Commons on Champa

What Commons on Champa does

Commons on Champa is a public entrepreneurial hub located at 1245 Champa St. in Downtown Denver, founded in 2015 to serve the city's startup and small business ecosystem. The organization provides free co-working space to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9AM-5PM, along with event space rentals, conference room reservations, and access to entrepreneurship programs including CO.STARTERS, Denver Startup Week, Popup Denver, and the 16th Street Kiosk Vending program. Its core technology is physical co-working and event space infrastructure, with no proprietary software or technology products identified.

The business model is primarily community-led and publicly supported rather than commercially monetized. Co-working access is free; event space and conference room reservations are booked through Denver Arts & Venues at standard venue rental rates, generating modest transactional revenue. Supporting programs are delivered through the Downtown Denver Partnership, and small business resources (workforce development, marketing support, grants, funding, advisory hours) are routed through the Denver Office of Economic Development and Opportunity (DEDO). The organization has 1-10 employees, a single recorded $180,000 grant from JP Morgan Chase in 2019, and no disclosed revenue or ARR. Co-founder Erik Mitisek is listed as a founder of the organization.

In Fall 2023, after 8 years of operation under the Downtown Denver Partnership, management of the Commons on Champa building transitioned to the City and County of Denver via Denver Arts & Venues, while programs continue through DEDO and the Downtown Denver Partnership. The space remains open to the public and operates as part of Denver's economic development infrastructure.

Name

Commons on Champa

Legal name

The Commons on Champa

Website

https://thecommons.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Commons on Champa is a public entrepreneurial hub in Downtown Denver providing free co-working space, event rentals, and entrepreneurship programs to startups, small business owners, and innovators, now managed by the City and County of Denver.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Hub / Co-working Space

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHSACALAJ

Venue & Facility Reservations (Private Rooms, Event Spaces)

Home & Personal Services/Event & Personal Concierge Services/Ticketing & Reservations Services

SECONDARYTHAHAAAB

Conference Centers & Dedicated Meeting Venues

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Conference & Convention Venues (Convention Centers, Civic Centers)

Keywords

• Co-working space
• Entrepreneurship hub
• Startup community
• Small business resources
• Business incubator

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Co-working Space Access: Free co-working space provided to the public on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9AM-5PM. Walk-ins are welcome with space available on a first-come-first-served basis, subject to venue bookings for private events.
2. Event Space Rentals: Low barrier to entry event space rentals and conference room reservations available through Denver Arts & Venues booking system. Revenue generated from hourly/daily venue rental rates for community events, meetings, and receptions.
3. Entrepreneurship Programs: Programs including CO.STARTERS, Denver Startup Week, Popup Denver, and 16th Street Kiosk Vending program offered through Downtown Denver Partnership partnerships. Programs likely generate revenue through participant fees or are publicly funded.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Commons on Champa operates a Downtown Denver physical entrepreneurship hub at 1245 Champa St. providing free public co-working space three days per week, paid event space rentals and conference room reservations managed through Denver Arts & Venues, and coordinated access to entrepreneurship programs (CO.STARTERS, Denver Startup Week, Popup Denver, 16th Street Kiosk Vending) and small business resources (workforce development, marketing support, grants & funding, business advisory hours).

Product overview

The Commons on Champa is a physical entrepreneurship hub located at 1245 Champa St. in Downtown Denver that provides a unified offering of coworking space and entrepreneurship support services. The core offerings consist of free co-working space (open Tuesday-Thursday), event space rentals, and conference room reservations managed by Denver Arts & Venues. Supporting these physical spaces are entrepreneurship programs (CO.STARTERS, Denver Startup Week, Popup Denver, 16th Street Kiosk Vending program) delivered through the Downtown Denver Partnership, and small business resources (Workforce Development, Marketing Support, Grants & Funding, Business Advisory Hours) provided through the Denver Office of Economic Development and Opportunity. The organization transitioned day-to-day management to the City and County of Denver in Fall 2023 after 8 years of operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Co-Working Space Free co-working space available to the public at 1245 Champa St. in Downtown Denver on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9AM–5PM. Walk-ins are welcome; space not guaranteed if the venue is booked for a private event or all co-working spaces are occupied. Managed by Denver Arts & Venues.
• Event Space Rentals Low barrier to entry event space rentals available at 1245 Champa St. for community events, meetings, and receptions, booked through the Denver Arts & Venues system at artsandvenuesdenver.com.
• Conference Room Reservations Conference room reservations available at 1245 Champa St. for events, meetings, or receptions, managed through the Denver Arts & Venues booking system.
• Entrepreneurship Programs Entrepreneurship programs including CO.STARTERS, Denver Startup Week, Popup Denver, and the 16th Street Kiosk Vending program offered through the Downtown Denver Partnership to Denver entrepreneurs and startups.
• Small Business Resources Small business resources including Workforce Development, Marketing Support, Grants & Funding, and Business Advisory Hours provided through the Denver Office of Economic Development and Opportunity to Denver small business owners.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• City and County of DenvercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn Fall 2023, management of the Commons on Champa building at 1245 Champa St. transitioned from Downtown Denver Partnership to the City and County of Denver as part of an ecosystem evolution. The city maintains the space as a public resource for the entrepreneurial community.
• Denver Economic Development and Opportunity (DEDO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDEDO partnered in the transition to ensure continuity of small business resources including workforce development, marketing support, grants and funding, and business advisory services for the Denver entrepreneurial community.
• Denver Arts & VenuescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFollowing the transition, Denver Arts & Venues manages the physical space including co-working operations (Tuesday-Thursday 9AM-5PM), event space rentals, and conference room reservations through their booking system.
• Downtown Denver PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginally managed the Commons on Champa for 8 years. Following the Fall 2023 transition, continues to provide entrepreneurship programs including CO.STARTERS, Denver Startup Week, Popup Denver, and the 16th Street Kiosk Vending program through their startup scene initiative.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Impact Hub: Global network of entrepreneurship hubs providing co-working space, programs, and community for mission-driven founders. Comparable in offering an integrated hub model combining workspace, programming, and a community of entrepreneurs.
• 1871: Chicago-based public-private entrepreneurship hub providing co-working space, programming, and corporate partnerships to early-stage founders. Closely comparable to Commons on Champa as a municipally supported hub combining free/affordable workspace with structured entrepreneurship programs.
• Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC): Operator of large-scale innovation campuses combining co-working, lab space, and entrepreneurship programming across multiple cities. Comparable to the Commons on Champa in providing shared workspace as infrastructure for startup communities.
• TechTown Detroit: Detroit-based public-private entrepreneurship hub providing co-working space, business services, and programs for early-stage founders. Comparable in structure — a municipally supported hub combining workspace with programming and small-business resources.
• Innovation Works: Pittsburgh-based public-purpose startup hub supporting founders with workspace, programs, and ecosystem resources. Comparable as a mission-driven, public/private-supported entrepreneurship infrastructure provider.
• Galvanize: Denver-based co-working and tech-education hub serving entrepreneurs and developers. Comparable to the Commons on Champa because both target the same Denver founder community with shared workspace plus programming, and now share local ecosystem ties.

Broad incumbents

• WeWork: Global co-working and flexible-office incumbent with locations across major U.S. cities. Comparable as a co-working competitor serving founders and small businesses, but operates on a fee-based commercial model versus the Commons' free, publicly supported model.
• Industrious: Premium flexible-office and co-working provider serving companies and entrepreneurs. Comparable as an alternative workspace option in Denver, but differentiated by premium pricing and enterprise focus rather than free, public-purpose access.

Emerging players

• Techstars: Boulder-headquartered startup accelerator and worldwide accelerator network that supports founders through mentorship, programming, and community. Comparable as a Denver-area entrepreneurship ecosystem player, though more focused on accelerator cohorts than day-to-day co-working.

Others

• Downtown Denver Partnership: Former operator of the Commons on Champa building and current distribution partner for its entrepreneurship programs. Included as an adjacent ecosystem partner — not a direct coworking competitor, but the entity that originated and continues to channel programs into the Commons.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/commonsonchampa
• Facebookfacebook.com/thecommonsonchampa
• Instagraminstagram.com/commonsonchampa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-commons-on-champa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Commons on Champa