Venture Fellow Student Assistant (CU Innovations & Gates Institute)

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a public education, clinical and research facility serving 4,500 students, and a world-class medical destination at the forefront of life-changing science, medicine, and healthcare. CU Anschutz offers more than 42 highly rated degree programs through 6 schools and colleges and receives over $500 million in research awards each year. We are the single largest health professions education provider in Colorado, awarding nearly 1,450 degrees annually. Powered by our award-winning faculty, renowned researchers and a reputation for academic excellence, the CU Anschutz Medical Campus drives innovation from the classroom to the laboratory to the delivery of unparalleled patient care. Read CU Anschutz Quick Facts here .

Department Summary: CU Innovations is a catalyst for innovation on the Anschutz Medical Campus focused on improving the lives of patients and the healthcare system. Our mission is to facilitate the rapid transfer of breakthrough inventions to society using a multidisciplinary team approach. We combine expertise in business, science, and law in support of researchers and clinicians at CU Anschutz & Denver, UCHealth, Children’s Hospital, and Denver Health, as they discover and develop breakthrough technologies including new treatment options, medical devices, and care pathways. We connect researchers, clinicians and staff with external industry partners to accelerate innovation and translation to patient impact. Our team provides support and guidance in intellectual property, licensing, industry outreach, venture funding, startup formation, and more. 

Gates Institute at CU is at the forefront of breakthrough research and biomanufacturing in cell and gene therapy that is revolutionizing patient care. Together with CU Innovations, Gates Institute is focused on accelerating the translation of these breakthroughs to patient impact and includes support programs such as Gates Grubstake Fund and Startup Toolbox, to provide funding and access to advisors that may not typically be available. 

Nature of Work: 

The Venture Fellow will be an integral member of the CU Innovations and Gates Institute teams supporting Gates Grubstake and Gates Startup Toolbox Programs, the review and analysis of promising cell and gene therapies and regenerative medicine innovations, preparation of marketing strategies and materials for these innovations, and support of commercialization activities.

Startup Toolbox is a platform that provides inventors with business knowledge & resources required to move discoveries from the lab to patient impact. Startup Toolbox is designed to lower the barrier to commercialization by providing inventors with access to vetted business resources, a network of preferred providers, and funding for activities not supported under federal research grants. This will ultimately lead to the advancement of more medical technologies and therapeutics to patients, while allowing inventors to focus more of their time in the lab to develop their science. 

Gates Grubstake funding is designed to support additional research necessary for clinical trials that is not usually supported by federal funding. The funding is designed to accelerate translation of academic research to patient impact. Grubstake Fund provides research and development funding for 3–4 projects yearly based on written and oral presentations and the recommendations of a Scientific Investment Advisory Committee, to achieve significant inflection points.

• Communications strategy – disseminate information to attract applicants to Gates Grubstake Fund;
• Review and edit the content of Gates Grubstake Fund applications portal;
• Respond to queries relating to the application process;
• Provide assistance to applicants for market research, competitive landscape, etc.
• Coordinate with Gates Grubstake Fund management team and the Scientific Investment Advisory Committee to orchestrate review and assessment of applications, shortlist finalists for presentations and assist in the management of the presentation process;
• Engage with successful Grubstake Fund recipients to gather annual reports and collate data on progress of funded projects.

The Venture Fellow will evaluate the resource needs (e.g. funding, consultants, and advisors) of Gates Center Startup Toolbox microgrant program, and, in collaboration with CU Innovations’ campus-wide Startup Toolbox microgrant program, work to build a network of resources.

Inventions and technologies in cell and gene therapy and regenerative medicine are managed by CU Innovations through patent prosecution and IP protection strategies and working with researchers to enable the translation of new treatment options, medical devices and innovative technologies to improve the lives and outcomes of patients.

• Support the review and produce analyses of cell and gene therapy, and regenerative medicine innovations shared from the Anschutz community;
• Meet and interview investigators with licensing managers to better understand new discoveries in the field of and gene therapy, and regenerative medicine;
• Draft compelling summaries of CU technologies describing the value proposition and highlighting distinct technological and market advantages.

Specific Responsibilities: 

• The Venture Fellow will be embedded in Gates Institute and collaborate closely with the CU Innovations Venture & Licensing teams and other Venture/Licensing Fellows.
• Work with CU Innovations’ campus-wide Startup Toolbox team to build out and expand the existing Gates Startup Toolbox resources.
• Work closely with inventors to identify their needs and connect them with the relevant resources.
• Perform market research and competitive analysis for cell and gene therapy and regenerative medicine innovation review, and for Startup Toolbox and Grubstake Applicants and Awardees, depending on expertise and training.
• Learn about and network with the bioscience industry in Colorado and further afield.
• Work closely with academic inventors and physicians to help them accelerate the impact of promising new innovations in healthcare.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Completed or pursuing an advanced degree (1) in business or finance (MBA or MS preferred) with relevant knowledge of biological/life sciences, or (2) in life/health/physical sciences (MS, or PhD preferred) or (3) a professional degree in health sciences (medicine, pharmacy, nursing, bioengineering).
• Bachelor’s degree from accredited institution

Preferred Qualification:

• Experience in scientific/technology review, finance, business, marketing, sales, commercialization of life science technologies

Competencies:

• Ability to develop and maintain a network of professional contacts
• Ability to work independently and to manage a large, diverse set of tasks and projects with an attention to detail
• Highly self-motivated professional with exceptional analytical skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills; written and verbal communication skills
• Commitment to values and strong business ethics
• Ability to evaluate novel technologies from a technical and business standpoint
• Ability to identify business, commercialization, market, and regulatory resources needed by academic innovators

Wages and Benefits:

Wages are hourly at $20/hour.

Position Information:

This position is open to students only, is part-time and can be up to 100% remote, although in-person meetings are helpful. Hours are flexible and are expected to be around 10, with a max of 20 hours/week. Work study eligible preferred.

Gates Startup Toolbox and Grubstake programs are funded through philanthropy to Gates Institute and managed by Gates Institute and CU Innovations.

This position will be for at least one year.

Required Application Materials: 

• A current CV/resume
• A 1-page cover letter

The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we may conduct background investigations for this position.

The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse student body, faculty and administrative staff. The university strives to promote a culture of inclusiveness, respect, communication and understanding. We encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities and all veterans. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment.