Each month, the Rural Women in Entrepreneurship group inside the Startup Colorado Community comes together for a virtual hour of connection. March’s co-host will be Sasha Nelson, serial entrepreneur and founder, Zephyr Mountain Publishing, Economic Catalysts, Colorado Kaleidoscopes, and Adventure Hosts.
This hour is casual, fun, and easy to drop into. We talk about what we’re currently working on, share our stories, and pool our resources to help each other get to that ‘next step’ on the long entrepreneurial road ahead.
The format is simple:
- 15–20 minute talk from our co-host
- Rounds of 1:1 connections with other community members
- Come and meet fellow women entrepreneurs from all over the state to discuss current topics and trends in business
Free and open to all Colorado women working in business and business support.
About Sasha:
Just Transition Subject Matter Expert | Sasha Nelson is a strategic advisor with over two decades of experience in community, workforce, and economic development. A serial entrepreneur herself, she specializes in guiding regions, governments, and organizations through the complex process of transitioning away from fossil fuel dependence toward sustainable, diversified economies.
Her prior roles include serving as the Dean of Workforce Education & Economic Development at Colorado Northwestern Community College, where she authored statewide coal worker surveys informing the Colorado Office of Just Transition’s energy transition strategy. Currently, as an Economic Recovery Corps Fellow supporting Northwest Colorado—a focal point for one of the largest U.S. coal Just Transition efforts—Sasha leverages her deep expertise in ecosystem building, diversification strategy, and community-centered resilience. She also leads Northwest Colorado’s first regional business retention and expansion program and recently launched a new micro-revolving loan fund.
Sasha’s work focuses on unlocking a region’s latent capacity through inclusive processes and strategic investment, ensuring that disruption transforms into durable, long-term prosperity. Sasha has directly advised on over 25 regional projects, securing more than $25 million in grants to advance economic diversification in the tier 1 coal just transition communities within Northwest Colorado across emerging sectors like renewable energy, value-added agriculture, and technology. This effort has helped advance a projected 400–450 jobs and contributed to over $4 billion in new capital investment. A respected thought leader, Sasha has presented her work on Just Transition at national convenings, including the IEDC and NACo.