Colorado State University, Fort Collins: Research to Revenue

Colorado State University, Fort Collins

Summit Venture Studio

Research to Revenue Report

Summit Venture Studio (SVS) Opportunities

SVS has identified 155 commercialization opportunities from Colorado State University, Fort Collins and scored them based on our proprietary metrics and rubrics.

The SVS model is to identify the top 1% of commercialization opportunities and start companies around them.

Please connect with SVS if you would like to engage with us in our startup and investment efforts.

Return on Research (ROR) Analysis

Commercialization Revenue per Research Dollar

Top Universities by Return on Research (ROR)

ROI Ratio: Commercialization Revenue ÷ Research Funding

University Innovation Analysis

Total Innovation Scores by Institution

Top Universities by Innovation Score

180+ High Innovation

150-179 Strong Innovation

130-149 Moderate Innovation

100-129 Emerging Innovation

130+ total score considered high innovation impact

SVS Innovation Index

Proprietary Assessment of Colorado State University, Fort Collins's Innovation Ecosystem
Score out of 100. Benchmark: Top 50 U.S. research institutions.
A score of 90/100 can be read "doing better than 90% of schools benchmarked"

Innovation Visibility

56/100

Definition: Media mentions, publication count, and global research visibility metrics

Startup Momentum

9/100

Definition: Growth in patents, funding, and startup formation

Ecosystem Strength

59/100

Definition: Tech transfer infrastructure and support systems

Innovation Legacy

A Timeline of Groundbreaking Discoveries

Innovation Timeline

Founded

1870

First Nobel

1998

First Patent

1976

First IPO

N/A

2022-2024

AI-powered crop management

2025

Today

Notable Commercialization Outcomes

Nobel Prizes

1950s

First Patent

Invention of synthetic rubber

1950s

Biotech Breakthrough

Plant-based vaccine development

1980s

Spin-off Company

Formation of AgriTech startup

1990s

Licensing Deal

Exclusive rights for diagnostics

2000s

Research Grant

Secured NSF funding

2010s

Competitive Benchmarking

Colorado State University, Fort Collins vs. Peer Research Universities

Colorado State University, Fort Collins vs Peers Comparison

Metric	Colorado State University, Fort Collins (FY2023)	Peer Average	Elite Average
Annual R&D Expenditure	$498M	$855M	$1,675M
New Inventions Disclosed	51	200	400
Startups Formed	2	7	10
Visibility Index	15	12	23
Licensing Revenue	$5M	$17M	$46M

Note: Peer Average = Median value among U.S. R1 research universities. Elite Average = Top 10 ranked U.S. research universities.

Emerging Opportunities

1. Advanced Crop Resilience Technologies Revolutionizing Sustainable Agriculture

Colorado State’s innovations improve crop resistance to climate stress, addressing global food security with scalable, eco-friendly solutions in billion-dollar agricultural markets.

2. Next-Gen Water Purification Systems for Global Clean Water Access

CSU’s cutting-edge filtration technology offers affordable, efficient water purification, tackling clean water scarcity and expanding rapidly in emerging and developed markets.

3. AI-Driven Precision Livestock Health Monitoring Enhances Productivity

Leveraging AI, CSU’s livestock health platform reduces disease, improves yield, and lowers costs, meeting growing demand in the global agriculture technology sector.

4. Renewable Energy Storage Solutions Powering Grid Stability

CSU’s novel battery tech enhances renewable energy storage capacity and efficiency, addressing critical grid challenges and enabling scalable clean energy adoption worldwide.

5. Sustainable Bioplastics from Agricultural Waste Transform Packaging Industry

CSU develops biodegradable plastics from crop residues, reducing pollution and fossil fuel dependence, with vast market potential in packaging and materials sectors.

6. Advanced Atmospheric Science Models Improve Climate Risk Forecasting

CSU’s predictive modeling offers precise climate risk analytics for industries and governments, enabling better decision-making in multi-trillion-dollar climate adaptation markets.