The Insider: Researchers, Inventors and Creators Edition—March 2026
Special Announcement
The University of Colorado Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator announces 2026 cohort
The University of Colorado's Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator has announced its 2026 startup teams. The selected companies span a wide range of disciplines, reflecting the depth and breadth of innovation emerging from CU’s research enterprise.
Featured News
CU ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ biomedical engineering startup brings cancer care technology to the Lab Venture Challenge
CU ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ College of Engineering & Applied Science—William Frantz didn’t walk away with the top prize at this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC), but his research may still be a winner for future cancer patients. Frantz is developing microscopic droplets designed to help doctors track radiation therapy in real time, technology that could one day make cancer treatment more precise and less harmful, particularly for pediatric patients.
How one engineering alum optimizes clean energy operations before they break
CU ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ College of Engineering and Applied Science—Aoife Henry is leading Zentus, a startup she founded that addresses a critical challenge in the energy sector: preventing costly equipment failures that can bring wind and solar farms offline without warning. After participating in the University of Colorado Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator, Henry landed a fellowship with the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
Professor featured in Colorado Environmental Film Festival documentary
CU ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ College of Engineering and Applied Science—Women of Carbon, a documentary featuring Mija Hubler, highlights women transforming the construction industry through sustainable innovation, decarbonization and green technology. Hubler’s research interests include aging of construction materials, concrete infrastructure design and construction methods and the design of alternative construction materials from biological elements and engineered waste materials. She is a co-founder ofÌýPrometheus Materials, a bio-cement startup in Longmont, Colorado.
CU ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ pre-seed investment fuels cancer ‘moonshot’ spinout Illumen Therapeutics
In an ongoing effort to bridge a pervasive investment gap in innovation funding, the ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ has awarded pre-seed funding to Illumen Therapeutics, developing cancer treatments based on discoveries from startup co-founder Roy Parker’s lab at CU ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½.