Students, faculty and others wanting to transform their technological ideas into business ventures are invited to attend the second annual "Invention to Venture" workshop Feb. 22 at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The one-day, hands-on workshop will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Discovery Learning Center, room 1B70, located at the southwest corner of Regent Drive and Colorado Avenue. The cost is $15 for students, staff and faculty of any educational institution and $75 for others.
The Invention to Venture workshop is part of a national series established by the National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance to tap the entrepreneurial ambitions of students and faculty on college campuses across the United States.
This year's workshop, organized by the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the Leeds School of Business' Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at CU-Boulder, will focus on sustainable energy and appropriate technologies for developing communities. The law office of Holme Roberts and Owen is the primary sponsor.
Workshop topics include evaluating ideas, defining needs and identifying customers, legal considerations, licensing, finding the money and perfecting a business plan.
The workshop will be held in conjunction with the inaugural Sustainable Opportunities Week, an event highlighting business trends and innovations in sustainability Feb. 21-25 at the Millennium Harvest House Hotel in Boulder.
The Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the Leeds School recently enhanced its sustainability efforts in education and research.
"Sustainability is being embraced throughout the business community and offers tremendous opportunities for entrepreneurs," said Paul Jerde, executive director of the Deming Center.
The Invention to Venture workshop will feature such regional speakers as Ren茅e Azerbegi, president of Ambient Energy Inc., a small consulting company created to provide solutions to customers' energy and sustainability needs; Jeffrey Nathanson, a director of Connected Organizations for a Responsible Economy (CORE, formerly P3 Colorado); and Russ Farmer, president of PBC Inc., a company that provides a comprehensive spectrum of business services to startup and emerging small businesses.
"We see a wide array of opportunities for engineers and other individuals to develop new technologies in sustainable enterprise," added Robyn Sandekian, associate director of the Engineering for Developing Communities program. CU engineering students study sustainable technologies such as biodiesel fuel, green building techniques and water filtration devices appropriate for developing countries as part of this program.
For more information or to register for the Invention to Ventures workshop go to
For information about Sustainable Opportunities Week visit