Climate, Energy & Sustainability

Pioneering sodium-ion batteries: a sustainable energy alternative

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 19:48:58 +0000

Pioneering sodium-ion batteries: a sustainable energy alternative Daniel Corbin … Mon, 11/11/2024 - 12:48

CU Boulder College of Engineering & Applied Science—CU Boulder researchers are exploring using sodium-ion batteries as an alternative to lithium-based energy storage. Chunmei Ban, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, and her research team are developing new electrolytes and studying how they interact with battery electrodes to enhance performance and longevity.

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CU Boulder spinout LongPath Technologies to expand methane detection with $162M DOE loan

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 22:27:33 +0000

CU Boulder spinout LongPath Technologies to expand methane detection with $162M DOE loan Daniel Corbin … Mon, 10/28/2024 - 16:27

CU Boulder Today—A small crowd, including representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy, gathered on a wide stretch of lawn on the CU Boulder campus to witness a one-of-kind technology demonstration—a laser device that could soon transform the oil and gas industry in the American West and keep potent greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere.

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$1.25M awarded to University of Colorado innovators to advance their discoveries

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 21:10:46 +0000

$1.25M awarded to University of Colorado innovators to advance their discoveries Daniel Corbin … Mon, 10/28/2024 - 15:10

Daniel Leonard

Fourteen teams of University of Colorado faculty, researchers and graduate student innovators competed for a combined $1.25 million in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC). Judges from CU Boulder’s entrepreneurial network heard Shark-Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

Interested in the 2025 LVC?

LVC supports CU projects that address a commercial need, have a clear path to a compelling market and have strong scientific support.

Learn More

Through LVC, top innovators from CU Boulder, 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 at CU Boulder and the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund. Ten awards were granted this year for a total of $1,250,000.

This culminating event for these groundbreaking teams showcased the university’s initiative to support innovators from discovery to economic success. LVC is run by Venture Partners at CU Boulder, the university’s commercialization arm and central resource for researchers who wish to translate their work into impactful business and social ventures. As part of the LVC program, all the competitors worked with Venture Partners to protect their innovations and practice their funding pitches for business audiences. LVC awardees will continue to work and collaborate 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 over 117 projects through 64 new deep-tech startup companies; collectively, these companies have raised over $349 million in follow-on financing.

Applications for the next LVC will open in July 2025.

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

2024 Physical Sciences $125,000 Winners

Winners of the physical sciences competition from left to right: Gerry Conroy, Gregor P. Henze and Galen Williams of WHISPER Energy; Joshua Bennett, director of the Lab Venture Challenge (LVC); Roberta Leão of EcoValeric Innovations; Anthony Straub, Kian Lopez of OsmoPure Technologies; Gregory Whiting, Taylor Sharpe of Tierra Metrics; Thomas R. Schibli of Mode-Locked Laser Technology. Photo: Keanan Wilson.

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 (CU Boulder Embark EIR): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Adam Holewinski (CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering): PI
Will Lucas: CTO

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 (CU Boulder Physics): PI, LVC Pitch Presenter
Chris Singer (Alum: CU Boulder 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, CU Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Anthony Straub (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering): Principal Investigator (PI)
Nadia Jorgenson (PhD candidate, CU Boulder 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 (CU Boulder 2023 Embark EIR): Co-Founder and CEO
Gregor P. Henze (CU Boulder 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 (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering): PI, LVC Pitch Presenter
Taylor Sharpe (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering) Chief Engineer
Whendee Silver: Co-Founder
Ana Claudia Arias: Co-Founder

2024 Biosciences $125,000 Winners

Winners of the biosciences competition from left to right: Emmalee Biesiada of Sterio3; Eva Yao of Flari Tech; Tanya Warnecke of Codebreaker; Jesse M. Sheppard of IntraLumenus; Makenna Morck, Alec Santiago, Michael Stowell of Kitsune Bio. Photo: Keanan Wilson.

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

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 (CU Boulder 2023 Embark EIR): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Jun Ye (CU Boulder Physics, JILA): PI
Qizhong Liang (PhD candidate, CU Boulder Physics, JILA): Technical Lead
Apoorva Bisht (PhD student, CU Boulder Physics, JILA): Research Assistant

Kitsune Bio

Kitsune Bio 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 (CU Boulder Embark EIR): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Alec Santiago (CU Boulder Embark EIR): COO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Michael Stowell (CU Boulder Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology): PI

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 (CU Boulder Embark EIR): CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Mark Rentschler (CU Boulder 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 (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering): Principal Investigator (PI), LVC Pitch Presenter
Steve Hughes: CEO
Mark Hernandez (CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering): Chief Scientific and Project Advisor

Fourteen teams of University of Colorado faculty, researchers and graduate student innovators competed for a combined $1.25 million in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC).

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CU Boulder teams among first winners of the NSF-funded Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 18:01:49 +0000

CU Boulder teams among first winners of the NSF-funded Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine Daniel Corbin … Tue, 10/22/2024 - 12:01

This article was initially published at innosphereventures.org.

Ready to explore opportunities in research translation? Venture Partners at CU Boulder brings the university’s world-class researchers with the business, startup and entrepreneurial communities to translate groundbreaking solutions into economic and social impact.

Explore Opportunities and Events

Over the past two months, the Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine has been focused on identifying and supporting groundbreaking climate resilience projects across the region. This included launching the first round of investments in Research and Development and Translation/Startup projects with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines program. Interdisciplinary, collaborative teams from across the region’s leading universities and startup companies answered the Engine’s request for proposals with an overwhelming and diverse range of climate resilience solutions.

Governors Jared Polis of Colorado and Mark Gordon of Wyoming collaborated to announce the recipients of the inaugural grant program by the CO-WY Climate Resilience Engine. This partnership signifies a new phase in the joint efforts of the two states to create climate resilience solutions that safeguard communities, encourage innovation, and stimulate economic development.

“Colorado is leading the way in addressing climate change and using innovative solutions to become more resilient in the face of its impact. I’m thankful for Wyoming and Governor Gordon’s partnership and openness to work together to drive innovation, strengthen public-private partnerships, and make the region more climate resilient. These projects will help secure our water future, protect Coloradans from wildfire dangers, and protect our air and I am excited to see them in action,” said Governor Polis.

“When Wyoming joined the engine, we were focused on identifying and addressing specific Wyoming issues, including the impacts of droughts and wildfires,” Governor Gordon said. “Wyoming and Colorado may not be in alignment on many issues, but I will always support efforts within each of our states to benefit our citizens.”

The CO-WY Engine received nearly 50 proposals across two areas: R&D, which focuses on catalyzing the commercialization of university-based projects, and Translation/Startups, which supports bringing early-stage commercial solutions to scale. The winning projects address key issues in climate resilience in our region, including water security, wildfire prediction and response, extreme weather modeling, soil carbon sequestration, and methane emissions mitigation. These projects build on and strengthen critical capabilities in advanced sensing and data science, positioning Colorado and Wyoming at the forefront of innovation nationally. These projects demonstrate the power of public-private partnerships and investments in innovation to drive meaningful impact.

For more information about future proposal requests and opportunities with the CO-WY Climate Resilience Engine visit co-wyengine.org.

University of Colorado Boulder Winners of the CO-WY Climate Resilience Engine Request for Proposals

Use-Inspired Funding

Wildfire Risk and Prediction
Project title: Mapping Vulnerability: Assessing the Built Environment’s Susceptibility to Wildfires through AI and Big Data.
Principal investigator: Virginia Iglesias, PhD (Earth Lab, CIRES)
Lead institution: University of Colorado Boulder
Key partners: CoreLogic, CyVerse

Translational Funding

Complex Earth Sensing/Soil Carbon Capture Data & Analytics
Project title: Next-Gen Soil Monitoring: Wireless Printed Sensors for Agriculture
Principal investigator: Elliot Strand (BEEM Lab, College of Engineering and Applied Science)
Company name: Page Technologies
Key partners: Syngenta Group, University of Wyoming, 3 Rocks Ranch, Colorado State University, Growing Gardens, Meshcomm Engineering

CU Boulder Today—CU Boulder teams are among the first winners of the NSF-funded Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine, which supports innovative climate resilience projects across the region1. This initiative, backed by the U.S. National Science Foundation, aims to address key issues like water security, wildfire prediction, and extreme weather modeling through interdisciplinary collaboration.

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Elliot Strand (photo: CU Boulder)

CU Boulder research funding more than doubled in the last decade

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 17:57:44 +0000

CU Boulder research funding more than doubled in the last decade Daniel Corbin … Mon, 10/14/2024 - 11:57

Daily Camera—Research funding at the University of Colorado Boulder has more than doubled in the last decade, increasing by about $391 million. There were 35 CU Boulder-affiliated startup companies this last fiscal year compared to 10 the year before.

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Colorado is on track to becoming the nation’s climate tech hub

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 22:01:57 +0000

Colorado is on track to becoming the nation’s climate tech hub Daniel Corbin … Thu, 10/10/2024 - 16:01

CU Boulder Leeds School of Business—It’s common to think climate tech is synonymous with the Bay Area, however, Colorado is rapidly becoming a new hot spot. Why Colorado? Home to 24 federally funded scientific labs, like NOAA, NREL and NCAR, and major research institutions like CU, CSU and Colorado School of Mines, Colorado is a ‘hub of climate research and technical expertise.’

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How carbon-storing hempcrete is revolutionizing sustainable construction

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 18:12:11 +0000

How carbon-storing hempcrete is revolutionizing sustainable construction Daniel Corbin … Thu, 09/26/2024 - 12:12

Leeds School of Business—CU Boulder alum Nick Manuzak is one of the 2024 Entrepreneurs in Residence in the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator, leading an innovative venture focused on integrating carbon-storing hempcrete into modern construction to revolutionize sustainable building practices.

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Thornton’s Solid Power gets $50 million from feds to expand, prove out EV battery technology

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 18:45:54 +0000

Thornton’s Solid Power gets $50 million from feds to expand, prove out EV battery technology Daniel Corbin … Wed, 09/25/2024 - 12:45

The Colorado Sun—Thornton-based Solid Power, a CU Boulder spinout, has a $50 million federal grant to ramp up development of the solid-state EV batteries it considers the technology of the near-future in automobiles, putting the company closer to its goal of developing a mass production facility in the eastern U.S. or Korea.

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Silvis Materials awarded $1 million NSF SBIR Phase II grant to reduce emissions in packaging and building industries

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 19:04:58 +0000

Silvis Materials awarded $1 million NSF SBIR Phase II grant to reduce emissions in packaging and building industries Daniel Corbin … Wed, 09/18/2024 - 13:04

EIN Presswire—Female-founded Boulder-based Silvis Materials, a CU Boulder startup, has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to continue its work making sustainable and recyclable binders and adhesives.

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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

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

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