Innovator Partner
Aurora Economic Development Council
Aurora Economic Development Council: Recognizing Possibility. Maximizing Results.
For more than four decades, we’ve built strong partnerships between business and government to fuel Aurora’s economic strength. With tens of thousands of jobs created, we understand what it takes to attract and retain employers across Aurora’s 165 square miles of opportunity.
Our full-concierge-service economic development team knows that every project—big or small—is unique. We guide our clients at every step of the way, leveraging long-standing relationships, accelerating speed to market, and developing innovative solutions tailored to their goals. By harnessing Aurora’s diverse talent base, robust industry assets, rich cultural roots, and exceptional leadership, we drive strategic primary job growth and strengthen the local economy—one deal at a time. Discover what we can do to support your corporate expansion or relocation.
Aurora Economic Development Council
Ethan Sewald
Marketing Manager
Ethan plays a vital role in promoting the initiatives that shape one of the metro area’s fastest-growing regions. He strategically leverages social media and digital platforms to highlight economic development milestones, amplify community impact, and engage stakeholders around Aurora’s success stories.
Ethan collaborates closely with business leaders, real estate professionals, and civic partners to support corporate attraction and retention efforts, helping spotlight key industries that fuel job creation and economic growth. His work ensures the broader community sees and feels the value of ongoing development in the region. A proud graduate of the University of Kansas, Ethan brings a creative and community-minded perspective to his work.
Outside of the office, you’ll find him fly fishing Colorado’s rivers, camping in the mountains, playing pickleball, or enjoying a round of golf.
Colorado attracts more than business—it attracts bold thinkers. From startups to industry leaders, this is where ambition meets opportunity.
Ethan Sewald
Meet Aurora Economic Development Council
Partner News and Insights
Onconaut Therapeutics Advances Precision Oncology from the University of Colorado Anschutz
For Dan LaBarbera, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Onconaut Therapeutics, Colorado provides the momentum and support needed to accelerate first- and best-in-class cancer therapies rooted in decades of scientific discovery.
As Professor and Director of the CU Anschutz Center for Drug Discovery at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, LaBarbera leads a team working to develop novel cancer therapies that target CHD1L, an oncogene that drives tumor growth, metastasis, and treatment resistance across multiple cancers.
Onconaut emerged from groundbreaking discoveries in LaBarbera’s academic lab and was launched with CU Anschutz Innovations, which helps CU researchers translate biomedical breakthroughs into high-potential companies. The company is based at Fitzsimons Innovation Community, adjacent to the University of Colorado Anschutz, an academic medical campus located in Aurora, where proximity to clinical teams and research partners accelerates development.
As LaBarbera explains, “Having all the facilities that we have, we can see this development from start to finish. We get to work closely with medical teams and see our work in action.”
Colorado’s broad support for health innovators strengthens that trajectory. Early support from CU Anschutz Innovations to spin out the technology from LaBarbera’s lab was vital, and the Innosphere Life Sciences Accelerator Program helped prepare the company to pitch investors and prepare for commercialization.
It’s all paying off. Onconaut recently secured two major awards that expand its preclinical program and speed IND-enabling work. The company earned a $246,868 Advanced Industries Grant from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade to support continued R&D and commercialization planning. Additionally, Onconaut received a $2.5 million Fast-Track STTR grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute to advance a clinical candidate precision oncology drug targeting CHD1L.
The early data fueling this momentum is striking. In advanced organoid and animal models, CHD1L-targeting drug candidates enhance the effectiveness of existing chemotherapies and targeted therapies. “We are seeing an unprecedented amount of synergy between our drug and current treatments,” LaBarbera says.
Onconaut is advancing oncology therapies to give patients with aggressive cancers more effective treatment options, and renewed hope. The company advances its cancer therapeutics in a city built for scientific growth. By harnessing Aurora’s diverse talent base, robust industry assets, rich cultural roots, and exceptional leadership, Aurora creates the conditions for strategic primary job growth and supports companies that bring meaningful innovation to market.
Emet Surgical Advances Smarter, Safer Surgery from Fitzsimons Innovation Community
For Bob Witkow, Founder and CEO of Emet Surgical, advancing surgical care is deeply personal. His vision sharpened after surviving cancer and enduring eight surgeries and radiation treatment. Recovery sparked a mission.
“The experience was terrible—for me and my whole family,” he said. “I had life-threatening complications, and I started thinking: if I’m facing this, others are too.”
Witkow turned that experience into action. He combined his background in data systems and tech licensing with the ingenuity that has shaped his career. The result is Emet Surgical’s flagship technology, Enhanced Surgical Precision (ESP), a software system that acts as a surgeon’s “co-pilot” during minimally invasive procedures.
ESP elevates the surgeon’s field of view by identifying anomalies in real time and overlaying them directly onto the operative screen. Its cancerous tissue recognition engine, built with intellectual property licensed from the University of Minnesota, alerts surgeons to potential malignancies as they operate. With clinical studies beginning in 2025, and the team is already developing enhancements that will expand ESP’s use to endometriosis surgeries.
Mission drives every decision. “People talk about the patient perspective, but I lived it,” Witkow said. “I wanted to create something that helps surgeons and makes the experience less traumatic for patients.”
Colorado accelerates Emet Surgical’s path to scale. The company is based at Fitzsimons Innovation Community in Aurora with immediate access to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, one of the nation’s leading academic medical research centers. This environment brings researchers, clinicians, and entrepreneurs together in a connected health innovation community. Witkow points to the region’s talent, energy, and collaborative spirit as powerful drivers of the company’s progress.
“The ecosystem here is extraordinary,” he shared. “People are curious, collaborative, and motivated to make a difference.”
Bootstrapped and built with urgency, Emet Surgical reflects Colorado’s drive to turn lived experience into lifesaving innovation.
Aurora: “World in a City” Offers a Diverse Workforce
Every year, more than 5,500 people choose to call the City of Aurora, Colorado, this “World in a City” home. Aurora attracts investments from top national employers, recognized home builders, and commercial developers. Here, diverse talent and a dynamic cultural environment drive innovation.
- Diverse Workforce: Aurora is one of the country’s most diverse with 20% of the population born in another country, making every idea count. Aurora’s workforce, focused on professional development and innovation, stands ready to drive your business to the next level. AEDC join forces with local educational institutions, ensuring a pipeline of top-tier talent for your industry.
- Aurora’s Rich Tapestry of Amenities: Immerse your business in a city that seamlessly blends urban sophistication with a multitude of parks, golf courses, and trails. Aurora proudly represents 160+ unique languages spoken while offering diverse amenities, from an unmatched ethnic dining scene to stunning recreational spaces enhanced by the Colorado lifestyle.
- Catalyst for Growth: At the heart of Aurora, FIC is the epicenter of groundbreaking advancements in medical and life sciences. Aurora is rapidly transforming into the Bioscience Boulevard, attracting pioneers keen on making meaningful solutions. AEDC connects businesses to this vibrant hub, providing access to cutting-edge facilities, collaborative spaces, and strategic partnerships that will elevate your business to reach its full potential.
In this innovative city powered by the dynamic collaboration of Aurora Economic Development Council (AEDC) and Fitzsimons Innovation Community (FIC), your company is meant to be here, too.
Partner for Life Sciences Innovation: Aurora Economic Development Council
For nearly five decades, Aurora Economic Development Council (AEDC) has fostered community and created deals to fuel the economic vibrancy of Aurora, Colorado. Proudly partnered with Colorado Bioscience Association and the prestigious Fitzsimons Innovation Community, AEDC offers unrivaled expertise designed to catalyze business ventures.
- Comprehensive Viewpoint: AEDC’s suite of services, include site selection assistance, incentive negotiations, talent acquisition support, and industry-specific connections. AEDC is committed to helping companies uncover the thriving landscape of Aurora and realize why doing business in Colorado makes sense.
- Intelligence and Leadership: Aurora is becoming the Bioscience Boulevard of the West, attracting pioneers keen on making innovative solutions. We shape a prosperous future for companies by ensuring the diversity of our economic growth is promoted through academic and workforce pipelines.
- Strategic Partnerships: Work with AEDC to leverage the collective strengths of the Colorado Hub for Health Impact partnership, including capabilities of the Colorado Bioscience Association. Benefit from tailored resources, tactical collaborations, and top-notch advocacy where it counts.
Partner with AEDC and harness the power of a community-driven approach and business-friendly resources. Explore, innovate, and thrive with Aurora Economic Development Council.
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The information submitted through this form will be used by Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) and Metro Denver Economic Corporation (MDEDC) for the purpose of evaluating and facilitating economic development opportunities. It will be handled with the utmost confidentiality and will not be disclosed to third parties without explicit consent.
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Meet Our Partners
Colorado:
Hub for Health Impact
We love to collaborate with new arrivals. Our welcoming life sciences community is right-sized for high-growth companies. There’s more than a million square feet of lab space planned or in development critical infrastructure and state support for startups expansions and relocations. Our supportive partners are ready for every step of the journey.