Two Western Slope startups sold to industry heavyweights this month, reflecting a win for rural entrepreneurs who have been championing Colorado’s nascent rural startup ecosystem beyond Denver and Boulder. This week, Eagle e-bike pioneer QuietKat sold to outdoor conglomerate Vista Outdoor Inc., which owns brands like CamelBak, Bell, Giro and Camp Chef. Vista Outdoor […]
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Posted inBusiness, News
As society changes, Colorado investors want to make more impact with their money
Back in 2014, the Colorado Health Foundation made an unusual decision. The philanthropic organization, known for helping nonprofits, put its money into a for-profit startup, myStrength, a behavioral health app. It was neither a grant nor a donation. And it wasn’t quite venture capital, where multimillion-dollar investments often aim for tenfold returns. Technically, it was […]
Posted inBusiness, Education, Growth, News, Technology
Colorado’s newest billion-dollar B Corp is part of a movement to make a social impact — and profits
Fast-growing Guild Education figured out how to help more than 400,000 service workers take college classes — and get their employers to pay for them. It’s no wonder that investors have been drawn to the profitable-ish business model and a nearly unlimited number of potential users. Last week, investors led by General Catalyst managing director […]
Posted inBusiness, Growth, Technology
A Denver startup asks every potential investor: Have you faced sexual harassment complaints?
Last spring, Elizabeth Giorgi was shocked but not surprised by the inappropriate questions from potential investors about her relationships and whether she planned to have children. The cofounder of Denver video-startup Soona decided — enough! She understood the funding world’s reputation for bad behavior. It blew up in mid-2017 when several prominent Silicon Valley male […]
Posted inBusiness, Technology
$1 billion has flowed from venture investors to Front Range companies this year
Natty Zola remembers pitching potential investors back in 2009 on his first startup, a digital travel-journal company in Boulder. He found one — in Boise, Idaho. Back then, the Denver-metro area’s reputation for entrepreneurship was just emerging. Boulder tech accelerator Techstars was in its third year of cohorts. Prominent Boulder venture capitalist Brad Feld had […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Politics and Government
Colorado’s top securities regulator was hired in 19 days. Board members push for investigation of the quick pick.
Nineteen days after Gerald “Jerry” Rome told his boss in November that he planned to retire as Colorado’s Securities Commissioner, Chris Myklebust accepted the job as Rome’s replacement. Myklebust had already served as the state’s bank commissioner and the state’s commissioner of financial services. But the sudden hire raised eyebrows, especially those of securities board […]
Posted inBusiness, Growth, News
Sometimes startups need advice more than capital, and that’s where Colorado’s BEN steps in
A month before announcing a new $80 million investment in his travel tech company, Brian Egan knew he needed help to manage this next stage of growth. At the invitation of a low-profile business organization that focuses on fast-growing companies, the cofounder of Evolve Vacation Rental shared his quandary with a group of seasoned entrepreneurs […]
Posted inBusiness, Growth, News
Investment in opportunity zones (tax incentives and all) is still scarce in Colorado
Last year, Kristin Lawrence was on the hunt for a place to give her pop-up science experiences a real home. She found it in Boulder, smack dab in the middle of what would soon be designated an Opportunity Zone. “I didn’t even know what Opportunity Zones were at the time,” said Lawrence, founder of The […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, News, Politics and Government
Colorado regulators look beyond coin offerings for other cryptocurrency fraud
A special task force to investigate cryptocurrency shenanigans will continue after Gerald Rome leaves his post Friday as commissioner for the Colorado Division of Securities. The task force, created over the summer, has four staff members investigating potentially fraudulent activity involving cryptocurrency offerings. It has since expanded its scope to include other crypto investments. “Once […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, News
A DU student withdrew from school to change the charity world, quarter by quarter
Making money was never a mystery for Reyn Aubrey. The son of an entrepreneur and a freelance writer, he spent his high school years in Hawaii dabbling in several business ventures that brought in a nice income, at least for a 17-year-old, but also delivered a personal epiphany: Profit alone seemed like a boring pursuit. […]