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The chance to be mentored and supported by some of the top entrepreneurial minds in the Boulder community is an opportunity many don’t have the chance to grab. Through an extremely competitive application process, students in the New Venture Launch (NVL) class can expand their network, get funding, and have access to tools to launch their businesses. Last week, I listened to the pitches of the six companies participating in NVL. The first thing I noticed was the energy, passion, and tenacity of these teams. These students are determined to make their vision a reality, and I left feeling more inspired than ever!

Led by the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship’s Faculty Director Brad Werner and Program Manager Betsy Klein, New Venture Launch helps students to drive their startup’s success. Teams receive valuable entrepreneurship insights, mentoring, pitch coaching, introductions to industry experts, and the chance to pitch for seed funding. They also receive guidance to compete in the ����������’s , where student businesses pitch for $100,000 in funding. Last year, three NVL teams made it into the NVC finals!

New Venture Launch has been a highly coveted course since it began in 2019. Originally taught by the Deming Center’s Research Director Jeffrey G. York, students in this class come from an array of disciplines and range from undergraduate to graduate students.����Brad Werner mentions that the people in his class are always “entrepreneurial-minded students ready to test their skills and make an impact.”

The Teams

For this specific class, these brilliant students were pitching their companies for funding for the first time. It was incredible to see their grit, how knowledgeable they are in their industries, and how passionate they are about growing their companies. Here is a summary of each venture below.��

Adapted Skin Care

Ideally, skincare routines should be tailored to unique individual needs.��This is��what brought together Christina Spruiell, Jacob Betts, and Sravya Karumanchi of . They formulate unique routines specifically based on your skin’s needs including over 16 individual factors, such as age, local climate, lifestyle, and pre-existing concerns. They plan on utilizing a face-mask system that minimizes user error, and can give you the healthy skin you have always wanted!

Tatanka Ska Ventures��

Native Americans face unique financial challenges when starting a business. That’s why founder Desmond Bruguier, along with his team members Charles Msilanga and Liz Compos created , a non-profit venture capital company for Native American ventures. They focus on providing underserved Native American entrepreneurs with capital funding, business education, and connections to experienced entrepreneurs to create economic and social impact.��

VizBZ

Forty percent of work in the lighting design industry is full of tedious work, including labeling icons, updating prices, and other meticulous tasks. All to prepare their design proposals, which creates huge delays in the design process. Founder Flynn Hill, along with team members Ruby Martinez, and Benjamin Brandenburger created to solve this bottleneck through a centralized software program that automatically syncs and updates pr