Venture Partners 
at CU Boulder 
Spins Out Unicorns
Venture Partners is the engine behind 
CU Boulder’s rise as a renowned innovation 
university. As the commercialization arm of 
the Research & Innovation Office, it brings 
together researchers, entrepreneurs, inves­
tors, and industry partners to accelerate the 
translation of breakthrough discoveries into 
transformative companies and technologies. 
The results speak for themselves: CU 
Boulder research has launched 12 
unicorn companies valued at more than 
$1 billion, including life sciences leaders 
such as Amgen, Inscripta, Myogen, and 
SomaLogic, as well as quantum tech­
nology leader Infleqtion and Forge 
Nano, a semiconductor equipment and 
advanced materials company.
“Research translation is a core part of 
the university’s mission,” says Massimo 
Ruzzene, Senior Vice Chancellor for 
Research and Innovation and Dean of 
the Institutes at CU Boulder. “A discovery 
alone doesn’t create impact. It takes an 
entire network of people, resources, and 
partnerships to move an idea from the lab 
to those who need it.”
That philosophy has reshaped CU Boulder 
over the past decade. Once aspiring to 
become an innovation university, it is now 
recognized as a global leader. CU Boulder 
ranked first in the nation for startup cre­
ation, launching a record 35 spinouts of 
university technology in fiscal year 2024. 
Collectively, CU Boulder commercializa­
tion generated $5.1 billion in economic 
activity in Colorado and supported nearly 
20,000 jobs across the state over fiscal 
years 2021-2025, evidence that the value 
of research extends well beyond campus.
Quantum is also redefining what’s pos­
sible. Anchored by CU Boulder’s leader­
ship in quantum science and Colorado’s 
federally designated quantum ecosystem, 
breakthroughs are converging with artifi­
cial intelligence, life sciences, aerospace, 
and earth sciences to accelerate discovery 
and commercialization like never before.
“The strength of Colorado’s life sciences 
ecosystem comes from its ability to 
attract people who want to build some­
thing meaningful,” shares Ruzzene. “When 
talent, quality of life, and access to capital 
come together, you create the condi­
tions for innovation to accelerate. Talent 
attracts capital and capital attracts talent, 
which drives success.”
With research universities, federal labo­
ratories, health systems, investors, entre­
preneurs, and an established ecosystem 
operating in close proximity, collaboration 
is a natural outgrowth of the state’s culture.
“Colorado is not an overly crowded envi­
ronment,” Ruzzene says. “Our institutions 
have developed complementary strengths, 
which makes it easier to work together 
and combine our expertise.”
“
Talent attracts capital and 
capital attracts talent, 
which drives success.
MASSIMO RUZZENE
SENIOR VICE CHANCELLOR, 
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
DEAN OF THE INSTITUTES  
CU BOULDER
Ruzzene leads CU Boulder’s powerhouse research and 
innovation organization, ranked number one in the 
U.S. for spinouts of university technology (AUTM).
Ph.D. candidate Qizhong Liang demonstrates Nobel Prize-winning frequency comb technology from 
the lab of Jun Ye, Ph.D. (Physics, JILA, NIST) that can rapidly detect very small molecules in human 
breath, potentially enabling early disease detection. CU Boulder spinout FlariTech is commercializing 
this quantum-based technology. Credit: Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder.
20     2026-27 BIOSCIENCE COLORADO

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