Imagine strolling down a sidewalk made from algae or building a wall with the help of microbes grown in a bioreactor. 

This extraordinary image may sound futuristic, but the technology is already here, thanks to Prometheus Materials, a sustainability-focused 麻豆免费版下载Boulder spinout giving concrete blocks a makeover with the help of environmentally-friendly bio-cement-making bacteria, algae and microbes. 

麻豆免费版下载Boulder civil, environmental and architectural engineering professor Wil Srubar founded the Longmont-based company in 2021 with CEO Loren Burnett and a cross-disciplinary team of 麻豆免费版下载Boulder collaborators, including civil, environmental and architectural engineering associate professors Mija Hubler and Sherri Cook and the late Jeff Cameron, formerly of biochemistry. 

The impetus for the research group formed several years earlier around a call for proposals from the  (DARPA), the  (DoD) focused on developing new technologies for the military. 

鈥淚t sounded impossible, a bit like a Frankenstein objective of bringing building materials to life.鈥� 

鈥淥ur charge from the DoD was to grow a material that had both biological and structural function,鈥� said Srubar. 鈥淚t sounded impossible, a bit like a Frankenstein objective of bringing building materials to life.鈥� 

But the challenge was right for Srubar, who leads , where researchers aim to create construction materials that are in harmony with the natural world.

鈥淲e had been thinking about these concepts for some time,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut this was the first government investment in this particular area that really catalyzed an entirely new field.鈥�

After two years of 鈥渟pinning their wheels,鈥� said Srubar, the team had a breakthrough in the lab when they made the first sample of engineered living materials that fulfilled DARPA鈥檚 requirements. Srubar said this success required looking back 鈥� way back 鈥� to life on Earth before humans. They were inspired by formations called stromatolites, stony structures built by microscopic photosynthesizing organisms known as cyanobacteria, which are among the oldest living lifeforms on the planet.

鈥淲e know nature has built really strong, tough materials,鈥� said Srubar.

By studying the composition of coral and seashells, for example, the team figured out how to make lab-grown versions of the natural phenomena.

鈥淵ou apply principles of biomimicry, you bring that process into the lab and beautiful things can happen,鈥� he said.

Now Prometheus Materials, named for the legendary Greek god who introduced fire and other technologies to humans, is making sustainable building materials with a process that combines microalgae with other natural components to form zero-carbon bio-cement and bio-concrete with the major goal of reducing carbon emissions in the construction industry.

This is so important because making concrete 鈥� the most ubiquitous human-made building material on earth 鈥� generates massive amounts of CO2 and contributes significantly to climate change. Global cement manufacturing produces 11 million tons of CO2 every day (roughly equivalent to emissions from all the cars in the world), or about 8% of the world鈥檚 total CO2 emissions, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. And, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, demand for cement in the U.S. alone is expected to double by 2050.

As the company realizes its transformative role in the construction industry, it has raised $8 million in private funding in the past year and was awarded a role in a $10 million grant from the  (DOE) that will fund collaboration between a trio of national labs. Within this partnership, Prometheus will join other institutions in the field to establish methods for measuring, reporting and verifying CO2 removal and sequestration in cement and concrete materials. 

Environmental Stewardship

Prometheus is just one example of 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚 strong network of researchers bringing innovations out of labs and into companies that have real-world impact 鈥� the university is a national leader and spinout powerhouse, launching 35 companies in fiscal year 2024 and over 100 since 2016, according to Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships. Since 2000, the university has launched 44 sustainability-focused spinouts, including a dozen new companies in just the past few years, said Rees, who leads Venture Partners at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder, the university鈥檚 commercialization arm for the campus.

According to Rees and Srubar, several factors combine to make 麻豆免费版下载Boulder so effective at generating these kinds of companies: research expertise, commercialization resources, market need and an eagerness to improve our world.

鈥淭here鈥檚 such a history of environmental stewardship here at the University of Colorado, and in Boulder specifically, and that鈥檚 very much a part of our institutional fabric,鈥� said Srubar. 鈥淲e do sustainability research really well and it鈥檚 one, if not the pillar, of our education and research mission at the university.鈥�

Rees agreed: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a function of our research prowess in that area. There are many highly talented researchers who care deeply about the climate crisis, and so that鈥檚 where they鈥檝e oriented their research.鈥�

Those innovations could be used in lots of different ways, but Rees shared, 鈥淭he innovators are saying, 鈥榃e want to apply these technologies to really important problems.鈥欌��

For Srubar and others, the drive to make the world a better place is strong.

鈥淚t all begins with a vision and a belief that, first, the world is not static; it can become whatever you dream,鈥� he said. 鈥淯nderstanding that you have the power and the potential to affect change is what really fueled me and our team.鈥�

Rees also sees market need as critical to driving sustainability-focused ventures.

鈥淭here is an abundance of funding opportunities and demand from the market to have these types of solutions,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got the push from what 麻豆免费版下载Boulder is really good at, and you鈥檝e got the pull from a true need for these types of solutions across different industries.鈥�

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got the push from what 麻豆免费版下载Boulder is really good at, and you鈥檝e got the pull from a true need for these types of solutions across different industries.鈥�

Driving Meaningful Change

Another company with 麻豆免费版下载Boulder beginnings is the well-established, Boulder-based , founded in 2017 by Greg Rieker, chief technology officer and 麻豆免费版下载Boulder associate professor of mechanical engineering, with colleagues Caroline Alden (笔丑顿骋别辞濒鈥�13),&苍产蝉辫;Sean Coburn (PhDChem鈥�14) and Robert Wright, former 麻豆免费版下载Boulder senior researcher.

LongPath harnesses quantum technology to detect fugitive methane emissions from oil and gas operations, innovation that benefits industry and investors 鈥� and the planet. The company鈥檚 breakthroughs in laser technology and quantum sensing, rooted in 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚, created a leak detection system to do what previous approaches could not: continuously detect invisible-to-the-eye natural gas escaping from pipes on-site at oil and gas facilities.

Finding and patching those leaks is a triple win 鈥� in industry cost savings (from $820 to $980 million per year), and improved air quality and public health. LongPath鈥檚 technology can identify natural gas leaks that sicken and displace thousands of people each year and cut greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane.

Today, LongPath鈥檚 Active Emissions Overwatch System is live at oil and gas operations in several states, covering hundreds of thousands of acres. Rieker and his team see the impacts of those systems growing each day, and he estimates that each system saves between 40 and 80 million cubic feet of methane annually.

鈥淓very time we deploy a new system, it really is impactful,鈥� he said, adding the team still celebrates every large leak located. 鈥淲e鈥檒l nail a big one for a customer, and that鈥檚 exciting.鈥�

Similar to Srubar, LongPath鈥檚 founders were motivated by protecting the environment.

鈥淢any academics measure impact in terms of papers published or citation rates. I always wanted the impact of my work to be more palpable,鈥� said Rieker. 鈥淚n 2024, LongPath stopped more than 6 billion cubic feet of methane emissions and counting. That鈥檚 impact, and that鈥檚 why we launched.鈥�

鈥淢any academics measure impact in terms of papers published or citation rates. I always wanted the impact of my work to be more palpable.鈥�

Recently, the company received landmark financial backing from the DOE for a loan of up to $189 million to accelerate the scale-up of the company鈥檚 monitoring systems.

Another game-changing company making significant strides in sustainability is Louisville-based , founded in 2011, based on technology developed by 麻豆免费版下载Boulder mechanical engineering professor Se-Hee Lee and professor emeritus of mechanical engineering Conrad Stoldt (颁丑别尘鈥�94).

Similar to Srubar and Prometheus Materials, Stoldt and Lee answered a call from DARPA. Their challenge was to double the energy density of a rechargeable battery.

鈥淭he metrics they wanted to reach were unheard of,鈥� said Stoldt, but he and Lee accepted the challenge anyway. 鈥淲e saw it as an opportunity鈥� and we sat down and determined that, at least on paper, the only rechargeable battery technology that could meet the specs for the program was a solid-state battery.鈥�

Lee and Stoldt partnered with Douglas Campbell, a small business and early-stage product developer, and chief technology officer Joshua Buettner-Garrett to start Solid Power. Along with then-mentor Dave Jansen, the team negotiated a commercialization agreement with Venture Partners (known then as the 麻豆免费版下载Technology Transfer Office), making the company an exclusive licensee to the university鈥檚 intellectual property.

What began as an idea Stoldt said was 鈥渂ootstrapped鈥� in 麻豆免费版下载Boulder labs, Solid Power is now an industry-leading developer of next-generation all-solid-state battery technology. As their name suggests, solid-state batteries (SSBs) differ from conventional batteries in that the electrolyte powering them is a solid material instead of a gel or liquid. That gives SSBs many advantages over lithium-ion batteries now widely used in electronics, toys, appliances and 鈥� critically 鈥� electric vehicles.

Solid Power鈥檚 design bests lithium-ion cells on safety, cost, durability and battery life 鈥� attributes long sought by consumers and automakers. Their technology swaps the flammable liquid in lithium-ion cells with a solid, sulfide-based electrolyte that is safer and more stable across a broad temperature range. Solid Power鈥檚 cells also easily outpace the conductivity and energy density of today鈥檚 best rechargeable batteries. The result is a smaller, lighter cell that is cheaper and has a longer-lasting charge.

Solid Power, which went public in 2021, employs many Forever Buffs and boasts major partnership deals with BMW and Ford, along with a new 75,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Thornton.

Their continued innovation was recognized with a recent $5.6 million DOE grant to continue developing its nickel- and cobalt-free cell, and, late last year, the company began award negotiations for up to $50 million in DOE funding. With this project, Solid Power intends to launch the world鈥檚 first continuous manufacturing process, allowing the company to produce its critical electrolyte material more quickly and at a lower cost.

From Lab to Marketplace

With the burgeoning success of Prometheus and others, Srubar hopes to inspire other researchers to make the leap to the marketplace. To that end, he was recently named Deming associate dean for innovation and entrepreneurship, a new role in the College of Engineering and Applied Science focused on building bridges between labs and the marketplace.

鈥淭his is something I鈥檓 so passionate about 鈥� shining a light for those inspired and driven by a vision to see change in the world and to follow that pathway of commercialization,鈥� Srubar said. 鈥淚 think 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚 reputation will continue to grow in this space, and I鈥檓 excited to be a part of it.鈥�

鈥淚 think 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚 reputation will continue to grow in this space, and I鈥檓 excited to be a part of it.鈥�

Emerging ventures at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder

• : Co-founded in 2023 by Elliot Strand (MMatSciEngr鈥�21; PhD鈥�23) and Payton Goodrich to commercialize a low-cost platform to transform agricultural and environmental monitoring, enhance fertilizer use efficiency, improve water resource management and advance climate resilience efforts.
• : Within months of beginning to collaboratively research mushroom root (mycelium) together as PhD students, Tyler Huggins (MEngr鈥�13; PhDCivEngr鈥�15) and Justin Whiteley (MMechEngr鈥�14; PhD鈥�16) knew they鈥檇 found a nature-based way to create meat alternatives.
• : Founded in 2020 by Michael McGehee (麻豆免费版下载Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering) and then-PhD students Tyler Hernandez and Michael Strand. After developing the initial technology for energy-efficient windows at Stanford, they moved to 麻豆免费版下载Boulder to complete their work and found the company. Tynt allows users to fully control the light and solar heat entering a home, turning panes from clear to opaque with the touch of a button.
• : Founded in 2022 by Simon Julien (ApMath鈥�21; MS鈥�22) and Zachary Jacobs (ChemBiolEngr鈥�21) to bring to market their innovative solar energy control system that solves the issue of intermittent renewable power. The technology was co-invented by Julien, working as an undergraduate and master鈥檚 student in collaboration with Bri-Mathias Hodge (Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering), Amirhossein Sajadi (Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
• : A 麻豆免费版下载Boulder startup founded on discoveries from Chunmei Ban鈥檚 laboratory (麻豆免费版下载Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), is developing best-in-class sodium battery technology with the potential to replace lithium-ion batteries.
• : a 麻豆免费版下载Boulder startup founded on technology discovered by Mark Hernandez (Environmental Engineering) uses waste from steel manufacturing to replace hazardous chemicals from wastewater treatment.

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Illustrations by Daniele Simonelli 

Off

Ask Dana Anderson, professor of physics at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder and founder of , a quantum-technology startup, what role the university played in getting his company off the ground, and he doesn鈥檛 mince words. 

鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 get in my way,鈥� said Anderson, who launched Infleqtion under the name ColdQuanta in 2007. 

Unlike many universities, said Anderson, 麻豆免费版下载Boulder views 鈥済etting technology out the door鈥� as part of its mission. So while Venture Partners, 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚 commercialization arm, did not yet exist and the university could not offer Anderson the wealth of resources it now makes available to aspiring founders, the university smoothed out his path. 

The Technology Transfer Office (TTO), as it was then known, helped Anderson draw up a conflict management plan. When he needed lab space to work on his quantum devices 鈥� Infleqtion leverages Anderson鈥檚 research into the quantum properties of atoms to develop everything from atomic clocks to quantum sensors and computers 鈥� 麻豆免费版下载worked out a facilities use agreement with him. And when the company was in danger of going under, the university gave him the time he needed to pull it back from the brink. 

Infleqtion鈥檚 technology can now be found in orbit aboard the International Space Station and in labs around the world. The company employs more than 200 people, has raised nearly $200 million and is preparing to sell atomic clocks and quantum sensors at a commercial scale 鈥� all because 麻豆免费版下载was willing to invest in a scientist who, as he admitted, was 鈥渘ot a business guy.鈥� 

鈥淚鈥檓 very, very grateful for that,鈥� Anderson said. 

He is not alone. According to the from the Association of University Technology Managers, which assessed startup creation by universities in 2021, 麻豆免费版下载ranked fifth nationwide, ahead of Stanford and MIT. 麻豆免费版下载Boulder produced 20 startups that year and has spun out 179 companies to date. The pace of startup formation is surging, having nearly doubled in recent years. 

That increase is no accident. When Anderson formed his company, the TTO was focused on filing and licensing patents. While protecting intellectual property (IP) remains crucial to launching companies based on scientific and technological innovations, 麻豆免费版下载Boulder now takes a more holistic approach to helping researchers successfully lead such 鈥渄eep-tech鈥� startups. 

鈥淰enture Partners spends the majority of its resources and energy developing and growing innovators: teaching folks entrepreneurial skill sets, partnering with investors, running startup accelerators and other programs,鈥� said Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for research and innovation and managing director of Venture Partners. 

The principal goal is to translate discoveries by 麻豆免费版下载Boulder researchers into products and services that benefit society while contributing to local, state and national economies. But maintaining a strong startup ecosystem confers other advantages as well, like expanding research funding opportunities and attracting innovative faculty and students.

Entrepreneur Academy 

Venture Partners, which launched in 2019, has developed a suite of programs designed to shepherd researchers through the process of founding a startup, from licensing patents and identifying markets to courting investors. Aspiring founders are free to pick and choose among them; but many, like Camila Uzcategui (MMatSci鈥�18; PhD鈥�21) and Johnny Hergert (MMatSci鈥�18; PhD鈥�21), co-founders of the biomedical startup , follow the entire sequence.  

As soon as they realized the rapid 3D-printing technology they developed as PhD students in the laboratory of materials scientist Robert McLeod had potential commercial applications, Uzcategui and Hergert disclosed their invention to the university. By 2020 the two were in discussions with Venture Partners, which helped them secure exclusive licensing for a variety of patents from the McLeod lab. 

A slow, difficult or expensive licensing process can stymie a budding entrepreneur and make it harder to attract funding. But Venture Partners鈥� Licensing with EASE program offers quick pre-negotiated terms that are attractive to founders and investors alike. 

鈥淲ith these licensing terms, you can go out and talk to venture capitalists and raise money,鈥� Uzcategui said. 

Uzcategui and Hergert quickly enrolled in Venture Partners programs 鈥� funded in part by NSF 鈥� such as Starting Blocks and Research-to-Market, which help founders identify markets for their inventions. They originally envisioned using their 3D-printing technology to aid drug discovery, but after speaking with potential customers, they shifted to producing dental aligners instead. 

The opportunities kept coming. The pair enrolled in the New Venture Launch class, which offers mentoring and pitch coaching from entrepreneurs and venture capitalists; won $125,000 in the Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) pitch competition and another $30,000 in the New Venture Challenge (NVC); and participated in the Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator.  

鈥淲e kind of never stopped,鈥� Uzcategui said.  

Vitro3D then attracted $1.3 million in seed financing with Buff Gold Ventures, a venture capital fund co-created by Venture Partners that invests exclusively in 麻豆免费版下载Boulder startups. 

Network Effects 

The 麻豆免费版下载Boulder ecosystem played a similarly important role for Nick Meyerson, cofounder and CEO of the diagnostic testing startup . 

As a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of 麻豆免费版下载Boulder virologist Sara Sawyer, Meyerson discovered a novel means of analyzing a person鈥檚 saliva to determine whether they were carrying an infectious disease even before they developed symptoms. The Department of Defense (DoD), which funded the research, suggested he form a company to develop a handheld diagnostic device. Meyerson went to Rees and Venture Partners for advice. After submitting a patent application, Meyerson began taking Venture Partner workshops and entering pitch competitions, and in March 2020, Darwin Biosciences was born. 

Because of his existing relationship with the DoD 鈥� and also because he used his technology to develop one of the nation鈥檚 first rapid saliva-based COVID-19 tests 鈥� Meyerson didn鈥檛 need accelerator support or help figuring out who his potential customers were. 

But 麻豆免费版下载Boulder was still there for him. When the pandemic hit, the university gave Meyerson lab space to develop his COVID test. It also introduced him to Boulder鈥檚 rich network of experienced entrepreneurs and investors: Meyerson met his first CEO at the Lab Venture Challenge and his current director of operations through Venture Partners. 

鈥淢ost of the heavy hitters that I know in the area are because of connections that I鈥檝e made through [Venture Partners],鈥� said Meyerson. 

Darwin Biosciences is now on the verge of entering the commercial market. The company is developing a phase-two prototype of its testing device and pursuing FDA approval with the goal of developing a diagnostic platform that can be used for everything from at-home infectious disease testing to early cancer screening. 

Next Steps

鈥淭his is something that other universities really have not done鈥�

The purpose of all these support structures is to help as many 麻豆免费版下载innovators as possible unlock the social and economic benefits of their discoveries. And as Vitro3D and Darwin Biosciences illustrate, the system is working.

But not every researcher wants to found their own company, which helps explain why many of the approximately 150 promising inventions produced at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder every year never make it to market. 

Venture Partners therefore established the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator, funded by 麻豆免费版下载Boulder and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, which gives outside entrepreneurs the opportunity to form startups around university-owned technology. Ten startups launched this past August, and each company enjoys access to CU鈥檚 startup programs and up to $100,000 for technology development.

鈥淭his is something that other universities really have not done,鈥� said Rees, who believes that Embark will fuel more growth for 麻豆免费版下载as a startup hub. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to craft a new model.鈥�

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Photos courtesy University of Colorado

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