Lead the Conversation: Why You Should Join the West Slope Startup Week Lineup This Year
Startup Colorado is the proud organizer of West Slope Startup Week, a five-day celebration of Colorado’s vibrant entrepreneurial spirit. This event brings together innovators from every corner of the state […]
Announcing the Founders in the Spring Food & Ag Idea Factory
In Colorado, the Food, Beverage, and Ag industry is a massive economic engine accounting for billions (yes, capital B) of the state’s annual GDP. With 33 million acres of farmland […]
Meet the Colorado River Valley Idea Factory Cohort
The Colorado River Valley is a unique region of the state. Stretching from the luxury destinations of Aspen to the legacy energy communities of Parachute, the Valley is a complex […]
Free Opportunities and Resources for Rural Founders in Q1 2026
Happy New Year, Rural Founders! We hope you’re recharged and ready for a new year! Because 2026 is shaping up to be a big one. Across Colorado, entrepreneurs in all […]
Startup Legal Mistakes: 3 Fatal Fails That Can Kill Your Business
Even the most promising startups can sink if their legal foundation isn’t solid. In this issue of The Rural Startup, startup attorney Seth Gardenswartz of Blackgarden Law walks founders through […]
The Startup Colorado Pitch Competition Returns to West Slope Startup Week
This fall, one of the most anticipated events at West Slope Startup Week is back: the Startup Colorado Pitch Competition will take the stage on October 8, 2025. But don’t […]
How to Leverage Remote Teams as a Rural Startup
Hiring locally isn’t always easy in rural communities. And, building a remote team comes with its own set of challenges. Hear from our team at Startup Colorado on The Rural […]
Celebrating One Year of the Rural Creative Collective: Read the 2024 Annual Report
What makes a place magnetic? What draws people in and makes a town feel like home? If you’re reading this, you probably already know the answer…art! From murals and maker […]
How Early-Stage Founders Can Determine the Best Funding Path
Read More on The Rural STARTUP Navigating the funding landscape as a rural founder can be confusing… and costly. To help entrepreneurs chart a smarter path, we sat down with […]
Exploring Funding Pathways with Real Stories from Entrepreneurs
By Emily Greene The journey of entrepreneurship often begins with a great idea and a burning passion. But what sustains and propels these startups and small businesses forward? It’s the […]
Rural Founders Take Home $380K at Startup Colorado Pitch Competition
By Margaret Hedderman The Startup Colorado Pitch Competition, held on August 21st during West Slope Startup Week, showcased the innovation of the state’s rural founders. Aiming to provide a platform […]
Enriching Diversity: The Latine Program at West Slope Startup Week
By Sarah Woodward This article is republished from West Slope Startup Week, an event sponsored and organized by Startup Colorado. See the original post from West Slope Startup Week. Lee […]
Meet Our Pitch Competition Finalists
More than 70 founders from Rural Colorado applied to the Startup Colorado Pitch Competition at West Slope Startup Week. We saw applications across industries and regions—east to west; tech to […]
West Slope Startup Week is Powered by Startup Colorado
This press release has been adapted from the original version provided by West Slope Startup Week. DURANGO – West Slope Startup Week returns to Durango from August 19-23, convening entrepreneurs […]
Meet the July Founder Coopetition // Idea Factory Cohort
Introducing: the 15 founders in July’s Founder Coopetition // Idea Factory! We are thrilled to work with this group of driven entrepreneurs from around the state. The Idea Factory is […]
Startup Colorado’s Response to the Quantum Industry Bill
By Brittany Romano On May 28th, Governor Jared Polis signed HB24-1325 into law at CU Boulder’s JILA Research Institute, marking a significant step forward for Colorado’s quantum industry. This landmark […]
Farm to Summit to Sprouts
By Margaret Hedderman Jane and Louise Barden were on vacation when they heard the news: their Durango-based dehydrated food company, Farm to Summit, was being offered a trial run with […]
GeekPack Founder Julia Taylor Awarded Cartier Fellowship for Women in Business
By Brook Sutton Huge congratulations to Durango-based founder and CEO, Julia Taylor, of GeekPack! Taylor has been named a 2024 fellow with the Cartier Women’s Initiative. Yep, that Cartier: as […]