Thanks to grants from the state's Advance Industries program, 24 Colorado startups will receive funding to further their missions.
A total of $5.2 million in Proof-of-Concept and Early Stage Capital and Retention Grants were awarded to fuel the growth of Colorado’s advanced industries, which include things like advanced manufacturing, aerospace, bioscience and electronics, among others.
“Funding such a diverse cross-section of innovative Colorado companies continues to advance Colorado’s key industries and solidify our state’s reputation as an innovation incubator,” said senior manager of Advanced Industries Katie Woslager “Innovation drives economic growth and these grants directly support Colorado’s vital innovation ecosystem.”
The Advanced Industries Accelerator Programs were 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 to increase the state’s capacity to be globally competitive.
The program received 60 applications during the current application cycle that were reviewed by committees of business, technical and financial experts, as well as an industry-specific reviewer.
The next application cycle for Proof-of-Concept and Early Stage Capital and Retention Grants will open on January 2, 2020 with corresponding applications due March 2, 2020.
Check out this round of awards below:
First Ascent Coffee Roasters - $250,000 – First Ascent makes a specialty instant coffee in the mountains of Crested Butte.
Impact CBS - $250,000 – Durango's Impact Fenders integrates a closed cell recycled foam interior wrapped with a PVC coated polyester shell. This all encompasses a pliable interior to mold to any hull design.
LongPath Technologies - $250,000 - LongPath is a spin out from the University of Colorado, leveraging Colorado Nobel-prize-winning frequency comb laser technology to help oil and gas companies comply with stringent Colorado air regulations.
New Iridium - $250,000 - Boulder's New Iridium accelerates pharma drug development with light-driven photocatalysis. By reducing drug synthesis steps, photocatalysis shortens R&D cycle-time, improves time-to-market and reduces downstream manufacturing costs.
Quorum Prosthetics - $248,000 - Quorum brings personalized service to anyone in need of prosthetic or orthotic devices to improve their mobility.
RCAM Technologies - $250,000 - RCAM has developed a 3D concrete printed foundation that reduces the capital cost of a wind plant.
Skyland Analytics - $250,000 - Niwot's Skyland Analytics develops cloud-based data management software for drug manufacturers.
SmartForce Technologies - $175,000 - SmartForce helps public safety agencies become more efficient and effective with its mobile communications platform.
Unmanned Experts - $120,000 - Unmanned Experts is a robotics, unmanned aircraft and traffic management systems company building air asset management tools at scale.
Artimus Robotics - $250,000 - At Artimus Robotics, artificial muscle technology provides lightweight, simple, controllable and versatile linear motion that can replace traditional actuators and enable the next generation of automation and robotics in industries ranging from warehouses to healthcare
Barn Owl Tech - $240,000 - Barn Owl automates the monitoring of remote and mobile assets with an AI-powered surveillance platform.
Brava Diagnostics - $250,000 - Brava is developing a rapid, high-sensitivity troponin test for chest pain assessment. Brava’s technology enables lab-quality performance in 15 minutes.
Career Allies - $53,750 - The Tilt Platform is a web-based solution that guides employees and companies through a research-based, customized approach to retention, engagement and effective transitions.
Earable - $250,000 - Earable is an early stage company working on cognitive healthcare by building smart earphones that help improving human’s cognitive functions and productivity.
Emergy - $250,000 – Emergy has developed a system for the conversion of industrial wastewater into high value biomaterials.
BioLoomics - $240,000 - BioLoomics' technology uses AI to compare both the on- and off-target effects of new drugs to that of known drugs, revealing a proportion of drugs that are destined to fail.
STAQ Pharma - $250,000 - STAQ Pharma is a manufacturer that makes compounded medications in prefilled syringes for hospital procedures.
Transverse Medical - $250,000 - Transverse Medical's POINT-GUARD device addresses the unmet clinical need for complete stroke protection for the patient’s brain during Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement procedures.
Watchmaker Genomics - $250,000 - Watchmaker is developing novel protein engineering and manufacturing platforms to create proprietary reagents for the reading, writing and editing of DNA.
University of Denver Researchers Maciej Kumos and Monika Bleszynski - $60,000 - The University of Denver is seeking additional funding to further investigate a newly designed antifreeze compound and subsequently move this technology from the lab to commercial applications.
National Jewish Health Researcher Tasha Fingerlin - $150,000 - Fingerlin is enabling comprehensive diagnosis of sub-acute infection in chronic respiratory disease via high sensitivity next generation sequencing.
University of Colorado Boulder Researcher Min Han - $150,000 - Han is working on transformative treatment of anemia, using enterobactin to enterobactin to relieve adverse side effects caused by iron supplementation.
Colorado School of Mines Researcher Colin Wolden - $109,540 - This project will be executed in collaboration with SolidPower, located in Louisville. CSM will provide meaningful quantities of Li2S nanocrystals to SolidPower, who in turn will test it in their proprietary formulations on their pilot scale line.
