Guidance

The Innovation Center of the Rockies connects talent with opportunity.  ICR offers volunteer advisors that are matched based on technology, market, and business expertise, and experience with technology commercialization at Colorado universities, as well as a “search” process to match candidates from the advisor network for to positions at client companies, and an investor “pitch prep” process with a company, the Innovation Center of the Rockies staff, and specially selected potential investors.

HUB Boulder is a physical home for entrepreneurs, professionals and investors to collectively create positive impact.  Opening in the fall, HUB Boulder will welcome members of Boulder’s distinct communities to a unique space optimized for collaboration, learning, and making change happen.

Boulder Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides assistance to new, growing, and established businesses, including the newly-launched Colorado Emerging Ventures program, which offers targeted consulting and education program to assist pre- and post-revenue businesses that are poised for high growth.  SBDC is a part of a nationwide network of Small Business Development Centers. Business consultants at the Center have impressive credentials from their varied experiences of owning and operating businesses. The Center offers low cost seminars and classes to help you learn skills in business management, accounting and financial growth, sales and marketing tactics.

The Boulder Chamber has over 1,500 members and offers training programs, volunteer committees, and business events, as well as providing the services and resources to help a business grow while gaining exposure in the community. As part of the Boulder Chamber, the Boulder Economic Council works to retain home-grown businesses, support organizations that provide entrepreneurs with training, networking, mentoring and access to funding sources, as well as providing a voice for public/private partnerships, and conducting research and providing information to businesses. TheBECalso works closely with the City ofBoulderin supporting current, growing, and potentialBoulderbusinesses.

TechStars is a mentorship-driven seed stage investment program. They run a three month long program in Boston (MA), Boulder (CO), New York City (NY) and Seattle (WA) once each year. They’re very selective – hundreds of companies apply and they only take about ten companies per city. These companies get up to $18,000 in seed funding, three months of intensive top-notch mentorship, and the chance to pitch to angel investors and venture capitalists at the end of the program.

The Unreasonable Institute attracts the world’s most brilliant and promising entrepreneurs who are dedicated to having a globally significant social or environmental impact with their ventures. Through an intensive application process, these early-stage entrepreneurs are chosen to become Unreasonable Fellows and attend the Unreasonable Institute. Additionally, the Institute attracts serial entrepreneurs, globally recognized thought leaders and innovators, and leading investors to mentor the Fellows. These Unreasonable Mentors become the crux of our model throughout the Institute.

NaturallyBoulder is a support organization forBoulder’s natural products industry, working to solidifyBoulderas the epicenter of the natural products industry. The organization hosts events, offers membership and sponsorship opportunities, and promotes natural products created inBoulder.

In its third year, the CU New Venture Challenge is a campus-wide initiative connecting students and faculty with teammates in a broad range of disciplines and with mentors from the business community. The goal is to provide knowledge and experience making entrepreneurship accessible to anyone with the enthusiasm and creativity required to start a new business.

For over 34 years, Mi Casa has been committed to its mission of advancing economic success and helping Latino and low-income families trade poverty for lasting economic stability. Mi Casa’s overarching goal is to increase the employability, education, knowledge and life skills of the individuals we serve by providing highly relevant and effective programs in career, business and youth and family development as well as supportive services to address each individual’s unique challenges.

From its humble beginnings in a small office on Main Street in Longmont, Colorado, the DaVinci Institute began as the brainchild of Thomas Frey, a seasoned entrepreneur and one of IBM’s most decorated idea laureates. Launched in 1997 as a non-profit futurist think tank, the Institute has emerged as a center of visionary thought, attracting both a national and international following of idea junkies and business leaders alike. Unlike Leonardo DaVinci, the Institute set its sights on producing tangible results as opposed to conceptual thinking. The founders decided that they didn’t just want to talk about the future – they wanted to help unlock the future, one idea, one invention, one business at a time. With this directive, the Institute began educating aspiring inventors and entrepreneurs with the critical skills necessary to make their projects viable.

The Boulder Software Club is the club you join to network with other software executives and highly qualified service providers, and attend educational and insightful events that will make you better at managing your business. Our events cater to professionals from SaaS, Web Based Software, and Traditional Enterprise Software companies. Our programs cover topics in marketing, legal issues, industry trends, finance, and HR.

The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) fosters entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking, and education. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community, TiE’s focus is on generating and nurturing our next generation of entrepreneurs. With 13,000 members, including over 2,500 charter members in 56 chapters across 13 countries, TiE hosts a wide range of programs and events, including TiEcon, the largest professional and networking conference for entrepreneurs. The Colorado chapter is called TiE Rockies.

The W3W3 Media Network is the voice of Colorado’s Technology Community. On this blog you can listen to interviews with some of the area’s most influential leaders. w3w3 guests have ranged from venture capitalists to government leaders, from software executives to business leaders and from Internet success stories to timely tips for Web site owners.

Boulder.me is an organization devoted to informing and serving the vibrant startup community in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. We do that on the website; on Twitter, and with outreach and events all year long.

The Developers Cooperative influences the rules and policies that govern Openspace – the first app marketplace that gives developers a say in the rules that govern how they work. App developers no longer need to rely on the “big boys” to sell our apps. With Openspace, we can distribute our apps directly to customers without being limited by the rules of the big app marketplaces. The Developers Cooperative makes sure that app developers’ voices are heard in every decision that affects our businesses. By signing up for the Developers Cooperative, you can help set the agenda and write the rules that govern the sales of your apps. We can help you find the renewed sense of freedom that made you want to be a developer in the first place.

The Active Entrepreneurs Club is built around a collection of student-founded companies. The group helps build and grow these companies by connecting them to knowledge, customers, and investors. At the same time, AECU is working to build a cross-campus community of students interested in entrepreneurship to encourage students to found their own companies. We do this through monthly meetings with in-depth discussion on the challenges our student companies are facing, as well as by getting students involved in hackathons, meetups, and other community entrepreneurial events.