Entrepreneurship
Colorado-based startup company Lunar Outpost, co-founded by AJ Gemer ((AeroEngr'10; MMechEngr'12; MAeroEngr'16), recently launched the country's first ever robotic rover designed to explore the moon. Now, they look to explore space in a new way, this time in collaboration with LEGO.
Professor Massimo Ruzzene is the senior vice chancellor for research and innovation. His goal is to foster a campus environment that turns research into real-world impact in areas such as quantum, space, climate and health.
CU Â鶹ӰԺ is a hub for sustainable entrepreneurship. Spinouts such as Associate Professor Greg Rieker's LongPath Technologies, Professor Se-Hee Lee's Solid Power and Associate Professor Chunmei Ban's Mana Battery are just some of the university's latest successful ventures motivated by protecting the environment.
For over 20 years, Associate Research Professor Svenja Knappe has focused on developing miniaturized quantum sensors and systems. Now the technology is helping CU Â鶹ӰԺ spinout Mesa Quantum commercialize chip-scale quantum solutions that can transform our navigation infrastructure.
AJ Gemer (AeroEngr'10; MMechEngr'12; MAeroEngr'16) is the co-founder and chief technology officer of Colorado-based startup company Lunar Outpost. The team recently launched their new MAPP exploration rover, set to land on Thursday, March 6 at the lunar south pole, one of the most strategically and scientifically significant locations in space.
CU Engineering has named the inaugural recipients of its Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fellows program, which supports faculty, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students in bringing research to market. The fellows, selected for their work in fields like robotics, biomedical devices and advanced materials, receive funding, mentorship and entrepreneurial support to accelerate commercialization.
Six years ago, Professor Mark Rentschler helped launch startup company Aspero Medical to develop a medical device used during endoscopy procedures. Today, with the help of a $4.5 million grant through the Anschutz Acceleration Initiative, Rentschler and his team are bringing two new medical devices to the market that have the potential to transform surgeries in the gastrointestinal region even further.
From July 2023 to June 2024, CU Â鶹ӰԺ helped to launch 35 new companies based on research at the university—a big tick up from the previous record of 20 companies in fiscal year 2021. Three of these startups were spun by ME professors Chunmei Ban, Gregory Whiting and Svenja Knappe. Take a look at how our faculty are using discoveries from the lab to make a difference in peoples’ lives.
Watch Jacob Segil, CEO of Afference and research professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, showcase a new piece of haptic technology in an episode of Freethink's Hard Reset docuseries that will "redraw the borders of reality."
Research Professor Jacob Segil is also the CEO of Â鶹ӰԺ startup Afference. The company traveled to Las Vegas for this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to showcase what's being called "the new frontier" of spatial computing: a neural haptic ring that allows users to feel something even when touching nothing.