Caruso, DiStefano funding new entrepreneurship awards at CU

BOULDER — Zayo Group chief executive Dan Caruso and University of Colorado Boulder chancellor Phil DiStefano are funding a new series of entrepreneurship seed grants available to faculty and staff at CU.

The CU-Boulder Campus Entrepreneurship Seed Awards will range in size from $2,500 to $10,000, or more in the case of projects with members from different disciplines, the school said in a news release. The awards are meant to “inspire faculty and staff to take risks and develop new projects.”

The program will be part of CU’s cross-campus Entrepreneurship Initiative, and awards will be administered by the Silicon Flatirons Center at CU’s law school. The program will complement other entrepreneurial initiatives on the campus, such as the New Venture Challenge and Entrepreneurs in Residence program.

“Entrepreneurial attitudes and methodologies, for whatever walk of life one pursues, are essential in today’s world,” said Phil Weiser, executive director of the Silicon Flatirons Center and outgoing dean of the law school. “The seed awards are meant to encourage members in our community to take risks in launching on new opportunities, whether project-based learning and research, or helping get companies or nonprofits off the ground.”

Application proposals for the seed awards are due Oct. 15. Eligibility guidelines and the application can be found on CU’s website.

on Facebook on LinkedIn