Program areas at Startup Colorado
Establish long lasting, trusted partnerships with over 250 nonprofit business development organizations across rural Colorado. Act as a silent partner and provide free, tailored consulting to our business development organizations to help identity gaps in programming and direct services to their local entrepreneurs. Support existing grassroots initiatives, serving a broader regionality and encouraging deep collaboration in an otherwise competitive landscape. Provide partners with virtual and in-person entrepreneurial event support, funding opportunities, and cross-promotional efforts.
Startup Colorado awards individual scholarships to rural entrepreneurs through a vetted application process to support direct access to educational and networking opportunities, help off-set the cost of registration fees and travel expenses for trade shows, and create pathways to self-help initiatives. Startup Colorado funds local grassroots business development efforts through our community sponsorship program, intended to launch new entrepreneurial initiatives, educational and networking programming and access to mentorship in local communities.
Provide 24/7 access to Startup founders with an on-demand resource center and comprehensive funding database, ability to connect 1:1 with peers, mentors and capital partners through an interactive live feed and people search, and ongoing opportunities to attend upcoming technical assistance, networking, and educational programming across their respective region or industry. Provide direct business services, peer mentorship, and capital partner connections to early-stage rural entrepreneurs through a 4-week preaccelerator program called founder co-petitions.
Produce a narrative podcast series about Colorado's rural entrepreneurs. We are currently in our fourth season and have produced 32 episodes featuring 37 rural entrepreneurs and 13 women-owned businesses. Publish stories exploring the trends shaping the rural business landscape, many of which have been featured in reputable news publications including forbes, the daily yonder, 5280 magazine, nbc 9 news, and cpr. Reach over 10,000 entrepreneurs and business support agents through our story-first social media and email campaign programs.