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The Global Business Development division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced that seven University of Colorado companies and three researchers are among the awardees of the 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.

“Colorado is increasingly recognized as a national and global leader in the advanced industries, and this program plays an important role in that success,” said Michelle Hadwiger, Global Business Development Director. “Whether it’s in federally recognized innovative industries like quantum and space, or in areas like health that consistently reimagine solutions that improve the way healthcare is delivered, these disruptive technologies create valuable opportunities for our workforce.”

The Proof of Concept grant is intended to help Colorado research institutions speed up applied research in the advanced industries as well as commercialize products and services in partnership with the private sector. The Early-Stage Capital and Retention grant supports businesses commercializing innovative and disruptive technologies in the advanced industries that will be created or manufactured in Colorado.

The Advanced Industries Accelerator Program received 117 applications this grant cycle, which were reviewed in a multi-stage process by committees of business, technical and financial experts in the seven advanced industries. Final recommendations were approved by the Economic Development Commission on November 21, 2024, and the awards announced today represent a total of $5,438,734 in funding.

The next application cycle for Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grants will open on January 1, 2025 and applications will be due February 28, 2025.

CU Proof of Concept Grants

• University of Colorado Denver, PI Nam Bui - Denver, CO $150,000: Developing an in-ear blood pressure monitoring system for remote and accurate blood pressure measurements.
• University of Colorado Denver, PI Melanie Joy - Denver, CO $150,000: Developing a phosphate adsorption device that treats hyperphosphatemia of end-stage kidney disease.
• University of Denver, PI Seyed Reza Mahmoodi - Denver, CO $150,000: Developing an electrode-integrated microwell array platform for non-invasive, multi-modal monitoring of 3D cell cultures.

CU Startups Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grants

• AmplifiedSpace Inc. - Lafayette, CO $250,000: AmplifiedSpace is developing digital power systems that use rapid-manufacturing and on-orbit configurability to get spacecraft into orbit as fast as possible.
• Latimer Controls Inc. - Boulder, CO $100,000: Latimer Controls has developed a utility-scale solar plant generation control software that integrates with existing hardware to control solar plant generation in real time.
• Mana Battery Inc. - Denver, CO $250,000: Mana Battery is developing sodium battery electrolytes and sodium battery cells for electricity grid applications.
• Mesa Quantum  Inc. - Boulder, CO $500,000: Mesa Quantum Systems is developing mass manufacturable chip-scale atomic clocks to address the risk of GPS as a single point of failure.
• Octave Photonics LLC - Louisville, CO $500,000: Octave Photonics has developed a new rapid-fabrication service that utilizes advanced materials required by cutting-edge quantum applications.
• SentrySciences, Inc. - Longmont, CO $250,000: SentrySciences has developed a software solution that addresses analytical issues associated with manufacturing cell-based medicinal products.
• Sieyax - Broomfield, CO $199,850: Sieyax is developing a novel small therapeutic for treating various cancers, with an initial focus on medulloblastoma.

About the Advanced Industries Accelerator Program

The Advanced Industries Accelerator Program was created in 2013 to promote growth and sustainability in Colorado’s advanced industries by driving innovation, accelerating commercialization, encouraging public-private partnerships, increasing access to early stage capital and creating a strong infrastructure that increases the state’s capacity to be globally competitive. AIA encompasses five distinct grant programs: Proof of Concept, Early-Stage Capital and Retention, Collaborative Infrastructure, Export Accelerator, and Global Consultant Network.