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Established in 2020, Equalize Startups is a nonprofit program taking national action on the disparity in women academic inventors forming startups from nonprofit research institutions. Equalizers receive education, a field-specific mentor, and access to networks that drive new entrepreneurial connections. They can include faculty, postdocs and graduate students in STEM disciplines.

Their six-month program offers expert training, personalized mentoring, in-person networking and a pitch competition—all designed to help women academic inventors successfully navigate the startup ecosystem.

Innovators with ties to the University of Colorado Boulder will participate in the 2026 cohort.

Ìý(Alum, Biomedical Engineering, Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering) is co-founder of TissueForm, which has developed a flowable implant made of the protein and extracellular matrix of human cartilage tissue (with all living components removed). It flows into a defect from an injury to immediately replace structure, solidifies into a solid to withstand normal loading, and supports the body’s own cells to attach and initiate a regenerative repair.

Ìý(PhD candidate, Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences) is building an AI-powered platform that transforms how materials and structures are designed by predicting performance and degradation throughout the design process. This reduces reliance on costly simulations and unlocks faster development and more resilient engineering systems.

The 2026 cohort also includes Ìýof the , who aims to transform AI-designed mini proteins into first-in-class therapeutics with Jingshi Shen (CU Boulder Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Charles Dinarello () and their new CU Boulder startup, winner of the 2025 LVC.

What could you or your business do with a CU technology?