Applicant Support
Office Hours
The SPARK Advisors listed below will be available for 30 minute meetings, to help guide you in the preparation of the application.
Email SPARKCU@UCDENVER.EDU to schedule a 30 minute meeting with SPARK advisors.
Sharon Lake & Jon Gasson
Jon and Sharon have focused on medical device start ups for 30+ years. Their backgrounds are complimentary with Jon focusing more on marketing and strategy while Sharon focuses more on the R&D and operations. Together, they create and implement solid operational plans for very early stage entities.
Availability: 9/7/22 and 9/14/22 from 1 - 6 PM
Michael Holers
Dr. Michael Holers is an MD basic and translational researcher and rheumatologist who has co-founded two therapeutics companies, working as CSO of one, and has a strong history of mentorship in scientific and commercialization areas. He is best situated to help applicants link their discoveries to the areas of identifying patient need and addressing preclinical development milestones and strategies.
Availability: 9/12/22 - 9/16/22 from 1 - 5 PM
Richard Duke
Dr. Richard Duke is a biotechnology executive, inventor, biomedical researcher and academic entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in building, financing, and managing start-up biotechnology companies based on inventions made in Colorado’s non-profit research institutions. Dr. Duke strongly believes in the merits and opportunities that arise from building new companies based on University technologies and enjoys working with academic entrepreneurs to progress their ideas from the lab bench to the clinic.
Availability: 9/19/22, 9/20/22, 9/23/22, 9/26/22 from 1 - 4 PM
Floyd Taub
Dr. Taub has founded and/or been CEO of a number of small public and private diagnostic and therapeutic companies. He founded the first company to apply DNA to cancer detection. Another of his companies took an immunotherapeutic into clinical trials in the late 1990s. He has been an advisor to a number of SPARK companies and often presents alternative paths and potential for new technologies. He consults on regulatory, corporate, investment banking, and product development strategy.
Availability: 9/7/22 from 12 - 4 PM
Gino DiSciullo
Availability: 9/9/22 from 10 - 2 PM