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It doesn鈥檛 matter how much public speaking you鈥檝e done or how experienced you are in the spotlight. Pitching your company in front of prospective investors will get your palms sweating.

鈥淚鈥檓 an instructor at CU and a former Miss Colorado competitor, so I鈥檓 usually pretty good with public speaking. This was the first time that I have actually had some terrible nerves,鈥� said (Psych鈥�11), founder and CEO of .

Moore鈥檚 pitch at Investor Day was the culmination of her experience with Catalyze CU. Silk by Laura LLC was one of four ventures in the 2022 Catalyze cohort, a 12-week summer startup accelerator for ideas and technologies by students, faculty and staff at CU 麻豆影院.

鈥淚nvestor Day was amazing, even more than I anticipated,鈥� said Moore. 鈥淚鈥檓 still very well connected with many of the investors, and I received validation that my pitch is the right pitch and I鈥檓 headed in the right direction.鈥�

This year鈥檚 Investor Day was a new culminating event for Catalyze CU. The program has previously celebrated the conclusion of each cohort with a Demo Day capstone.

鈥淭his year's cohort all achieved some level of traction, including some companies with initial sales. We decided a dedicated Investor Day would be a great way to finish the program since investment would be the next natural step,鈥� said Karen Crofton, Catalyze CU program director and Stephen M. Dunn Director of Engineering Entrepreneurship & ESCEND庐.

The 2022 cohort was also the most diverse in the program鈥檚 history, with a majority of participants from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the venture community.

Supportive programs like Catalyze are crucial to building an inclusive innovation community. Program participants get the customized help they need to break through barriers for things like startup capital and gaining access to valuable founder and investor networks. Level the playing field makes entrepreneurship more welcoming and accessible for everyone.

Local investors evaluating the teams鈥� pitches included Rachel Anderson, associate at Caruso Ventures; Peter Adams, managing partner at Rockies Venture Fund; David Brown, partner at Zintinus;  Kevin Allen, managing director at New Community Transformation Fund; and Shannon Flahive (MBA鈥�21), senior venture associate at Ensemble Innovation Ventures.

鈥淭he quality of the pitches was inspiring,鈥� said Flahive. But just as impressive to her was the wide range of support that the university provides for aspiring entrepreneurs.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 incredible that CU 麻豆影院 offers these programs for students. This type of program and resourcing is not widely available. CU 麻豆影院 does a fantastic job supporting entrepreneurial pursuits from both a programming and monetary perspective,鈥� she said.

For (IDEN鈥�23), another participant in this year's cohort, the program鈥檚 impact was deeply personal.

鈥淚 wanted to be an entrepreneur when I was younger but thought I didn鈥檛 have the resources or knowledge to do it. This was one of my most life-changing experiences. It empowered me to pursue entrepreneurship and to pursue greater things,鈥� said Nguyen.

Nguyen gave up a competitive summer internship opportunity to participate in Catalyze CU. The program guided his team through the full spectrum of business planning, from market research to financial modeling and developing a pitch. He鈥檚 convinced the experience was more valuable than any internship.

鈥淓ven though I gave up my summer internship to do this, it was 100% worth it. You learn from so many people, like CEOs and venture capitalists. The mentorship and support you get鈥攜ou can鈥檛 put a price on that,鈥� said Nguyen.

That鈥檚 exactly the experience that Crofton hopes to share with future cohorts of Catalyze CU participants.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of work for the teams,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut the lessons and connections our entrepreneurs gain through Catalyze CU will stay with them for a lifetime.鈥�

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A new program at the 麻豆影院 guides engineering students on an 鈥渆ntrepreneurial journey to learn the business side of innovation."

The ESCEND program, led by the Stephen M. Dunn Director of Engineering Entrepreneurship & ESCEND庐 Karen Crofton and made possible through the support of Steve Dunn (ArchEngr鈥�69), allows students to turn their ideas not only into reality, but into a product able to be commercialized.

The program combines entrepreneurship courses with experiences and resources that give CU 麻豆影院 engineering students the chance to create a product and then pitch it to investors.

鈥淲e鈥檙e applying experiential learning in order to mimic real life,鈥� said Crofton. 鈥淏y learning the entrepreneurial process, students are able to apply these skillsets to any future endeavor.鈥�

Several of the students utilizing the ESCEND program have even been competing in the New Venture Challenge, the final round of which will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, at the 麻豆影院 Theater. 

One of the groups applied the cross-disciplinary aspects of ESCEND to participate in the NVC 15 Cross-Campus Collaboration Prize Night. Delta Horizons was awarded first prize and $5,000 in March for their new self-stopping braking system for four-wheeled walkers. The group has student team members from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Leeds School of Business.

鈥淭his is a deeply personal topic for all of us,鈥� said project manager Ben Finan, a senior engineering student. 鈥淎s a team, we noticed a lack of innovation in current mobility devices and thought, 鈥榃e can do better.鈥� We all have aging loved ones in our lives, and we were motivated to use our passion and engineering background to make a difference in this field.鈥�

The braking system that Delta Horizons created works automatically when the walker stops. It is also engineered to deploy a second brake in the event of a person falling.

After the team proposed the walker idea, they conducted a significant amount of outreach and research, speaking with medical experts and mobility walker users.

Finan said the most important entrepreneurial lesson he learned while working with Delta Horizons was to listen to people.

鈥淓veryone has problems in their lives,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f engineers are able to listen to those problems and create a solution, that can change the world. Understanding your customers鈥� pain point is absolutely critical to product success.鈥�

Crofton said that by teaching the engineering students about entrepreneurship and business simultaneously, they can think not only about good technical solutions, but also about creating a product that people will want to purchase.

鈥淚t is easy for engineers to get focused on technical details,鈥� she said. 鈥淏y working with students from other disciplines, all team members are able to support a viable, feasible and desirable product.鈥�

Finan can attest to the experience, which he said has been incredible and a great introduction to the real world of engineering. He knows what he learned will benefit him after he graduates in May.

鈥淚 have been so lucky to work with a truly fantastic team of smart, kind and motivated people,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 am also supported by an incredible network of people from the Business and Engineering colleges. Being able to pivot from a business pitch to a technical analysis has made me fluent in so many types of communication. I have also learned a lot about myself and my own passions, which will serve me well as I navigate the professional landscape.鈥�

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