Council hears pitch to deepen Fort Collins partnership with Innosphere and NSF climate-tech engine

Fort Collins City Council heard a yearly update Tuesday on Innosphere and the NSF ASCEND Engine, with discussion turning quickly to how the city could deepen its partnership with the Fort Collins-based innovation group on climate, economic development and future real estate projects. Mayor Emily Francis called the idea of an innovation corridor “extremely appealing,” while Councilmember Amy Hoeven asked Innosphere CEO Mike Freeman what the organization needs from the city to keep expanding.

Freeman said the presentation was meant to start that conversation. He told council that Innosphere has supported startups locally for nearly 30 years and said the city’s view of Innosphere as a partner will be important as the organization looks beyond its current work. Freeman said Fort Collins and Innosphere could explore “another level” of collaboration over the next five to 10 years, including continuing as a real estate partner and aligning on projects that fit the city’s mission.

The work-session update, listed as Item 1, covered Innosphere’s annual community report and the NSF ASCEND Engine in Colorado and Wyoming. The federally backed engine focuses on sensing and computation for environmental decision-making, with projects tied to wildfire, drought, extreme weather and soil degradation. Presentation materials tied those efforts to Fort Collins priorities by highlighting opportunities to include Fort Collins Utilities and Platte River Power Authority in the ASCEND ARID wildfire-risk program and to “actively support” the city’s climate action goals through advanced data and analytics.

Innosphere’s presentation also emphasized the organization’s local footprint. Slides said Fort Collins-based tenant companies generated $59.6 million in 2025 revenue, added 57 employees and raised $4 million through Fort Collins-based accelerator clients. Another local impact slide said the ASCEND Engine has 19 Fort Collins-based employees, more than 100 students have completed Colorado State University’s Foundations of Systems Engineering course, and CSU has received $1.36 million in subawards through the engine over its first three years.

Francis said the regional nature of the engine aligns with city priorities around economic development, sustainability and the environment. Freeman, who leads both Innosphere and the engine effort, said communities around the country are trying to build similar innovation organizations and that the experience has made him more appreciative of what Fort Collins already has. He said the next step is to get more feedback from council and staff on what a stronger long-term partnership could look like.

Councilmember Chris Conway also asked whether companies incubated through Innosphere tend to leave Fort Collins as they grow. Freeman said that is far less common than it once was, arguing that founders have more leverage than before and that investors are no longer routinely pushing startups to relocate. Companies can still move or be consolidated after acquisitions, he said, but “by and large, the companies stay in place.”