Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative

Job Summary

The University of Colorado Boulder is excited to announce a unique opportunity within a best-in-class entrepreneurial ecosystem. We are looking for a Director for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative, a key role in providing entrepreneurial experiences, contributing to our local startup community, and taking CU Boulder to a new level of entrepreneurial excellence. The Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) Initiative was created to integrate and elevate CU Boulder’s rich mosaic of entrepreneurial offerings, and to build connectivity with our larger entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The Director brings together and catalyzes the network of campus entrepreneurship partners so that the university can achieve its vision of positively transforming lives through entrepreneurship.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

• Catalyze and forge connections across an ecosystem of campus and community entrepreneurship programs. You will create coherency and serve as a system-level architect.
• Re-launch and lead the Entrepreneurship Circle, a regular gathering among entrepreneurship-focused faculty, staff, and students to build awareness, drive collaboration, and catalyze campus-level initiatives.
• Facilitate an annual Entrepreneurship Seed Grant program to incentivize and support creative and collaborative projects that enhance entrepreneurship infrastructure at the university.
• Collaborate with, and support, student entrepreneurship groups.
• Cultivate trusting and productive relationships with key entrepreneurship groups across the university, including the Lead’s School of Business, College of Engineering and Applied Science, Silicon Flatirons, College of Arts and Science, Venture Partners at CU Boulder, Advancement, Career Services, and CU System I&E.

• Oversee all aspects of the I&E Initiative strategy, finances, and operations, in collaboration with the Senior Associate Vice Chancellor and other Research & Innovation Office leadership.
• Supervise the I&E Initiative Program Manager, plus student employees/interns.
• Provide strategic direction to marketing and communications team, to uplift and integrate campus entrepreneurship messaging.
• Grow the I&E Initiative’s funding streams through grants, strategic partnerships, sponsor ships, and cross‑campus philanthropy.

• Participate in local ecosystem events – listening, forming relationships, and facilitating the exchange between campus and community.
• Design and launch an interactive portal for students and community members to easily navigate CU Boulder’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Continuously discover and evaluate the student entrepreneurial journey and experience, to identify gaps and collectively design solutions with campus partners.
• Establish relationships with peer universities, learning and sharing with other leading entrepreneurship programs.

• Lead CU Boulder’s annual startup and pitch competition, the New Venture Challenge (NVC).
• Building on two decades of impact, continue to grow NVC as the venture competition in the region, through a dedication to founder support, community engagement, and continual evolution.
• Develop long‑term partnerships with community supporters, mentors, and investors.
• Establish a standard venture building curriculum for participating entrepreneurs that draws from expertise across the campus and provides an accessible path for all students.

Key milestones for the near term (5 years) include:

• Ecosystem portal (launch)
• Entrepreneurship Circle (re‑launch)
• Entrepreneurship Seed Grants (re‑launch)
• Expanded educational and funding resources for students not enrolled in venture building courses

• Shared venture tracking system,…