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News — May 5, 2025—The  announces , a new program designed to help students develop and scale high-impact startups focused on climate solutions. CU Boulder is the first U.S. public university in  university climate ventures network, alongside MIT and Stanford.

Founded by Bill Gates in 2015, Breakthrough Energy is a global initiative that accelerates climate and energy solutions through innovation and investment. Through this collaboration, Boulder Climate Ventures—led by the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility (CESR) and the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the —will connect graduate students, primarily from business, engineering and science backgrounds, to Breakthrough Energy’s extensive global network of innovators, researchers and investors. This network will help students transform their climate solutions into scalable market-ready ventures.

CU Boulder’s inclusion in Breakthrough Energy’s network, which also includes Technical University of Munich and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, is a major milestone for the university’s leadership in sustainability and climate innovation.

“We have the student ingenuity, strong faculty support, cutting-edge research and supportive ecosystem to catalyze the technological transformations the world needs,” said Andrew Mayock, vice chancellor for sustainability. “This program is a prime example of where we’re headed as a university and broader community.”

The program’s curriculum includes a two-part entrepreneurship course launching in fall 2025. The first course, "Business Opportunities in Climate Tech," focuses on emerging challenges and innovations in key sectors such as mining, water management, energy, agriculture and wildfire resilience. The follow-up course, "Climate Tech Venture Discovery," helps students turn ideas into viable companies through customer discovery, techno-economic analysis and investor pitching.

“We’re creating a low-risk space for students to test climate tech ideas,” said Katherine Ratledge, program manager at CESR. “As we develop the curriculum and attract local partners, Boulder Climate Ventures will complement and integrate with the many entrepreneurial programs at CU Boulder to support all those who wish to build transformative ventures.”

“Boulder’s culture, research strengths and thriving startup ecosystem make it an ideal hub for climate innovation,” according to Ashley Grosh, vice president at Breakthrough Energy and a CU Boulder alum. “We’re connecting the dots to fuel momentum.”

CU Boulder has long been a leader in sustainability-focused innovation. The university has launched 44 sustainability-focused spinouts, ranging from companies developing low-carbon building materials to startups using quantum technology to detect and prevent methane leaks from oil and gas operations. 

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