Denver Metro SBDC

What Denver Metro SBDC does

Denver Metro SBDC is a regional small business development center hosted by Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado, and operating as part of the Colorado SBDC network. It delivers no-cost, confidential, one-on-one business advising and no- or low-cost training and workshops to entrepreneurs and small businesses at every stage, from initial business planning through exit strategy. The center serves as the Denver Metro access point for a broader statewide infrastructure of 14 service centers, over 25 satellite centers, and approximately 300 business experts covering all 64 Colorado counties, addressing an addressable base of 730,887 small businesses (99.5% of all Colorado businesses). Program offerings extend beyond general advising into specialized statewide initiatives including TechSource (with Ascent Workshops and the Tech Venture Accelerator), Leading Edge, Exit Planning, Child Care, Marketing & Online Presence, and the 2026 VetCon veteran-focused initiative.

The underlying operating model is a public-private partnership rather than a commercial technology platform: there is no proprietary software, AI/ML, or SaaS stack described, and customer engagement is delivered through appointments, events, newsletters, and the sbdc.colorado.gov website. The center's funding flows from a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, supplemented by the State of Colorado and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, with institutional support from Red Rocks Community College, Colorado's higher education institutions, local economic development organizations, and chambers of commerce. Because services are free to eligible small businesses, revenue is not commercially generated and is not publicly disclosed; growth is governed by public funding allocations and program scope rather than market-driven sales.

The leadership team is small and stable: Kelyn Lanier serves as Executive Director, with Christopher Goetz as Program Manager and Kim Roberts as Operations Manager. Documented success stories include SMB clients such as Cuppa, Daddy's Homemade Syrup, and Rupp's Drums, illustrating the horizontal, long-tail nature of the customer base. Strategically, the center is positioned as a federally-backed, locally distributed advising resource rather than a venture-scale or acquisition-target entity; its competitive position is sustained by regulatory mandate and distribution breadth rather than technology differentiation.

Name

Denver Metro SBDC

Legal name

Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

Website

https://denversbdc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Denver Metro SBDC is a federally- and state-funded nonprofit small business development center hosted by Red Rocks Community College, providing no-cost one-on-one advising and low-cost training to Colorado small businesses through a statewide network of 14 service centers and 300+ advisors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal and State Funding: The Colorado SBDC is funded through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and is a partnership between the State of Colorado, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the SBA, Colorado's institutions of higher education, local economic development organizations, and local chambers of commerce. Services are provided at no cost to eligible small businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Denver Metro SBDC delivers no-cost, confidential one-on-one business advising and no- or low-cost training events/workshops to small businesses in the Denver Metro region, supported by a statewide network of approximately 300 business experts. Its core portfolio also includes statewide specialized programs (Leading Edge, Exit Planning, Child Care, Marketing & Online Presence, and TechSource with Ascent Workshops and the Tech Venture Accelerator) that provide tailored guidance across the full business lifecycle from startup to exit.

Product overview

The Denver Metro SBDC is a single-service advising center hosted by Red Rocks Community College, offering a unified portfolio of no-cost and low-cost business support services. The core offering consists of confidential one-on-one advising and training/workshops delivered through a statewide network of 14 service centers. Specialized programs include TechSource (with Ascent Workshops and Tech Venture Accelerator), Leading Edge, Exit Planning, Child Care Program, and Marketing & Online Presence. All programs are designed to support businesses at every stage, from startup to exit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• No-Cost Business Advising

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Red Rocks Community College / Rocky Mountain Education CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts the Denver Metro SBDC location, providing physical facilities and institutional support for the center's operations.
• Colorado's Institutions of Higher EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Colorado's colleges and universities to deliver small business development services statewide.
• Local Economic Development OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local economic development organizations to provide business support services throughout Colorado.
• Local Chambers of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local chambers of commerce to support small business development and connect businesses to community resources.
• Denver Metro Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides photo assets and imagery for the Denver Metro SBDC website showcasing the region.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• SCORE: National nonprofit providing free mentoring, workshops, and business advising to small businesses through a volunteer network of business experts. Closest direct peer to the SBDC in mission, delivery model, and target audience.
• Women's Business Centers (WBC): SBA-funded network providing business training and advising specifically to women entrepreneurs. Operates as a parallel SBA resource partner program with similar service model, funding structure, and target SMB audience.
• Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC): SBA-funded program providing business training, advising, and resources to veteran entrepreneurs. Sibling SBA resource partner program with comparable service delivery model.
• Colorado SBDC Network (Other Regional Centers): Sibling SBDC regional centers operating within Colorado (e.g., Pikes Peak SBDC, Boulder SBDC, Larimer SBDC). Provide identical services to overlapping populations in adjacent geographies under the same statewide network.

Emerging players

• Bunker Labs: Nonprofit supporting military-connected entrepreneurs through education, access, and community programs. Comparable in nonprofit advising/training delivery, with a narrower target segment (veteran founders).

Broad incumbents

• America's SBDC: The national association that represents the network of Small Business Development Centers, including the Colorado SBDC and the Denver Metro SBDC. Umbrella organization of which the subject company is a regional member.

Others

• Startup Junkie: Nonprofit ecosystem builder that provides startup education, mentorship, and community programming in Northwest Arkansas. Comparable nonprofit support infrastructure for entrepreneurs but in a different region.
• Golden Triangle Venture Partners: Colorado-based organization supporting early-stage ventures through mentorship and programming. Adjacent peer in the regional entrepreneur support ecosystem, but with a more venture-focused model.
• CU Denver Business School Entrepreneurship Programs: University-affiliated entrepreneurship education, advising, and programs serving Colorado small business founders. Adjacent ecosystem participant offering comparable training and advising within the same geography.

Regional players

• Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation (CEI): Nonprofit business incubator and accelerator serving entrepreneurs in the Phoenix metro area with advising, training, and workspace. Comparable in delivery model but operates in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/denversbdc
• Facebookfacebook.com/denversbdc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/denver-metro-sbdc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Denver Metro SBDC