By Margaret Hedderman
We’re only halfway through 2025, and it’s already shaping up to be a year for the books. From brand launches and team milestones to expanded programming and inspiring stories on the horizon, Startup Colorado has been busy building momentum across the state. As we reach the mid-year mark, we’re taking a moment to celebrate what’s unfolded so far—and share a few exciting updates about what’s coming next.
Vanessa McCrann Steps In as Managing Director
Vanessa McCrann is now the Managing Director at Startup Colorado, where she leads strategic initiatives to strengthen rural entrepreneurship across the state. With a background in community engagement, ecosystem building, and event leadership—including West Slope Startup Week—Vanessa brings a collaborative, impact-driven approach to her work. Based in Pagosa Springs, she’s passionate about empowering rural communities and fostering spaces where innovation, creativity, and connection can thrive.
Sterling Pitch Competition: Rural Ideas Took Center Stage
Pitch competitions can be a powerful launchpad for rural entrepreneurs to share their vision and gain real-time support from judges and community members. In rural regions where capital is scarce and visibility limited, this event offers a rare chance to be seen, heard, and supported. It also energizes the local ecosystem by spotlighting what’s possible in even the smallest towns.
In April, we had the privilege of hosting the Startup Colorado Pitch Competition in Sterling alongside Northeastern Junior College and the Logan County Economic Development Corporation. Four outstanding founders took the stage to pitch ventures spanning multiple industries: Sarah Berkeley of Symbiosis Gear, Paul Bierman of Power Tool Safe, Erwin Germain of TreadShare, and James Mataczynski of Craft Crate. Their presentations reflected the creativity and tenacity of rural business owners, and sparked meaningful conversations around entrepreneurship in Colorado’s eastern plains. Read the competition recap here—and, tune into NPR’s Marketplace story about this event!
As the finalist, Sarah Berkeley launched a Kiva campaign asking for public loan contributions to support her next big business goal. She was fully funded within just 24 hours of going live! By leveraging the momentum of the pitch competition, Sarah secured vital capital. It’s a perfect example of the ripple effect these events aim to spark— when a founder shares their story with clarity and courage, people respond. Learn about Sarah and Symbiosis Gear on our blog.
Our First Artist in Residence: Emilie Odeile
We recently launched our very first Artist in Residence program—an exciting step forward in our mission to celebrate creativity as a key driver of rural entrepreneurship. Our inaugural artist, Emilie Odiele, is a contemporary fiber artist known for transforming everyday materials into large-scale, immersive installations. Rooted in place and full of movement, her work echoes the dynamic energy of rural communities in motion. During her six-month residency, Emilie will receive mentorship, a stipend, and the opportunity to showcase her work at West Slope Startup Week in October. We’re thrilled to support her journey and can’t wait to see how her creative lens will inspire founders and community builders across the state. Read Emilie’s story.
New Resources Available for Rural Founders
Since the beginning of the year, we’ve launched a suite of new, free resources for rural founders. Our newsletter, The Rural Startup, features bi-weekly advice from investors, business leaders, and startup experts. We’ve covered everything from rural branding to funding your creative enterprise to climate resilience. Click here to subscribe for free. You can also find a suite of new tools for hiring and retaining employees in our resource hub. Our team is busy developing further tools, so stay tuned for new releases.
That’s a lot so far! And there’s plenty more in the works. Here’s a look at what we’ve got cookin’:
The Next Chapter for the Founder Coopetition
In 2026, we’re reimagining our signature Founder Coopetition. This program is evolving to deliver even more targeted, impactful support for rural entrepreneurs—especially those often considered “uninvestable.” That label isn’t a failure; it reflects the many rural founders building profitable, community-centered businesses that don’t fit the traditional venture capital mold. In the year ahead, we’ll launch specialized cohorts tailored to sectors like restaurants and food businesses, local services and skilled trades, rural creatives, and retail and consumer goods.
We’re also sharpening the tech edge of our Growth Challenge, a track designed to help founders level up strategically. Rural businesses can’t be left behind as the world goes digital. Our aim is to help entrepreneurs improve operational efficiency, boost profitability, and future-proof their ventures against rapidly evolving tech landscapes. We’ll guide founders to reimagine their business models, rethink customer relationships, and fully participate in the AI revolution and broader tech economy.
Spotlight Your Business through our New Event Series
We’re cooking up a new quarterly event series! In 2026, we’ll roll out a quarterly lineup of Lean Coffee networking sessions, pitch workshops, and demo days to help our statewide community learn from one another in an accessible and inspiring way. Lean Coffee will remain a space for lightly structured peer-to-peer connection and problem-solving. Pitch workshops will give founders a chance to learn directly from seasoned experts on how to craft clear, compelling, and confident presentations. And, for those ready to take the (virtual) stage, our new demo days will offer a spotlight to pitch in front of peers, advisors, and mentors—opening the door to high-quality feedback and game-changing connections.
West Slope Startup Week Returns to Durango
West Slope Startup Week returns October 6–10, 2025 in Durango! Startup Colorado is proud to organize this free, five-day conference that brings together rural entrepreneurs, creatives, and community champions. You and your team are invited to join us in Durango to share ideas, sharpen skills, and build meaningful connections across the region. We recently launched a fresh new website to make it easier than ever to get involved—check it out!
Behind the scenes, our incredible volunteer leadership team is putting the final touches on a dynamic program filled with interactive sessions, insightful panels, and other exciting ways to connect. The full schedule drops soon, so you can start planning your #WSSW25 adventure.
And if you’re ready to pitch your big idea, don’t miss the Startup Colorado Pitch Competition happening on October 8th at WSSW. Applications open in August!
Something Big Is Coming…
And finally, we’ve got something big brewing. Next month, we’ll announce a new partnership and launch a pilot program that redefines what founder support can look like in rural Colorado. Be the first to know—subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected.
Join us in empowering rural entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders to achieve even more in 2025. Contributions of any amount directly power our mission to build a sustainable statewide network of resources supporting rural entrepreneurs, so that people and places can thrive and chart their own futures! Will you help us?
