Entrepreneurship & Patents

Innovation abounds at a Mile High Space entrepreneurs explore the next frontier in Colorado

Colorado is at the forefront of innovation and commercial space opportunities. With a regional U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, our entrepreneurs can experience speed to market and cost reduction in protecting their inventions. 

Colorado’s ever-increasing reputation as one of the nation’s leading states for innovation soared even higher when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) opened one of four new satellite offices in Denver in 2014. Colorado was chosen due to the state's expansive culture of innovation and entrepreneurism.

Located in Colorado Springs, provides a centralized ecosystem to promote industry, education, and venture capital for advanced industries such as aerospace, defense, homeland security, and advanced manufacturing.

A Loveland-based business accelerator that NASA's first partner under its "Adopt-An-Accelerator" program. Select clients can receive up to 40 hours of NASA consulting assistance.

Brings together more than a dozen aerospace-related institutes, centers, government laboratories, and industry partners on CU-Boulder's campus to develop new technologies focusing on unmanned aircraft, small satellites, and Earth and space sensors. 

A U.S. DoD program office that collaborates with partners from major research universities and the venture community to provide solutions to real-world warfighter problems, offering programs and services that facilitate catalytic collisions between military innovators and non-traditional problem-solvers.

“The Rocky Mountain USPTO office will also help expedite the patent examination process and advance cutting-edge ideas to the marketplace, where they will create more jobs and spur additional, groundbreaking innovations.” Michelle K. Lee, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for IP and USPTO Deputy Director

Notable rankings:

  • The Milken Institute named Colorado second for “Best State for Technology and Science” in 2020, with a strong risk capital an entrepreneurial infrastructure rank.
  • Colorado ranks 4th highest in high-tech employment per 1,000 employees. (CompTIA, Cyberstates 2020)
  • Colorado ranks 7th-highest for SBIR grants. The SBIR program is a U.S. Government program, coordinated by the Small Business Administration, intended to help certain small businesses conduct research and development (R&D).
  • Colorado ranked 10th in the number of patents issued per 1 million people in 2020. (U.S. Patent & Trademark Office; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis)