The spirit of rural entrepreneurship was on full display last week at Startup Colorado’s Pitch Competition at West Slope Startup Week. More than 115 attendees—including founders, funders, ecosystem builders, and potential mentors—filled the room to hear pitches from some of Colorado’s most promising rural entrepreneurs.
The event highlighted both the breadth of businesses emerging across rural communities and the range of funding mechanisms available to support them—from traditional investment and venture capital to interest-free crowdlending and in-kind services.
“This competition embodies what we believe at Startup Colorado — that rural founders aren’t just creating businesses, they’re shaping the future of our state,” said Brittany Romano, Executive Director of Startup Colorado. “For generations, people in rural communities built out of necessity. Today, they’re building by choice—creating scalable, investable companies that solve real problems and strengthen local economies. Our role is to make sure they have the capital, mentorship, and confidence to keep going.”
Six finalists took the stage, representing industries ranging from outdoor recreation and software technology to sustainability and food and beverage. Each founder delivered a well-crafted pitch that demonstrated market insight, community impact, and growth potential.
The Awards
Joseph Bissonnette of Sky View Tents in Buena Vista will receive up to a $10,000 matching contribution from Startup Colorado toward his upcoming Kiva interest-free loan campaign. He also earned a Startup Colorado Board Advisor Session (valued at $1,500) to help him refine his business strategy, strengthen his expansion plans, and prepare for upcoming product launches.
Sky View Tents designs innovative camping tents featuring a patent-pending internal rainfly system that allows users to enjoy clear views of the night sky while staying protected from sudden weather changes.
As a result of the event, Joseph was also connected with Energize Colorado and the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) to explore additional funding opportunities.
Mighty Mike’s Foods, founded by Mike Milakovic in Durango, received a $5,000 award from Startup Colorado—either as direct funding or as a matching contribution toward his interest-free Kiva loan campaign. Mike will also participate in a brand audit and strategy session (valued at $1,500) with Magic Marketing, aimed at strengthening his brand presence and supporting the next phase of his company’s growth.
Mighty Mike’s Foods makes bold, clean-ingredient veggie snacks for healthy outdoor lifestyles—starting with our dehydrated kale chips. Gluten-free, plant-based, and adventure-ready, they prove veggies can be delicious while staying simple and nutritious.
Following the Pitch Competition, Mike’s Kiva loan campaign quickly reached 30% of its funding goal. You can learn more and contribute to his ongoing fundraising efforts here.
Brock Predovich, the founder of BiteZen in Cañon City, received a mentor matching session through BEN Colorado (valued at $1,500) and legal services from Principle Law (also valued at $1,500). Brock is a former participant in the Startup Colorado Founder Coopetition program, and his continued success reflects the long-term impact of Startup Colorado’s founder support network.
BiteZen is on a mission to make every night guard smart, empowering dental professionals to assess, monitor, and treat bruxism through intelligent sensor technology and AI-driven insights.
Matt Glick of MTN FX in Durango received a private wealth consultation session with Summation Wealth Group (valued at $1,000). This session will help Matt—who has successfully exited previous startups—strategically plan how to structure future exits, including for MTN FX.
MTN FX is a SaaS operations management platform built for the skiing industry. They serve ski patrol and guided skiing operations by streamlining daily tasks, avalanche mitigation tracking, inventory of explosives, and weather data collection.
Funding Partners Conducting Due Diligence
The Startup Colorado Pitch Competition also created valuable visibility for participants, connecting them with potential investors and funding partners from across the state. These introductions opened doors to new opportunities for capital, mentorship, and long-term business growth.
For example, Howdy Partners and Kickstart Fund will continue a diligence conversation with Eric Amyot of issho in Glenwood Springs and John Armstrong of Onalytics in Salida.
issho is a generative homes company which provides families and communities with fully integrated, biophilic-designed homes, custom, resilient whole-home systems, and consciously sourced home products.
Onalytics takes the recycling industry’s messy, underused data and turns it into certified carbon credits. They make it easy for operators who don’t know how to use their data to unlock new revenue, prove their impact, and meet global reporting standards.
John Armstrong is also a former participant of Startup Colorado’s Founder Coopetition, and has been engaged with our work for a number of years.
“This competition is unique because we are providing a platform that highlights the spectrum of capital available,” said Mark Madic, the lead organizer of the event. “Two examples of this can include a zero interest loan, or a pre-seed investment. We know that this approach helps founders unlock capital, even if it’s not in the places they would think to normally look.”
He added, “We are so excited to see issho and Onalytics receive offers to engage in further diligence with our funding partners. We will announce the outcomes of these conversations as soon as possible.”
Next Steps for Rural Founders
The Startup Colorado Pitch Competition is one part of our broader support continuum for rural entrepreneurs. It stands alongside programs like the Founder Coopetition business accelerator, monthly online and in-person events, and a growing library of educational resources. In 2026, Startup Colorado will launch a virtual pitch practice and demo days series—in addition to additional live pitch competitions—to help founders elevate their business development, brand story, and confidence when presenting their business to potential investors.
Founders who want to get involved can join the Startup Colorado Community to stay informed about upcoming opportunities. Looking ahead, Startup Colorado will soon launch a year-long business accelerator for founders with innovative, scalable ideas that bring people together and bridge differences across racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, political, or generational lines.
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