What Colorado Startups does

Colorado Startups, LTD. is a Denver-based private community organization founded by Paul Foley to connect and support entrepreneurs building companies in Colorado. Its core offering is a network of three social groups — LinkedIn, Slack, and Facebook — serving more than 10,000 "Startupers" ranging from first-time founders to seasoned executives, supplemented by recurring in-person programming (Startup Happy Hours in Boulder and Denver, Startup Hikes, Startup Ski Days, CEO Dinners via the Thunderview program, and Founders Meetups) and curated resources including the open-source Ecosystem Canvas (built with Founder Institute), The Leaderboard (a semiannual ranking of the fastest-growing Colorado companies using Crunchbase's CB Rank metric), a public Events Calendar, and a Gift Guide spotlighting local Colorado-made products.

The organization operates without a technology product of its own: its underlying stack consists of third-party platforms — LinkedIn, Slack, Facebook, Luma, Meetup, Substack, Google Calendar, and Crunchbase — used for community communication, event discovery, newsletter distribution, and company rankings. There is no proprietary platform, app, API, or AI/ML capability in the input data.

Its business model is nonprofit-style community facilitation rather than fee-based commerce: all services, events, and resources are provided free of charge to entrepreneurs, with operations "powered by the generosity and partnership" of supporting organizations, notably Anchor Point Foundation and Glider as financial partners, alongside content and programming partnerships with Founder Institute, Matchstick Ventures, Natty Zola, Business Outside, New Tech Colorado, and Exponential Impact. No revenue, pricing, or funding figures are disclosed.

Name

Colorado Startups

Legal name

Colorado Startups, LTD.

Website

https://coloradostartups.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Colorado Startups is a Denver-based nonprofit community organization that connects Colorado's 10,000+ entrepreneurs through three social groups (LinkedIn, Slack, Facebook), recurring in-person events, and curated resources including the Ecosystem Canvas and The Leaderboard, funded by partner sponsorships rather than member fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Community & Entrepreneur Networking

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Entrepreneur community networking
• Startup ecosystem resources
• Founder community events
• Startup community platform
• Entrepreneur networking groups

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Not Disclosed: Colorado Startups appears to operate as a nonprofit community organization. The revenue model is not explicitly disclosed in available sources. The organization is powered by the generosity and partnership of organizations like Anchor Point Foundation and Glider.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Colorado Startups is a community-led organization that connects and supports entrepreneurs building companies in Colorado through three social groups (LinkedIn, Slack, Facebook) and a calendar of networking events such as Startup Happy Hours, Hikes, and Ski Days. It also maintains shared resources including the Ecosystem Canvas (a community-edited resource guide), The Leaderboard (a semiannual ranking of fastest-growing Colorado companies), and an Events Calendar, all provided free of charge to the 10,000+ member startup community.

Product overview

Colorado Startups is a community platform providing a centralized hub for the Colorado startup ecosystem. The core offering consists of three integrated social groups (LinkedIn, Slack, and Facebook) serving 10,000+ entrepreneurs, combined with event programming including Startup Happy Hour, Startup Hikes, Startup Ski Days, and CEO Dinners. Supporting resources include the Ecosystem Canvas (community-edited resource guide), The Leaderboard (fastest-growing company rankings via Crunchbase), and the Events Calendar. The platform connects entrepreneurs at all stages from first-time founders to seasoned executives through networking, mentorship matching, talent recruitment, and community events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Social Groups Platform Community platform comprising three social groups (LinkedIn, Slack, and Facebook) serving 10,000+ startup members to connect entrepreneurs with each other and the greater Colorado startup ecosystem.
• Event Connect Program connecting event and meetup organizers with entrepreneurs, providing a centralized hub for discovering and promoting startup community events throughout Colorado.
• Startup Happy Hour Monthly social networking events held in Boulder (2nd Thursday) and Denver (1st Tuesday) to celebrate the end of the work month and foster connections among entrepreneurs.
• Startup Hikes Monthly outdoor hiking events during warmer months designed to help founders, operators, and investors connect in Colorado's natural environment, held on Friday mornings.
• Startup Ski Days Monthly winter ski events at Colorado ski resorts designed to help founders, operators, and investors connect on the slopes. Open to all skill levels.
• CEO Dinner (Thunderview CEO Dinners) Monthly dinners connecting diverse sets of CEOs to share experiences and receive outside perspectives.
• Founders Meetup Monthly meetup connecting founders in downtown Denver's social settings, positioned as one of the best ways to meet other founders in Colorado.
• Ecosystem Canvas Open-source, community-edited Google document listing comprehensive startup resources in Colorado, organized by entrepreneur stage. Created in partnership with Founder Institute.
• The Leaderboard Semiannual ranking of the 20 fastest-growing companies in Colorado using Crunchbase's CB Rank metric (employee count, funding, social data). Includes a diversity spotlight feature.
• Gift Guide Year-round curated list of products made by Colorado companies, created to spotlight local creators for gifting, hosting, and supporting the local economy.
• Events Calendar Public Google calendar curated with startup community events including those hosted by Colorado Startups, partners, and other organizations. Allows community members to submit events.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Founder InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder Institute partnered with Colorado Startups to create the Ecosystem Canvas, the state's most comprehensive resource document for entrepreneurs. This open-source resource is community-edited and maintained by the 10,000+ member startup community.
• Matchstick VenturescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMatchstick Ventures partners with Colorado Startups on the monthly 'Startup Events and News in Colorado' newsletter, helping distribute information about events, news, and resources to the startup community via Substack.
• Natty ZolaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNatty Zola collaborates with Colorado Startups and Matchstick Ventures on the monthly newsletter covering startup events and news in Colorado.
• Business OutsidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness Outside partners with Colorado Startups for the 2026 season to bring their philosophy and facilitation to Startup Hikes. They also partner on Startup Ski Days for the 2025-2026 season, providing outdoor activity coordination for the startup community.
• New Tech ColoradominorGTM or Marketing PartnerNew Tech Colorado collaborated with Colorado Startups on the Gift Guide to spotlight local products being made in Colorado.
• Exponential ImpactminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExponential Impact collaborated with Colorado Startups on the Gift Guide to highlight local creators and products in Colorado.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Pavilion: Pavilion is a membership-based community for go-to-market professionals. While broader in audience, it shares Colorado Startups' model of monetizing community through member benefits and curated networking experiences.
• Galvanize: Galvanize is a Denver-based education and community organization that runs bootcamps and coworking spaces. It overlaps with Colorado Startups in the Colorado entrepreneurial ecosystem and at the intersection of education and community building.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Techstars is a global accelerator network with active presence in Boulder and Denver. It serves a similar entrepreneurial audience in Colorado but with a structured, funded accelerator model rather than a free community model.
• Founder Institute: Founder Institute is a global pre-seed accelerator and startup program. It is a core partner of Colorado Startups (co-created the Ecosystem Canvas), and while broader in scope, it overlaps in serving early-stage Colorado founders with structured programming.

Direct peers

• CoFoundersLab: CoFoundersLab is a community platform for entrepreneurs to find co-founders, advisors, and talent. It shares Colorado Startups' networking-first model and addresses similar pain points around connecting founders to one another.
• Indie Hackers: Indie Hackers is an online community where founders share revenue, lessons, and resources. While primarily digital, it shares Colorado Startups' focus on connecting independent entrepreneurs and offering peer-driven resources and content.
• Startup Grind: Startup Grind is a global community-led organization that hosts events, chapters, and programs to connect entrepreneurs. Like Colorado Startups, it focuses on networking, mentorship, and community-building without operating as a venture fund or accelerator.
• New Tech Colorado: New Tech Colorado is a long-running community organization in Colorado that hosts events for tech and startup professionals. It is a direct peer in the same geographic market and overlapping audience, and has actually partnered with Colorado Startups on the Gift Guide.
• 1 Million Cups: 1 Million Cups is a Kauffman Foundation program that hosts free monthly community events for entrepreneurs across U.S. cities. It mirrors Colorado Startups' community-led, events-first approach to supporting founders and is directly comparable in mission and structure.

Regional players

• Exponential Impact: Exponential Impact is a Colorado-based startup accelerator and community serving Colorado Springs startups. It overlaps with Colorado Startups in mission but focuses on a narrower geographic sub-region within Colorado.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/coloradostartups
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/costartups

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Colorado Startups