Deep Tech Partners Edition—January 2025
Featured News
Venture Partners annual report highlights a record year for innovation
FY 2023-24 was another tremendous year for innovation and entrepreneurship at the CU. University researchers, inventors and creators began working with Venture Partners at CU Â鶹ӰԺ to advance 144 breakthrough innovations, and 36 CU startups were launched through Venture Partners based on campus discoveries.
CU Startups and Technologies in the News
CU Â鶹ӰԺ shines with record-breaking year for startups
Innovation at the Â鶹ӰԺ reached an unprecedented milestone in fiscal year 2023-24 by launching 35 startup companies based on university innovations. This achievement shattered CU Â鶹ӰԺ’s previous record of 20 startups in FY 2021 and placed it among the most prolific single-campus institutions in the country.
Former CU Â鶹ӰԺ professor awarded National Medal of Technology and Innovation
Daily Camera—President Joe Biden awarded former CU Â鶹ӰԺ professor Kristina Johnson with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation on Friday. Johnson’s research has led to 46 U.S. patents. Her optics inventions have enabled HDTV and modern 3D movies, which have been used in 25,000 theaters around the world and viewed by hundreds of millions of people.
A vaccine against weight gain? It’s on the horizon
New CU Â鶹ӰԺ research suggests a surprising tool that could help with weight loss: Exposure to beneficial bacteria. With assistance from Venture Partners, a new startup Kioga will pursue new microbe-based ingredients for preventing weight gain and promoting health.
VitriVax awarded $3.6M grant for polio vaccine development
Business Wire—VitriVax Inc., a CU Â鶹ӰԺ spinout and vaccine formulation technology company, announced today a two-year $3.6 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This is the second grant awarded to VitriVax by the Gates Foundation, which will fund the development of a polio vaccine formulation for possible inclusion in combination pediatric vaccines.
Kristi Anseth recognized with international VinFuture Prize for Women Innovators
CU Â鶹ӰԺ College of Engineering and Applied Science—Kristi Anseth, a Distinguished Professor and Tisone Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, has been awarded the prestigious VinFuture Special Prize for Women Innovators in recognition of her pioneering research in tissue engineering. Winners were selected from nearly 1,500 scientific nominations spanning more than 80 countries and territories worldwide.
Sionic Energy uses advanced material to fully displace graphite for a fully silicon battery with increased energy density
PR Newswire—Sionic Energy, a CU Â鶹ӰԺ spinout and a recognized leader in electrolyte and silicon battery technology for next-generation lithium-ion batteries, announced that the world's lithium-ion battery producers no longer have to rely on graphite. Designed for seamless integration into existing lithium-ion battery manufacturing processes, Sionic's Silicon Battery Platform maximizes silicon material performance with regard to energy density, extended cycle life, and rapid charge rates.
Semiconductor startup Ayar Labs raises $155M at $1B valuation
Yahoo Finance—Ayar Labs, a semiconductor startup based in San Jose and spun out of CU Â鶹ӰԺ, has raised $155 million in new funding to accelerate the development of its optical I/O technology.
