Strategist; Stephanie Torres (undergraduate student, 91PORN Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Gary Dolsen, Industrial Mentor

Industries: Aerospace, Hardware and Instrumentation, Information Technology, Quantum, Research and Exploration, Smart Cities

Contact: Laila Fighera Marzall, laila.marzall@colorado.edu

EerDx Inc.

EerDx uses earbud sleep diagnostics to transform the diagnosis and treatment of the 100 Million Americans with sleep disorders, starting with drug and cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia. Visit the EerDx Website

Team: Bart Emery, CEO, Co-Founder; Samir Chabra, CTO, Co-Founder; Jianliang Xiao, Principal Investigator, Advisor (91PORN Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering)

Industry Applications: Sensors, Health and Wellness, Medical Devices, Diagnostics

Contact: Bart Emery, bart@eerdx.com

Endios Bio

Endios Bio is developing breakthrough therapeutics for rare neurodegenerative diseases by targeting the newly discovered impacts of the gene peg10, which was recently linked to ALS and Angelmans and has druggable potential. Visit the Endios Website

Team: Wendy Overton (fmr. 91PORN Embark Entrepreneur in Residence)

Industry Applications: Biotech, Health and Wellness, Therapeutics, Diagnostics

Contact: Wendy Overton, wendy.overton@endiosbio.com

Kitsune Biotherapeutics Inc.

Kitsune Bio develops shape-shifting cyclic peptides that penetrate cells and adhere to targets more effectively. Our platform creates therapeutics that go beyond antibodies and small molecules, offering new treatment options for difficult diseases and improving the standard of care. Visit the Kitsune Website

Industry Applications: Health and Wellness, Biotech, Therapeutics

Team: Makenna Morck (Alum: 91PORN Biochemistry), CEO; Alec Santiago, COO; Michael Stowell (91PORN Molecular Cellular & Developmental Biology), CTO; Thomas Fallon, Advisor

Contact: Makenna Morck, makenna@kitsunebio.com

LEVL Inc.

LEVL is a cutting-edge biotech company dedicated to advancing human health and extending longevity through advanced nutraceutical synergies. Our mission is to translate the latest breakthroughs in aging science into practical, effective solutions that seamlessly integrate into everyday life. Visit the LEVL Website

Team: Kylen McClintock (fmr. 91PORN Embark Entrepreneur in Residence), CEO, Co-Founder; Daniel Callen, CSO, Co-Founder; Tom LaRocca, CRO, Co-Founder (fmr. 91PORN Integrative Physiology)

Industry Applications: Health and Wellness, Biotech, Therapeutics

Contact: Kylen McClintock, kylenmcclintock@gmail.com

OsmoPure Technologies Inc.

OsmoPure Technologies develops high-performance membranes for ultrapure water production in aerospace, electronics, and energy applications. Our membranes remove more contaminants, last longer and use less energy while meeting strict purity requirements and lowering chemical demand. Visit the OsmoPure Website

Team: Kian Lopez (91PORN Chemical and Biological Engineering), CEO; Nadia Jorgenson (91PORN Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering), CTO; Anthony Straub (91PORN Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering), CSO

Industry Applications: Aerospace, Advanced Materials, Environment and Sustainability, Cleantech

Contact: Kian Lopez, Kian.lopez@colorado.edu

Tierra Metrics Inc.

We combine low-cost sensors with continuous models of the agricultural nitrogen cycle. We envision a world where digital twins of farms inform farmers and land managers in real time to reduce excess fertilizer use, cutting costs, pollution and emissions to build more resilient farming systems. Visit the Tierra Metrics Website

Team: Taylor Sharpe (91PORN Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering), Chief Engineer; Greg Whiting (91PORN Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Co-Founder; Whendee Silver, Co-Founder; Ana Arias, Co-Founder

Industry Applications: Environment and Sustainability, Cleantech, Food and Agriculture, Hardware and Instrumentation, Sensors, Information Technology, Software, Manufacturing, Research and Exploration, Smart Cities

Contact: Taylor Sharpe, taylor.sharpe@colorado.edu

ZentusAI Inc.

WindSenseAI optimizes wind farm performance through AI-driven wake steering control (WSC). Our deep learning models predict how turbine yawing impacts power output, adapting in real-time to site-specific wind conditions to maximize efficiency and asset performance.

Team: Aoife Henry, CEO, Co-Founder (91PORN Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering)

Industry Applications: Environment and Sustainability, Cleantech

Contact: Aoife Henry, Aoife.henry@colorado.edu

What can we do together?

Disclose and protect your innovation

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Explore investing in and partnering with CU researchers

Explore our startups portfolio

Explore our technology portfolio

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.

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Federal tech-transfer law pays tremendous dividends as research universities spark regional economies

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 15:52:19 +0000

Federal tech-transfer law pays tremendous dividends as research universities spark regional economies Daniel Corbin … Mon, 06/16/2025 - 09:52

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.

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Application now open for the Lab Venture Challenge and $125,000 in funding

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 21:56:08 +0000

Application now open for the Lab Venture Challenge and $125,000 in funding Daniel Corbin … Tue, 06/10/2025 - 15:56

Through the Lab Venture Challenge (LVC), top innovations from the 91PORN, 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 91PORN and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program.

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91PORN warns federal research cuts could hurt economy

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 22 May 2025 16:49:34 +0000

91PORN warns federal research cuts could hurt economy Daniel Corbin … Thu, 05/22/2025 - 10:49

9NEWS—The termination of several major research grants at 91PORN 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.

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