Bridging Divides with the power of entrepreneurship
Startup Colorado is partnering with Belonging Colorado to offer a structured accelerator program that helps founders validate, refine, and grow their companies through mentorship, technical training, and investment-readiness support. This program is built for entrepreneurs who view business as a vehicle for connection and belonging—those creating scalable solutions that bridge divides across race, class, culture, politics, or generation.
Are you a founder? Learn more about our accelerator.
IDEA TO INVESTMENT-READY IN 12 MONTHS
The Belonging @ Startup Colorado initiative will activate our full-stack Rural Operating System™, from ideation support and advisor matching to capital readiness and statewide network integration. This Belonging Project will equip 8-10 founders with the mentorship, tools, and ecosystem access needed to accelerate their growth trajectory. Select innovators from other states who want to implement their ideas in Colorado.
LEVERAGING ENTREPRENEURSHIP TO SOLVE BIG, HAIRY PROBLEMS
Since 2017, Startup Colorado has worked to bridge the rural–urban divide through grassroots ecosystem building, targeted programming, and statewide storytelling. We believe entrepreneurship is one of the most powerful tools we have to create belonging across cultures, geographies, and lived experiences.
Belonging @ Startup Colorado reframes entrepreneurship as a community development and connection strategy capable of addressing socioeconomic challenges such as housing, workforce shortages, and economic mobility. This pilot uses Startup Colorado’s full Rural Operating System™ to demonstrate how curated support for a small number of founders can accelerate impact, strengthen communities, and build bridges across lines of difference.
By 2027, we will:
- Launch the Belonging @ Startup Colorado accelerator, comprising 8-10 founders with high-impact, scalable ideas. This bold new approach to founder support flips the script by reversing the conventional accelerator logic—supporting fewer entrepreneurs with significantly more curated resources, mentorship, and ecosystem engagement.
- Reframe entrepreneurship as a community development strategy that strengthens belonging and resilience. Through structured programming and place-based engagement, founders will develop a theory of impact, integrate community engagement into their business models, and demonstrate how entrepreneurship can advance local solutions to systemic challenges.
- Build a replicable playbook to scale inclusive acceleration across Colorado and beyond. A comprehensive playbook will document the methodology, tools, outcomes, and lessons learned, providing a blueprint for launching community-rooted, founder-centric acceleration models that embed belonging and bridging into ecosystem design.
- Strengthen Colorado’s position as a national leader in belonging-based ecosystem building. Through public storytelling, cross-sector partnerships, and shared learning with funders and ecosystem builders, Colorado will become a model for how entrepreneurship can drive social cohesion, economic opportunity, and statewide resilience.
A COHORT FOR BELONGING
Cohort Size: 8–10 high-potential founders from Colorado and beyond
We intentionally keep the cohort small so each founder receives the full force of Startup Colorado’s Rural Operating System support. Each participant receives the equivalent of $35,000–$52,000 in direct support—with no equity taken.
Our Model: Deep, High-Touch, Founder-First Support
Every founder is surrounded by a personalized team of mentors, advisors, technical experts, and capital partners. You will receive:
- 3-4 dedicated mentors matched to your goals
- Bi-weekly 1:1 advisory sessions
- Technical assistance in product, operations, and financials
- Investment readiness coaching including capital stack strategy
- Warm introductions to angels, CDFIs, VCs, and other funders
- Pitch development and storytelling support
- Visibility through statewide storytelling and media
Outcome: Investment-Ready, Confident, and Connected
By the end of the year, founders will leave with:
- A refined business model
- A validated theory of impact
- A polished pitch and investment narrative
- A personalized capital stack plan
- Due diligence prep and review
- A network of funders, advisors, and partners
- Clear, measurable traction and next steps
- Statewide exposure through a curated Demo Day
Our goal is simple: founders will walk out of this program pitch-ready, investor-ready, and supported by a lifelong network.
Learn more about the cohort and how to apply below:
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