Mesa Quantum, a CU Boulder spinout and leader in quantum sensing, recently announced $3.7 million in seed funding and a $1.9 million grant from SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force. Both investments are fueling the company’s drive toward commercializing chip-scale quantum sensors for multiple applications including next-generation position, navigation and timing solutions. 

Sitting in Mesa Quantum's new, airy headquarters in Boulder, co-founder and CEO Sristy Agrawal (, , CU Boulder Mathematical Physics), is clearly exhilarated—if also a bit jet lagged. She’s been traveling around the U.S., to Europe, and next to Asia, attending conferences and talking to governments about her company’s tiny technology that’s offering big solutions. In those conversations, said Agrawal, “We want to make sure that our roadmap and our product development ensures we’re not just developing a cool technology but also solving a real problem.”  

One of the issues Mesa Quantum aims to solve is current vulnerabilities in the aging U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) which is often the sole source of positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services. Accurate GPS and PNT are integral in our everyday lives, from mapping and surveying to stock trading, power grids and emergency response. But the satellite-based signals that GPS relies on can be inconsistent and are unencrypted.  

Improperly configured, corrupted or hacked GPS receivers and signals have wreaked havoc recently on aviation and government operations, disrupting large sectors of the global economy. “As we’ve seen in the last few years, GPS is not resilient at all,” said Agrawal. “You can buy something from Amazon for $20 which can jam the GPS in an entire neighborhood.”  

Mesa Quantum is addressing the issues of PNT resiliency, as well as filling certain GPS accessibility gaps, by designing and manufacturing next-gen quantum sensors with chip-scale atomic clocks. “One approach to solving that problem, which is very promising, is if we could build really tiny atomic clocks that we could integrate in our hardware,” said Agrawal. “So we wouldn’t have to rely completely on such a weak signal that is jammable. So that is what we’re trying to do.” 

Timing is everything 

Agrawal and her team are transitioning state-of-the-art lab research from CU Boulder into practical and deployable quantum solutions. The tech originates from Svenja Knappe’s lab (CU Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering, NIST) where, for over 20 years, her work has focused on developing miniaturized quantum sensors and systems. CU Boulder has a robust history of quantum innovators spanning 60 years, including four Nobel laureates. Mesa Quantum is licensing that tech from the university, with the help of Venture Partners at CU Boulder, and working to make components smaller and mass producible while driving down cost to make their sensors accessible across multiple applications. They hope to have a working prototype in 2026, and also worked with Venture Partners to launch the company.   

Quantum sensors are essentially highly accurate measurement devices that collect data at the subatomic level by detecting the most minute changes in time, gravity, temperature, motion, magnetic and electrical fields and more. That kind of precision, in Mesa Quantum’s smaller, more cost-effective package could be tailored for a wide array of uses including medical diagnostics and biomedical research, environmental monitoring and, of course, positioning, navigation and timing.  

In adapting Knappe’s novel atomic clock, Mesa Quantum is building sensors that can measure and detect changes in the environment around them to signal where they are in the world, where they need to go and to keep them in sync with other systems. Agrawal ultimately sees a place for their sensors anywhere highly accurate timekeeping is currently needed (like data centers and autonomous vehicles); where GPS may be weak, like in dense urban areas, and in challenging environments where GPS can’t currently go—underground, underwater and in secure military operations. They want their quantum sensors to “meet the market where it is,” she said. 

Agrawal’s path to studying quantum science started back in high school where she first started to learn scientific concepts. Before, she never felt like a great student, but that sparked curiosity in her, and it remains so today. “Every day I had like 10 questions for the teacher which must have been very annoying,” said Agrawal, “but that’s when I really got interested in science.” Being open and curious have been key to Agrawal’s success. She grew up in a small town in a rural state in India where she’d go to a café to access the internet, or she’d stay at home reading H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” or watching “Stephen Hawking’s Universe.” Agrawal also values having the willingness to make mistakes and to continue learning. “It’s not the end of the world if something doesn’t work,” she said. “But I would regret not trying.”  

When working toward her PhD in quantum information science, Agrawal was looking at how to use quantum technologies to transform lives. “I got exposed to a lot of incredible research being done at JILA and NIST in quantum sensing,” she said, “And I got the bug for the impact that quantum technologies could have to actually solve real world challenges.” At the same time, Agrawal didn’t have a particular concept in mind. “Because I wasn’t married to a particular idea to begin with, I think that gave me a lot of flexibility,” said Agrawal. “I got quite excited about chip-scale atomic clocks right away because I’d been reading about the GPS problem.” Her next logical step was to direct her knowledge of the quantum realm and a passion for solutions into a startup. But how? 

Homing in on a winning innovation 

When considering entrepreneurship, Agrawal turned first to Venture Partners at CU Boulder, the commercialization arm of the university, and began working with Justin Stitzlein, a venture analyst at Venture Partners. The two met for coffee and Stitzlein was excited to learn about her background in quantum physics. “Then we provided her with a curated list of potential quantum technologies, she looked through that list and selected one that she thought seemed interesting and that might have a market opportunity,” he said. “Through her research and just a few conversations, Sristy really conceptualized this gap in the market. I don’t think that everyone can do that; she’s such an expansive thinker.”
 

But what is "commercialization?"

The path to commercialization—also known as "research translation" or "tech transfer"—can be challenging, and Venture Partners is here helps by uniting industry partners, entrepreneurs and investors to help researchers, inventors and creators at the University of Colorado bring their groundbreaking discoveries into the marketplace.

Explore the Path to Commercialization

In late 2022, Agrawal participated in the Venture Partners Starting Blocks Customer Discovery Workshop, offered as part of the , where Mesa Quantum was conceived. The program helps researchers build a foundation for impactful businesses by identifying market needs for their breakthrough technologies with a robust process of customer discovery, according to Emily Vogt, director of venture development. “[Sristy’s] chip scale atomic clock technology had broad applications across different industries,” said Vogt. “Her customer discovery journey through multiple I-Corps programs helped her find the shortest and most compelling path to market, while also highlighting different uses of the technology for future growth."

During the Starting Blocks program, Stitzlein encouraged Agrawal to home in on the technology’s potential applications and to develop a business model. She then started developing that commercial strategy and meeting with potential customers. “I've never seen someone hit the road as hard as she did,” said Stitzlein.  

During that time, Agrawal dove into several other Venture Partners’ programs including the 2023 Lab Venture Challenge (where Mesa Quantum was awarded $125,000) and 2024 New Venture Challenge Deep Tech Competition (where Mesa Quantum was a finalist). She also participated in New Venture Launch, a Leeds School of Business class for cross-disciplinary teams, individual founders and entrepreneur-focused students. During that time, Agrawal also connected with her co-founder and Mesa Quantum’s chief technology officer, Wale Lawal (Harvard, Rice University, U.S. Air Force Academy).   

From when she first began working with Venture Partners, Agrawal felt tremendous backing. “I could brainstorm everything with them,” she said. Venture Partners helped Agrawal move seamlessly through CU Boulder’s many opportunities and resources for campus innovators to develop new ventures. Before, as an academic, Agrawal said, she didn’t have access to daily conversations about becoming an entrepreneur like someone at a business school might.

That resonates with Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships at CU Boulder. “This is definitely a cross-campus collaboration, an example of a founder really leveraging all the different things that this campus has to offer,” he said. “Breaking down siloes is great.” Rees would like to see more founders like Sristy—“who’s got that commitment and willingness to try things”—bringing their knowledge and passion into the entrepreneurial arena.  

Rees sees Agrawal and Mesa Quantum as the tip of the iceberg in terms of potential ventures spinning out of the university. “The vast majority of folks don’t know where to start, or don’t have the resources, or don’t have the bandwidth to do that,” he said. “What I think is so exciting about the university now is that for most of the iceberg that’s underwater, for those people who would love to do this if they have support, there are trainings, there are mentors, there’s funding, there’s access to a path to success.” 

“Venture Partners created that space for me where I could have those discussions,” Agrawal said. “I cannot overstate how important the community has been in this journey. Mesa Quantum wouldn’t have happened without that support.” 
 

What can we do together?
 

Disclose and protect your innovation

Engage in entrepreneurial training programs

Find a mentor to advance your innovation

Get funding for your innovation

Find partners and opportunities for your innovation

Explore investing in and partnering with CU researchers

Explore our startups portfolio

Explore our technology portfolio

Off

Venture Partners at CU Boulder is seeking two technology commercialization interns to join our team for a 6-month part-time paid internship! This is a great opportunity to learn and experience the essence of entrepreneurship: performing early-stage customer discovery. In addition, the internship will further the team’s mission to translate breakthrough research into products that benefit society. 

The technology commercialization interns will review our exciting technologies and select their favorites from the areas of climate, energy & sustainability, quantum & photonics, advanced materials, medical devices and therapeutics. The interns will then take our customer discovery course where they will be guided by our I-Corps instructors through developing aspects of the business model canvas, performing customer discovery, developing a value proposition and understanding the potential product-market fit. The interns will then continue their learning journey in an in-depth training provided by our R2M program. The interns will also work with mentors, case managers, and the I-Corps team to develop partial BMCs for several technologies and will present their findings and deliverables to the team at the end of the program. 

The ultimate goal of the program is to ascertain whether these cutting-edge technologies, developed through millions of dollars of research funding, align with the needs of the market and present an opportunity for a high-growth start-up or a direct sale to a corporate buyer. 

Who We Are 

Venture Partners at CU Boulder is a key catalyst for innovation. Venture Partners’ mission is to translate breakthrough inventions from the University to society. We work with university researchers and external business partners to commercialize new products and form new startup companies. CU Boulder is consistently among the top US universities for translating research innovations into new startup companies. 

Venture Partners is part of the Research & Innovation Office (RIO). RIO is the central point for support and advocacy for CU Boulder’s world-class scholarship, creative work, and growing research enterprise. 

Responsibilities 

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

• Complete the introductory course provided by the I-Corps Hub
• Complete technology through the R2M program
• Perform customer discovery on select inventions and develop a value proposition for each
• Present deliverables to the internal Venture Partners audience 

What We Can Offer 

The role will pay $25 per hour for up to 10 hours per week. We are also happy to collaborate to have the internship fulfill academic requirements if possible. 

What You Will Need

A creative and entrepreneurial mindset

• This opportunity is only available to current CU Boulder students
• Enthusiasm for learning the needs of early-stage innovations
• Impeccable communication and relational maturity in all interactions with business leaders and potential customers
• Sensitivity to and appreciation of cultural, political and geographical differences, with ability to work well with potential customers and licensees from around the world 

To apply, please submit the following to:

• A current resume
• A cover letter that specifically addresses how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications and responsibilities of the position

Off

Off

Off

Off

The CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office (RIO) announced a targeted realignment in November to enhance strategic integration across key areas and best position RIO to serve the university's growing research and innovation needs. The shift focused on RIO’s internal organization and operations and was designed to support long-term growth, collaboration and impact. 

RIO’s operations are now organized into four pillars to encourage more cross-team activity and distribute decision-making more broadly and flexibly. We sat down with Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships, to discuss the new Innovation & Partnerships team, which brings together Venture Partners at CU Boulder, the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative and Workforce Development. The realignment is designed to boost effectiveness across the three units and drive larger goals, including entrepreneurial activity and training, new company and job creation, economic development and commercialization of research discoveries.

How will these changes enhance strategic integration across innovation and partnership efforts?

The three units that are coming together—Venture Partners, the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative, and Workforce Development—share many commonalities. They all provide training and support for an entrepreneurial mindset, and they all connect the university community with the business community. The realignment brings together three great teams that were already working together. By bringing them closer together organizationally, we can better serve our partners. If a corporate partner or investor engages with the university, for example, they can explore a wider range of commercialization, entrepreneurship and workforce opportunities in an integrated environment.

How does this closer integration of initiatives benefit the university?

Here is a concrete example of how the university benefits. CU Boulder is a national leader in spinning out new companies based on innovations created through university research. However, if the university unit enabling spinout creation is separate from the unit for undergraduate student entrepreneurship, it may be more difficult for students to benefit from the university’s startup prowess. More seamless integration will only help us advance CU's impact through innovation. This realignment opens up many new opportunities to broaden the resources available to our university community. It’s already begun. We are seeing CU Boulder students engaging directly with spinouts through the New Venture Challenge.

How will the realignment affect the support and resources available to startups and entrepreneurial ventures associated with CU Boulder?

The realignment will enhance the experience of our students, faculty and staff who choose to engage in our existing innovation resources. Primarily, that will be through easier navigation. Someone inside the university or an external partner typically has multifaceted needs. Let’s consider a faculty member with a startup company commercializing a quantum innovation they created at the university. That company might want to hire specially trained students, license intellectual property, participate in accelerator programs and perhaps do other things too. Our new integrated Innovation & Partnerships team can help with all of it.

How do you envision the impact of this integration a year or two from now?

This integration provides a foundation for future growth. An organizational change like this does not itself produce the large-scale impact we seek in giving our students incredible entrepreneurship experiences or turning breakthrough research into innovations that help society, but it’s an important step along the way. I expect that, in a few years, we will see increases in faculty and student engagement in innovation and be able to tie those increases back to many beneficial changes and improvements, one of which is the organizational change that brought several of the university’s key innovation units together. Similarly, for our external partners including investors and companies, this realignment will provide a more seamless and integrated experience of interacting with the university through a single point of contact. Being one of the very best universities in the world for innovation will require a holistic effort; this is one step along a much larger journey.

Off

The second cohort of Entrepreneurs in Residence in the Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator will pitch their newly built startups bringing to market ten groundbreaking technologies developed within CU Boulder's research labs. Investors and business partners will get an exclusive look at the companies built in the last six months program in various sectors, including biotechnology, cleantech, health and wellness and advanced materials.

Off

Off

Off

Off