Bridging Divides with the power of entrepreneurship

Startup Colorado has partnered 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.

MEET THE 2026 IDEA FACTORY COHORT

Selected from over 100 applicants nationwide, these 12 founders demonstrated how entrepreneurship can serve as a primary driver for social impact and community resilience:

Conor Moynihan — Karmy 

Longmont, CO

Karmy is a platform where people earn points for doing good—helping neighbors, donating items, and supporting their community.

Megan Flanagan — BelongNow

Lakewood, CO

BelongNow is a hyperlocal micro-connection app that helps people organize their existing friends, share real-time availability, and gather in Colorado’s Third Spaces.

Erick Burgos — Trailhead Strategies Group

Durango, CO

Trailhead Strategies Group helps organizations turn outdoor recreation into a powerful tool for connection, community impact, and growth.

Natalie Ipsen — Holaimpact

Fort Collins, CO / Bellvue, WA

Holaimpact connects Spanish learners with native women in Latin America through meaningful conversations that build fluency, confidence, and human connection.

Jourdan DuFort — Sukai Inc

Denver, CO

Sukai is a micro-volunteering marketplace that turns everyday good deeds into human connection and funding for local nonprofits.

Nichole Argo — TogetherUp Institute

Dover, MA

The TogetherUp Institute is a think-and-do tank helping municipalities and local leaders design and institutionalize “whole-of-society” civic hub networks.

Justin Simpkins — The Conversation Company

Boulder, CO

The Conversation Company helps network leaders save time and grow revenue by turning passive members into active participants through AI-powered small group conversations.

Rebecca Cohen — ShareMyJourney

Steamboat Springs, CO

ShareMyJourney connects caring people 1:1 (via phone and online) to give and receive knowledge and life experience to lift up one another.