Energy Capital Economic Development

What Energy Capital Economic Development does

Energy Capital Economic Development is a non-profit economic development organization founded in 1985 and based in Gillette, Wyoming (also referenced as Sheridan, Wyoming in some sources). The organization is small, with 1-10 employees, and is led by CEO Phil Christopherson. Its mission centers on supporting the growth of primary businesses through expansion in the "Energy Capital" region of Wyoming.

The organization's core programmatic offering is the annual Energy Capital Start-Up Challenge, a startup competition that provides prize funding and visibility to innovative local entrepreneurs. In 2025, Dan and Jenny Berens won the $50,000 prize for their Hen Hub invention, a smart-home automated chicken coop system featuring temperature monitoring, egg tracking, food and water level sensors, and automatic door control connected via Wi-Fi to a smartphone dashboard. The organization does not appear to develop or sell products or services of its own; rather, it functions as a regional entrepreneurship support vehicle.

From a business model perspective, Energy Capital Economic Development operates as a 501(c)-style nonprofit with no disclosed revenue, funding rounds, or commercial pricing. No customer segments, enterprise logos, technology integrations, or distribution channels are documented in the available source material. Its sustainability appears tied to regional sponsorships, grants, and community partnerships, though these are not enumerated in the input data.

Name

Energy Capital Economic Development

Website

https://energycapitaled.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Energy Capital Economic Development is a Gillette, Wyoming-based nonprofit founded in 1985 that supports regional entrepreneurship through its annual Energy Capital Start-Up Challenge, awarding prize funding to local innovators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gillette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Core offering

Energy Capital Economic Development is a non-profit economic development organization based in Gillette, Wyoming that supports the growth of primary businesses in the region. Its primary activity is operating the annual Energy Capital Start-Up Challenge, a competition that awards prize funding to innovative local entrepreneurs to help launch new ventures and expand the regional economy.

Product overview

Energy Capital Economic Development is an economic development organization in Sheridan, Wyoming that operates the Energy Capital Start-Up Challenge, an annual startup competition that awards funding to innovative local entrepreneurs. The organization does not appear to offer products or services of its own; rather, it supports startups and small businesses through its competition program and prize funding. The Start-Up Challenge functions as the organization's primary programmatic offering, providing financial backing and visibility to winning ventures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Energy Capital Start-Up Challenge Annual startup competition supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in the Energy Capital region by awarding prize funding to winning local entrepreneurs. The 2025 edition awarded $50,000 to Dan and Jenny Berens for their Hen Hub smart chicken coop invention.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• MassChallenge: Global non-profit startup competition and accelerator. Comparable because both organizations operate startup competitions that award non-dilutive funding to early-stage entrepreneurs and provide visibility to winners.
• Gillette Area Chamber of Commerce: Local chamber of commerce serving the same Gillette, Wyoming market. Comparable as a fellow community/business development organization operating in the same city with overlapping local stakeholder relationships.

Broad incumbents

• International Economic Development Council (IEDC): Premier global membership organization for economic developers. Comparable because it represents the broader economic development profession to which this non-profit belongs and sets standards and best practices the company could adopt or align to.
• National Association of Development Organizations (NADO): U.S. association for regional economic development organizations. Comparable as an umbrella for the type of rural/regional economic development entity this company represents, providing peer benchmarking, training, and federal grant pathways.

Regional players

• Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce: Chamber of commerce for the neighboring Sheridan County region referenced in the company's ownership commentary. Comparable as a regional economic development peer operating in adjacent northeastern Wyoming.
• Wyoming Business Council: State-level economic development agency for Wyoming. Comparable because both organizations pursue economic development activity within the same state, although the Business Council operates at statewide scale with a much larger budget and broader mandate.
• Black Hills Business Development Corporation: Regional economic development organization serving the Black Hills area bordering Wyoming. Comparable as a neighboring regional economic development peer serving rural Western communities and small businesses with overlapping rural-America mandates.

Emerging players

• Techstars Startup Weekend: Volunteer-driven startup pitch competitions run in cities worldwide. Comparable as a grassroots startup competition format that the Energy Capital Start-Up Challenge structurally resembles, though Techstars' events are tied to a larger accelerator brand.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/energycapitaled

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Energy Capital Economic Development