By Margaret Hedderman
We’re excited to announce the next Founder Coopetition // Idea Factory cohort, hosted in partnership with Emergent Campus in Fremont County. This collaboration represents a meaningful opportunity to work with local ecosystem builders to deliver a hybrid Idea Factory program designed especifically for early-entrepreneurs in the region. By addressing the unique challenges faced by Fremont County’s business community, this program aims to provide actionable advice and meaningful connections.
Our Founder Coopetition // Idea Factory is a 4-week accelerator program tailored for early-stage entrepreneurs ready to transform their innovative ideas into actionable, launch-ready plans. In partnership with Emergent Campus—an award-winning business campus that fosters business innovation and incubation—we aim to scale this formative opportunity across a budding startup ecosystem. The diversity of the cohort—which spans industries including software development, e-commerce, and healthtech—speaks to the evolving nature of the Fremont County startup ecosystem.
Let’s meet the founders:
Barna Kasa, Salvage Antiques Vintage Etc in Cañon City
Barna is a serial entrepreneur with a diverse portfolio of past and present ventures, including real estate, web development, contract manufacturing and fulfillment, architectural salvage, and a successful chain of vape stores. He aims to make his current enterprise, Salvage Antiques Vintage Etc, the largest online retailer of antique and vintage hardware in the U.S. The company specializes in antique hardware, architectural salvage, and unique vintage treasures, perfect for historic restoration and design projects. Based in Florence, CO, they offer a curated selection both in-store and online, with over 500 items ready to ship nationwide.
Brian and Justin Pearson, Draftnco Fantasy Sports in Cañon City
Draftnco is a recreational fantasy sports gaming company with a focus on progressive jackpots, peer-to-peer wagering, and redefining the prize pools of current gaming formats. Their current product is fantasy sports bingo, a game that offers two unique styles of play: an individual challenge to make football themed bingos with a progressive jackpot attached to blackout winners, and a peer-to-peer bingo league with prizes paid within a player banked league.
Brock Predovich, BiteZen in Cañon City
Brock Predovich is an Air Force veteran turned serial entrepreneur and inventor. His company BiteZen develops novel diagnostic and therapeutic technologies for bruxism disorder. Their bluetooth connected Oral Sensor is placed inside the mouth to detect grinding and clenching behaviors. If bruxism is detected, the BiteZen Feedback System alerts the patient, helping them become more aware of their teeth grinding behavior so they can stop it.