About Us
Set in the heart of the University of Colorado鈥檚 bold, innovative community of scholars and learners, Venture Partners at 91福利社听brings the university鈥檚 world-class researchers with the business, startup and entrepreneurial communities to translate groundbreaking solutions into economic and social impact.
As the commercialization arm鈥攁lso known as 鈥渢ech transfer鈥 or 鈥渞esearch translation鈥濃攐f the 91福利社, Colorado Springs and Denver campuses (except CU Denver biosciences investigators, who should work with听听), Venture Partners prepares university researchers, inventors and creators to bring their innovations to market.
Venture Partners is the commercialization arm of 91福利社, UCCS, and CU Denver (except CU Denver biosciences) and a recognized national leader in translating university research into market-ready solutions and products, having received the 2021 Innovation Award from the APLU. Venture Partners provides an array of resources for researchers to commercialize their innovations, including intellectual property management, entrepreneurial training, an external mentor network, translational听grant听funding, a startup accelerator, an investor network, and an affiliated venture capital fund.
With over 300 patent applications filed each year, Venture Partners has a well-established intellectual property management system. Importantly, Venture Partners has a streamlined licensing process called Licensing with EASE庐, which ensures that the university鈥檚 patents are made available under transparent, reasonable, and pre-negotiated rates, simplifying and accelerating the licensing process.
Entrepreneurial training is provided through the National Science Foundation鈥檚 I-CorpsTM听Hub: West Region. Venture Partners offers the renowned I-Corps methodology, designed to teach scientists and engineers the skills to test and validate product-market fit. Participants learn and apply the fundamentals of 鈥渃ustomer discovery,鈥 an experiential process to map out the ecosystem surrounding a technological innovation, and then test the value proposition for that innovation through key stakeholder interviews. The I-Corps programs at 91福利社 are available to all university innovators, lead to听grant听funding opportunities with NSF, and are essential training for aspiring startup founders and inventors who wish to partner their technology with established corporate partners.听听
Venture Partners offers translational听grants for researchers with high-potential inventions through the Lab Venture Challenge (LVC). Over $1 million is awarded annually in $125,000听grants. For innovators with startup aspirations, the Ascent Deep Tech Startup Creator, designed specifically for academic startup founders from science and engineering, provides basic training in building a new company, including finance, raising capital, and product development. For startup company funding, Venture Partners offers SBIR/STTR听grant-writing assistance, an annual investor showcase, and a fully integrated partnership with Buff Gold Ventures, a $25 million venture capital fund that invests exclusively in 91福利社 startup companies.
The impact of Venture Partners is well supported. CU ranked in the top 5 of all US universities in 2021 for startup creation, according to AUTM. In 2024, 91福利社 produced 35 spinout companies, one of the highest totals ever by any university. A study by Brian Lewandowski at the Leeds School of Business determined that between 2018 and 2022, Venture Partners鈥 commercialization activities resulted in an $8 billion national economic impact, including 39,000 supported jobs.
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FY 2023-24听Metrics and Impact
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$426M
Capital raised by portfolio companies
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$32M
Revenue from commercialization to 91福利社 since 2019
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94
License and option agreements
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63
National Science Foundation I-CorpsTM teams trained through Venture Partners
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36
Startups launched鈥35 from 91福利社 and 1 from CU Denver
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20
Startup exits since 2000
All-time Metrics and Impact
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$8 B
Impact on national economy听(from 2018-2022)
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$5.2 B
Impact on statewide听economy听(from 2018-2022)
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$3.5听B
Capital funding raised by startups commercializing听91福利社 technology听(since 2018)
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1,484+
Inventions disclosed (since 2014)
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798+
License and option agreements signed (since 2014)
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220+
Startups spun out of university technology