Milken Institute to Headline Innosphere’s Flagship Innovation After Hours Event This September
Innosphere will host an expanded Innovation After Hours event on Thursday, Sept. 17, at The Legacy Building in Denver, featuring a keynote from two Milken Institute experts, authors of the annual Best-Performing Cities report. The event, held in coordination with the Colorado Innovation Council and sponsored by FBT Gibbons, will bring together hundreds of entrepreneurs, economic and innovation leaders from across Colorado’s innovation ecosystem for an evening of data, dialogue and networking.
“Alignment across Colorado’s advanced industry leaders has never been more critical,” said Mike Freeman, CEO of Innosphere. “Bringing the Milken Institute’s research directly to our ecosystem gives us a rare, data-backed look at how Colorado stacks up, and a clear starting point for what comes next.”
The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank with expertise in economic development, technology and innovation. The keynote will feature Rachel Halfaker, Director, Milken Institute Finance, who will speak to the work of the Institute’s 10,000 Communities Initiative in the region, and Brock Smith, PhD, Director, Milken Institute Research, who will provide a data-driven assessment of Colorado's competitive standing relative to peer innovation hubs — including Austin, the Research Triangle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and others — along with implications for national innovation policy.
"Every year, our Best-Performing Cities report shows the same thing: momentum isn't distributed evenly, even within a single state," said Smith. "Colorado Springs cracked our top five nationally this year, while Denver actually slipped in the rankings. That gap tells you something — the talent and infrastructure are there, but not every metro is converting them into the same competitive edge. That's exactly what we'll unpack, and why it matters for how Colorado positions itself against places like Austin and the Research Triangle."
Following the keynote, a fireside chat moderated by the Milken Institute will bring together leaders across Colorado’s advanced industries, including:
- Mike Freeman, CEO, Innosphere/NSF ASCEND Engine
- Elyse Blazevich, President and CEO, Colorado BioScience Association
- Jessi Olsen, CEO, Elevate Quantum
- Zoe Allender, Senior Manager of Economic Development, Metro Denver EDC/Colorado Space Coalition
The panel will discuss how Colorado’s advanced industry sectors, including quantum computing, photonics, bioscience, and aerospace, can act on the Milken Institute’s findings to strengthen the state’s national and global competitiveness.
“Colorado’s innovators and entrepreneurs are building technologies that will shape the future of industries ranging from life sciences and advanced sensing to quantum and space. At FBT Gibbons, we’re proud to support the organizations, founders, and investors working together to strengthen Colorado’s innovation economy,” said Ryan Tharp, Partner at FBT Gibbons. “We’re excited to partner with Innosphere’s efforts to drive economic growth and strengthen Colorado’s position as one of the nation’s leading centers for innovation and entrepreneurship.”
The event opens with a networking reception designed to create intentional connections across Colorado Innovation Council members and broader ecosystem partner communities, before moving into the keynote and panel program. The Colorado Innovation Council is a collaboration, convened by Innosphere, among Colorado’s core advanced industry organizations — the NSF ASCEND Engine, Elevate Quantum, the Colorado BioScience Association and the Colorado Space Coalition.
Event Details:
- Date: Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026
- Time: 4:00–5:40 p.m. MT
- Location: The Legacy Building at the National Western Center, Denver, CO
- Hosted by: Innosphere, in coordination with the Colorado Innovation Council
- Sponsored by: FBT Gibbons LLP
The Legacy Building, the new permanent home of the Western Stock Show Association, blends Western heritage with modern architecture and offers panoramic views of downtown Denver and the Rocky Mountains, providing a fitting backdrop for a conversation about Colorado’s future.
Registration is open now at: Innovation After Hours Featuring Milken
About Innosphere:
Innosphere is the Colorado-based nonprofit venture development organization — built for entrepreneurs turning discovery into companies. We bring acceleration, capital, infrastructure, and partners together to advance the region and enhance national competitiveness. Innosphere offers sector-specific accelerators, advances capital access, leads the NSF ASCEND Engine, and convenes the Colorado Innovation Council across four R&D-intensive industry sectors. Cumulative impact since 2013: 400+ companies served, 2,000+ jobs created, $3.6B in capital raised and $300M+ in revenue by client companies. innosphere.org
About the NSF ASCEND Engine:
The NSF ASCEND Engine — Advanced Sensing and Computation for Environmental Decision Making — is a U.S. National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engine led by Innosphere. Based along the I-25 Innovation Corridor, the ASCEND Engine connects Colorado and Wyoming’s federal laboratories, R1 universities, and technology companies to develop scalable solutions for wildfire, drought, extreme weather, and environmental resilience. Every NSF ASCEND Engine program is built with commercialization as a design requirement — moving scientific advances efficiently from discovery to deployment through three technical layers: advanced sensing and data generation, computational analytics, and decision support tools that translate research into commercial products and public services.
Projected 10-year impact: $3B in regional GDP and 18,000 new jobs by 2034.* innosphere.org/nsf-engine
*Projections provided by Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation
About the Colorado Innovation Council:
Innosphere is the neutral nonprofit integrator for Colorado’s four advanced-industry sectors that will define the state’s economic future — Life Sciences, Quantum & Photonics, Space Technology, and Advanced Sensing — uniting the companies, capital, research institutions, and federal infrastructure that historically operate in parallel rather than as an integrated system. The Council exists to coordinate Colorado's strengths and world-class assets into a durable competitive advantage that will elevate the state into a top-tier national innovation economy.
About the Milken Institute:
The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank focused on accelerating measurable progress on the path to a meaningful life. With a focus on financial, physical, mental, and environmental health, we bring together the best ideas and innovative resourcing to develop blueprints for tackling some of our most critical global issues through the lens of what’s pressing now and what’s coming next. For more information, visit https://milkeninstitute.org.
About FBT Gibbons:
FBT Gibbons LLP is a national law firm focused on serving companies operating and investing in the middle market. With nearly 800 lawyers across 26 offices, the firm is positioned to support clients ranging from large multinationals to mid-sized businesses and growth-oriented startups across the United States. FBT Gibbons provides legal counsel enriched with valuable business and market context, particularly in corporate, litigation, and regulatory matters within the energy, finance, life sciences, and manufacturing sectors. The firm is committed to delivering excellent service to its clients, colleagues, and the communities in which it operates. https://fbtgibbons.com/
Media Contact: Kristen Tatti, Marketing Director, kristen@innosphere.org
