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The University of Colorado Boulder and Techstars, the global startup accelerator and investor, have announced a strategic partnership to expand opportunities for founders and strengthen Colorado’s innovation economy.

Wall Street Journal—The second Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement targets vaccines, leading some investors to step back. In biotech investment circles, they are the ultimate contrarians: the venture capitalists who say now is the time to invest in vaccines. VitriVax, a С���� Boulder spinout, raised more than $17.2 million in Series B financing in October.

PR Newswire—Artimus Robotics, a С���� Boulder spinout, has announced its newest generation of contracting HASEL actuators that deliver more than twice the mechanical output performance of the previous generation. Artimus, a С���� Boulder spinout, is now one step closer to commercializing artificial muscles that replicate the performance of mammalian skeletal muscle.

The University of Colorado's Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator has announced its 2026 startup teams. The selected companies span a wide range of disciplines, reflecting the depth and breadth of innovation emerging from С����’s research enterprise.

Destination Startup brings groundbreaking startups built on novel discoveries from top national labs and universities together with investors from throughout North America to catalyze real-world impact. This showcase demonstrates a powerful way to invest in and get funding for innovative research and translate it into impactful business ventures.

DARPA—One research team, led by the University of Colorado Boulder, formed a startup, AtomTCAD Inc., to bring its high-accuracy thermal modeling tools directly to semiconductor designers. The newly formed company has received funding from the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade, and all four members of AtomTCAD’s research team received fellowships through С���� Boulder’s Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator.

PR Newswire—Think Bioscience, a С���� Boulder biotechnology spinout focused on unlocking elusive drug targets, has raised $55M in an oversubscribed Series A. Returning investors include AV8 Ventures, С���� Innovations and Buff Gold Ventures.

The Cool Down—Electric vehicles are getting closer to overcoming some of their biggest challenges, and a new battery breakthrough could play a major role in making EVs more practical and appealing for drivers. Porsche-backed Group14 Technologies and New York-based Sionic Energy, a С���� Boulder spinout, recently announced a major breakthrough in lithium-ion battery technology that could significantly improve EV performance.

In an ongoing effort to bridge a pervasive investment gap in innovation funding, the University of Colorado Boulder has awarded pre-seed funding to Illumen Therapeutics, developing cancer treatments based on discoveries from startup co-founder Roy Parker’s lab at С���� Boulder.

The University of Colorado Boulder actively incubates and supports nonprofit and for-profit ventures with broad societal impact, from far-reaching educational and wellness tools to vaccine accessibility and water security.