Can't Afford Silicon Valley? Denver Would Like a Word

Yous might recollect of Colorado as a getaway for ski bunnies and outdoorsy types, merely Denver, its uppercase city, has a fast-growing startup scene that'due south attracting talented engineers and entrepreneurs who might otherwise accept settled in Silicon Valley.

At Denver Startup Week, now in its sixth twelvemonth, PCMag spoke to local organizers, state officials, and startup CEOs to pause downward why Denver has become such an bonny destination for creative types with big ideas.

At the meridian of the list? People can actually beget to alive there. The highly educated, homegrown millennial workforce (44 percent have a available's versus the 33 percent national average) has besides attracted big tech companies similar Google and Twitter to the surrounding area, which bring together Oracle, Level3, Liberty, Lockheed Martin, and IBM in the Centennial Land.

While you'll probably still desire that four-wheel drive vehicle for hiking or snowboarding weekends in the mountains, visitors tin can at present get from the drome to downtown via train, hop on a free jitney, or call a Lyft. Many immature startups are setting upward shop in the upwards-and-coming Arts District [aka RiNo] alongside galleries, hipster eateries, and charmingly bedraggled warehouses covered in murals. The recently revamped Wedlock Station also packs civilities similar shuffleboard, co-working spaces with outlets, and free Wi-Fi.

Denver'south Startup Blueprint

I of those responsible for Denver'due south transformation is Tami Door, President and CEO of Downtown Denver Partnership. Door founded Denver Startup Week as well as the Eatables on Champa co-working space, where she sat down with PCMag.

"We're a magnet for the future workforce of highly educated millennials, [and] information technology'southward still quite affordable and so you lot tin come up hither and build a life," said Door. "Tech can be seen across all components of Denver's startups, but the large news is that everyone is cross-pollinating and that will exist the driving force behind our economical growth."

Since its launch two years ago, Commons on Champa has welcomed more than than 30,000 entrepreneurs.

"We wanted to provide a place, at no price, only similar Denver Startup Calendar week," said Door, "where entrepreneurs could go access to tools, services and communities, to grow their business. Commons on Champa also functions as a place for us to showcase Denver startups to venture capitalists and big businesses, to encourage collaboration with innovators in a central location."

Tami Door, President and CEO of Downtown Denver Partnership

Denver also enjoys a cordial relationship between developers, local regime, and the business customs, Erik Mitisek, Colorado's primary information officeholder, told PCMag.

"Equally an innovation center, where people want to live, balance having admission to capital and accept a great life, Colorado is uniquely situated," he said. "It's besides noticeable that the big tech giants are buying upwardly Colorado-based startups, and centering their innovation hither," said Mitisek. "For instance, Amazon bought 2lemetry in 2022, Google and Nest bought Revolv, [which is] function of that commencement generation for IoT connectivity in the home, and Uber bought Boulder Bing, keeping their maps division here."

Need a Job?

We tracked down a few Denver-based CEOs to find out why they came to Colorado. Amy Zupon, CEO of Vertafore, said Denver quickly emerged as a prime location for her insurance technology concern when her company grew to one,300 employees. She pointed to the bully startup culture and a young, engineering science-literate, educated workforce from which to recruit.

"Denver has get a strong component in our recruiting efforts, people desire to move hither," said Zupon, "In that location'southward an accurate connection hither, people comprehend change and we're having a not bad time here, I love this city, I'm proud to exist part of this engineering science customs."

Rachel Carlson is CEO and co-founder of Guild Pedagogy, a scalable education platform offer online programs and degrees designed for working adults. It recently closed a $21 meg Series B funding circular—the largest in Denver for a female-founded startup.

During her Startup Week keynote, Carlson threw down the gauntlet to Peter Thiel, who encourages bright entrepreneurs to drop out of college and start businesses.

"Ninety-v percent of jobs since 2008 have required a college degree and the largest growth has non come from software roles, merely instead for those who manage people and processes like many of Guild'due south students," Carlson pointed out. Similar most CEOs who spoke at Denver Startup Week, she told the oversupply, "Nosotros're hiring as fast as we tin can," soliciting smart Denverites to contact her team.

Some other noteworthy keynote oral communication came from Sameer Dholakia, CEO of email marketing company SendGrid. Dholakia urged young man CEOs at Denver Startup Week to "Exist your own principal culture officeholder" and explained his belief in "retainer leadership," where CEOs atomic number 82 from the bottom.

Dholakia said Denver has a more inclusive civilization than the canis familiaris-eat-canis familiaris temper of Silicon Valley. When he became CEO of SendGrid, Dholakia told PCMag that fellow CEOs and local government officials welcomed him to the urban center with a walking tour of downtown that fabricated him feel similar a part of Denver's tech scene.

"The ability of Denver goes back to its civilisation," confirmed Tami Door. "Everyone hither wants to run into people succeed."