Do you want to start a business, grow your business, or partner with someone who wants to develop a business? Startup Colorado, is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that supports rural entrepreneurs and “ecosystem builders” in 53 rural counties in Colorado. Their mission is to help both of these groups access the human, social and financial capital they need to build a thriving business.
There are a number of avenues Startup Colorado uses to assist startup companies and entrepreneurs and build that culture of entrepreneurship including online services, in-person events, “coopetitions” and custom programming.
An in-person event that you may be interested in attending in part or as a whole is the upcoming West Slope Start Up Week to be held in Durango August 19-24. As a precursor to the start-up week and to find out more information, there will be a meet and greet held by Start-Up Colorado here in Pagosa Springs this Thursday, August 8, from 4:30-6:30pm at Coyote Moon at 120 County Road 600 (Piedra Rd.)
Start Up Week will consist of five days of helpful sessions. The sessions include everything from ideas on starting your business, various aspects of running your business including marketing, brands, communication and AI, employee-owned businesses, financial aspects of the business, and raising capital for your business. There will be even more detailed breakouts for the tech industry, makers and creators and many breakouts that will be conducted in Spanish. You can attend as many sessions as you would like or the whole week for FREE. However, you must register for the event.
You can wait for the Pagosa Open House to find out more or visit Startup Colorado’s website at https://westslopestartupweek.com/.
At that site you can view the entire week’s schedule and all the break-out sessions planned as well as viewing all the presenters.
This Start-up week also includes lunches and networking opportunities – often some of the most important sessions you can attend. As many people know, it’s not just what you know, it is who you know, and you never know who you might meet at a networking event! Some of the lunches and receptions are “on your own” and some are included when you register for the event. The details again can be found at https://westslopestartupweek.com/.
Come find out more about starting a business, bringing your business idea to fruition and working with experts on how you can accomplish this venture in rural Colorado – particularly Pagosa Springs! Join us on Thursday, August 8 from 4:30-6:30 at Coyote Moon to find out more about West Slope Start Up Week.
Mary Jo Coulehan is Executive Director of the Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce, and also serves on a number of local and state boards.