Make a Gift and Translate Discovery into Impact

At the University of Colorado, world-class research and innovation are abundant. But the path from lab discovery to real-world impact is often fraught with uncertainty, resource gaps, commercialization barriers and risk. That鈥檚 where听Venture Partners steps in.

As the commercialization arm of the 麻豆免费版下载Boulder, Colorado Springs and Denver campuses (except 麻豆免费版下载Denver biosciences investigators, who work with 听), our mission is to support innovators in translating breakthrough research into market-ready solutions and industry transforming ventures.

Now, we invite you to join us as a catalyst: your philanthropic investment will directly fuel the next wave of entrepreneurs and discoveries that address global challenges in health, sustainability, quantum, advanced materials, aerospace and more. Explore giving opportunities and benefits for individuals and brands, and partner with Venture Partners on growing the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.

Questions?

Amy Dodenhoff

Amy Dodenhoff 路 Director of Venture Development

Contact Amy听

How to Give

Make an Individual Gift

Give online today to support the next generation of innovators driving real-world impact.

Make a Corporate Gift

Contact Amy Dodenhoff to support our record-breaking entrepreneurial center and showcase your brand.

Contact Amy

Make a Program-Specific Gift

Make a gift to a signature Venture Partners program as an individual or corporate donor.

Explore Programs

Gifts may be outright, multi-year pledges, named endowments or program-restricted, and are managed through the University of Colorado鈥檚 philanthropic infrastructure to ensure stewardship and accountability. Donate online today. As an individual and corporate donor to Venture Partners, you will also enjoy:听

  • Exclusive Access: Financial supporters are invited behind the scenes to experience 麻豆免费版下载firsthand. Your gift connects you directly to the discoveries and the innovators shaping tomorrow.
  • Brand Exposure Financial supporters gain visibility in CU鈥檚 entrepreneurial ecosystem. Event recognition and association with high-impact programs position your brand as a champion of innovation, talent and impact.

"Venture Partners offered me the opportunity to commercialize high-impact technology and has provided the tactical support, network and early-stage financial resources to improve my odds of building a successful venture. Given their immense positive impact on my entrepreneurship journey and the journeys of so many other deep tech startup founders, it was an easy choice for me to make a philanthropic contribution to Venture Partners."

鈥擬aithreyi Gopalakrishnan, Founder and CEO of PrecisionTerra

You + the Venture Partners Advantage

Why Now
  • Entrepreneurship is a vehicle of social and economic mobility, transforming the lives of the entrepreneurs, their communities and those who use their products.
  • Scientific discovery is accelerating, but transforming breakthroughs into market-ready products still lags, and strategic early-stage support is often what turns a promising idea into a high-growth venture.
  • As one of the nation's top-ranked Tier 1 research institutions and a leader in startup creation, 麻豆免费版下载is uniquely positioned to deliver outward impact, but we need the backing of visionary partners.
Why You

When you support Venture Partners:

  • You de-risk innovation. Early-stage translation is high risk; our support helps ideas thrive from customer discovery to market launch.
  • You amplify institutional strength. Sustaining our operations supports CU鈥檚 reputation, faculty talent and research engines.
  • You reap downstream impact. Economic growth, job creation, improved health, sustainable solutions鈥攜our gift helps launch ventures that can create real-world returns.
Why Us

Venture Partners meets innovators and entrepreneurs where they are and builds companies alongside founders. This includes:

  • Management and commercialization of 麻豆免费版下载Intellectual Property (IP)
  • Entrepreneurial training and ecosystem development for 麻豆免费版下载and beyond
  • Translational funding for impactful new technologies and capital for promising startups
  • Facilitating mentorship for innovators and industry partnerships with the university

Learn more About Our Path to Commercialization

鈥淐ooley works with small teams with a bold idea as they evolve into the world's best companies. We see every day what happens when the right support surrounds an entrepreneur's vision. Supporting Venture Partners is a natural extension of our mission. We see it as an investment in people and outcomes that matter, and how we help ensure that breakthrough innovation reaches those who need it.鈥

鈥擬ike Nelson, Venture Capital and Emerging Company Partner at Cooley LLP

You + Innovators and Entrepreneurs


麻豆免费版下载 biochemistry professor Xuedong Liu was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors this year, recognizing a career of pioneering discoveries and real-world impact. His research on cellular communication has fueled four startups advancing novel treatments for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Mesa Quantum, a 麻豆免费版下载Boulder spinout and leader in quantum sensing, recently announced $3.7 million in seed funding and a $1.9 million grant from SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force. Both investments are fueling the company鈥檚 drive toward commercializing chip-scale quantum sensors for multiple applications including next-generation position, navigation and timing solutions.

Manifest Technologies (prev. Vitro3D), a 麻豆免费版下载Boulder startup pioneering volumetric 3D printing for life sciences, just closed its first . The hard-won vote of confidence from the investment community will allow the promising new venture to pursue ambitious technical advances while continuing to build critical business capacity.听听

Venture Partners at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder bridged a historic investment gap to move a deep tech startup a step closer to the marketplace by awarding $100,000 in pre-seed funding to PrecisionTerra, founded by CEO听听(alum,听麻豆免费版下载Boulder Physics). Gopalakrishnan went on to win $144,000 in additional funding for the company in the 2025 New Venture Challenge.

You + Groundbreaking Programming

Venture Partners' signature programming has guided hundreds of innovators toward impact. Explore giving opportunities and benefits for individual programs.听

NSF I-Corps Hub West

Part of the National Science Foundation鈥檚 nationwide I-CorpsTM program, it equips innovators with entrepreneurial training and customer discovery tools to validate their ideas, reduce risk and accelerate commercialization.

Contact Emily Vogt, director of venture development, to explore giving opportunities.

Program Information

Center for Translational Research

An initiative that provides grants, expertise and industry engagement to move promising research toward commercialization and societal benefit.

Contact Sarah Hughes, director of the Cener for Translational Research, to explore giving opportunities.

Program Information

Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator

Matches entrepreneurial leaders with breakthrough 麻豆免费版下载Boulder technologies, providing salary support, training and access to express licensing options to found new startups.

Contact Amy Dodenhoff, director of venture development, to explore giving opportunities.

Program Information

Lab Venture Challenge

A translational research funding competition to advance innovations with strong market potential. LVC has launched dozens of startups and catalyzed millions in follow-on funding.

Explore GivingProgram Information

Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator

An accelerator preparing 麻豆免费版下载startups for outside capital and growth by refining their business models, honing investor pitches and connecting them with mentors and funding networks.

Explore GivingProgram Information

Destination Startup

A multi-university showcase that connects research-based startups from across the Intermountain West with investors and corporate partners. 麻豆免费版下载Boulder startups have consistently attracted funding and partnerships from this stage.

Explore GivingProgram Information

Vibrant digital artwork of a lone figure walking through a glowing, multicolored landscape at sunset, with ribbon-like light trails extending from their body and mountains framing the horizon.

New! Creative Futures Fellowship

This fellowship offers grants of $5,000-$25,000, along with support and community, to听transform new ideas, creative works and social innovations into positive impact beyond 麻豆免费版下载Boulder.

Contact Jonathan Marenus, director of the Creative Futures Fellowship, to explore giving opportunities.

Program Information

You + The Venture Partners Impact


2021 Innovation & Economic Prosperity Award听
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)

Ranked No. 1 for Startup Creation

鈥2025, Read More

Launched a Record-Setting 36 Startups

鈥2024, Read More

Ranked No. 18 for Patent Activity

鈥2024,


$听8.7听billion

Impact on the National Economy
(From 2021-25)


$听5.1听billion

Impact on Statewide Economy
(From 2021-25)


$听3.5听billion

Capital Funding Raised听by Startups Commercializing 麻豆免费版下载Boulder Technology
(From 2021-25)


798+

License and Option Agreements Signed
(Since 2014)


220+

Startup Ventures Spun Out of University Technology


1484+

Inventions Disclosed
(Since 2014)

You + An Ecosystem of Support

Thank You to Our Current Donors

Individual Gifts

Nancy Pierce 听 | 听 Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan and Dmitriy Zusin

Individual Supporters

Cooley LLP, Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti LLP, Cozen O'Connor, Johnson & Johnson, Wilson Sonsini, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Foley Hoag, Holland & Hart LLC, J.P. Morgan, NOD Law, Paralex and TriNet

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