Two-Day Event Highlights the People, Partnerships, and Companies Propelling Colorado Toward a Top-Five National Ranking in Life Sciences

DENVER — July 16, 2025

Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) will welcome Governor Jared Polis as a special guest speaker during the Drive to Five: Colorado Life Sciences Innovation Tour, a two-day event series spotlighting the people, partnerships, and companies propelling Colorado toward a top-five national ranking in life sciences.

Governor Polis will speak at the Community Breakfast at BioMed Realty in Boulder on Wednesday, July 24 at 7:30 a.m., where he will address Colorado’s national leadership in health innovation and its competitive strengths as a life sciences hub.

“We’re proud to welcome Governor Polis to this statewide tour showcasing the depth and impact of Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem,” said Elyse Blazevich, President & CEO of Colorado BioScience Association. “Each community event highlights a key strength in our drive to become a top-five life sciences hub in the U.S.”

On the Road and In the Community

The Drive to Five: Colorado Life Sciences Innovation Tour includesCBSA’s by-invitation bus tour for elected officials, life sciences company executives, investors, members of the media, site selectors, and community leaders. Eleven stops in Aurora, Denver, the U.S. 36 Corridor, Boulder, and Northern Colorado, showcase Colorado’s thriving life sciences ecosystem. The bus tour begins and ends each day with open community events designed to foster new connections and advance Colorado’s innovation economy.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23

Breakfast + Networking at Fitzsimons Innovation Community, Aurora

The tour kicks off at Fitzsimons Innovation Community, home to 80 groundbreaking companies transforming health and care. Hear from Kelly Jean Brough, President & CEO, about the bold ideas becoming real treatments, backed by a community that invests in science.

Happy Hour + Networking at Foresight Diagnostics, Boulder
Foresight Diagnostics’ Founder & CEO Jake Chabon will share why he chose Colorado over the Bay Area to grow his cancer diagnostics business. Connect with life sciences leaders and the Foresight Diagnostics team to discover why Boulder is a top destination for life sciences innovation.

Additional stops on the bus tour include: Colorado Health and Tech Centers, Greenwood Village; Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, Lakewood; Medtronic, Lafayette; and  Umoja Biopharma, Louisville.

THURSDAY, JULY 24

Breakfast + Networking at BioMed Realty, Boulder

Special Guest Speaker: Governor Jared Polis
Governor Jared Polis will be a special guest speaker during  breakfast at BioMed Realty’s 24-building life sciences hub, home to Enveda, KBI Biopharma, and more. Innovation industries converge in Colorado. Gain insight into the companies shaping the future of health innovation, alongside leaders from Colorado’s other advanced industries, including quantum.

Happy Hour + Networking at CSU’s Translational Medicine Institute, Fort Collins
The tour concludes with a networking celebration at Colorado State University‘s Translational Medicine Institute. CSU is home to the Centers for Disease Control and one of the nation’s top veterinary medicine programs. Celebrate the impact of Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem. Hear from the leaders of CSU’s powerhouse research organization and join a tour of the Translational Medicine Institute.

Additional stops on the bus tour include: KBI Biopharma, Boulder; Enveda, Boulder; Agilent Technologies, Frederick; and Innosphere Ventures, Fort Collins

New data reinforces Colorado’s rise as a leading location for health innovation. CBRE ranks Denver-Boulder as a top 20 global life sciences research and development hub and in the top 25 worldwide for life sciences venture capital funding.

With $2.15 billion in capital raised by Colorado life sciences companies in 2024 and $52B in economic impact, Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem continues to draw attention, opportunity, and action. The tour builds on Colorado Hub for Health Impact, the national economic development campaign led by CBSA and 30 partners since inception. It positions Colorado as an epicenter for health innovation and is attracting new life sciences companies, investors, and talent to Colorado.    

CBSA thanks the generous event sponsors and site hosts who are supporting the Drive to Five: Colorado Life Sciences Innovation Tour. They include: AGC Biologics, Agilent Technologies, Aon, Biodesix, BioMed Realty, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), Calcon Constructors, Colorado Health & Tech Centers, Colorado Hub for Health Impact, Colorado State University (CSU), Cooley, CSA, Eliquent Life Sciences, Enveda, EY, Fisher Scientific, Fitzsimons Innovation Community, Foley Hoag, Foresight Diagnostics, Holland & Hart, Innosphere Ventures, KBI Biopharma, Lilly, Medtronic, Metro Denver EDC, PhRMA, Redmond, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, and Umoja Biopharma.

More Information is available on the CBSA website about the event. Guests are encouraged to Register now.

About Colorado BioScience Association

Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) creates co-opportunity for the Colorado life sciences community. CBSA champions a collaborative life sciences ecosystem and advocates for a supportive business climate. From concept to commercialization, member companies and organizations drive global health innovations, products and services that improve and save lives. The association leads Capital and Growth, Education and Networking, Policy and Advocacy, and Workforce Cultivation to make its members stronger, together. Learn more: cobioscience.com

About Colorado Hub for Health Impact

Smart, inclusive, forward-thinking, and highly educated people lead life sciences innovation in Colorado, the Hub for Health Impact. Here, in the center of the United States, the country’s top talent transforms every aspect of health and care. Our community is right-sized for high-growth organizations, with excellent infrastructure, lab and office space, outstanding academic and research institutions, and successful companies at all stages of commercialization. Since inception in 2024, more than 30 life sciences organizations, state and regional economic development groups, local governments, developers, and builders joined together, launching the national economic development campaign to attract high-growth health innovation companies to Colorado. More: coloradohealthimpact.com. 

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Sheliah Reynolds
Primavera Group for Colorado BioScience Association
720.289.4739
sheliah@theprimaveragroup.com