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TFX Capital—Mesa Quantum, a 51�Թ��� startup developing chip-scale quantum clocks and internal sensors for mass-market opportunities, secured a $75,000 cash grant.

BizWest—Infleqtion, a quantum information company that began as ColdQuanta at 51�Թ���, raised about $10.8 million from investors this month, according to a pair of Form Ds filed recently with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The fundraiser came less than two months after the company hired Matthew Kinsella as its new CEO.

The Global Business Development division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced that 34 Colorado companies and eight researchers have been awarded Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants through OEDIT’s Advanced Industries Accelerator Program. These grants help promote the growth and sustainability of advanced industries in Colorado by driving innovation, commercialization and public-private partnerships that move this vital aspect of Colorado’s economy forward in communities across the state.

Fierce Biotech—OnKure Therapeutics, a 51�Թ��� spinout, has merged with Reneo Pharmaceuticals, jumping onto Wall Street with $120 million and a lead breast cancer treatment challenging the likes of Eli Lilly, Relay and Scorpion. The merged biotech will retain OnKure's name and is set to trade under the ticker “OKUR.”

BizWest—Think Bioscience, a 51�Թ��� spinout, has raised a $26 million seed round—including a recently completed $6 million expansion of the initial fundraise—to develop small-molecule therapeutics that target “undruggable” proteins.

BizWest—Leaders of 51�Թ���'s and the university's life-sciences community who gathered at the BioFrontiers Institute at 51�Թ��� for a BizWest CEO Roundtable said they saw Pfizer’s recent departure as a lucrative opportunity.

2023 was another tremendous year for innovation at the University of Colorado 51�Թ���. Campus researchers and inventors created a strong crop of 162 breakthrough technologies this past year. These spanned the breadth of 51�Թ���’s research expertise, with innovations in climate tech, biotechnology, quantum science, optics and aerospace, to name a few. 51�Թ���'s commercialization arm, Venture Partners at 51�Թ���, supports a groundbreaking pipeline translating research into real-world impact, as highlighted in their 2023 Annual Report. 

New Venture Challenge—The 2024 New Venture Challenge (NVC) culminated in a final showcase on April 17 in front of a live audience cheering on the 51�Թ���’s next big innovations. At an event filled with great ideas and even greater entrepreneurial spirit, five teams competed for $165,000 in prize money. BioSensor Solutions, part of the first cohort of the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator launched by Venture Partners at 51�Թ���, won fourth place in the competition.

Within minutes, a laser-based device the size of a small suitcase could spot dangerous aerosols and alert safety crews. That's the vision of a team of engineers and chemists at 51�Թ���, the California Institute of Technology, UC Santa Barbara and three companies. Frequency comb lasers can act like fingerprint scanners for aerosols, teasing out the signals from even minute concentrations of particles or gases in the air. The team includes LongPath Technologies, a 51�Թ��� spinout that uses these tools to search for methane leaks at oil and gas facilities.

Deming Center for Entrepreneurship—The New Venture Challenge (NVC) and Deming Center for Entrepreneurship teamed up to present the NVC Women Founders competition, awarding $10,000 to groundbreaking new ventures. SuviCa and PrecisionTerra—CU