Colorado APEX Accelerator

What Colorado APEX Accelerator does

Colorado APEX Accelerator is a Colorado-based non-profit consulting organization founded in 2009 that provides no-cost government contracting assistance to small businesses across the state. The organization, formerly known as the Colorado Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC) and rebranded in 2024 under the national APEX Accelerator banner, is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Small Business Programs, with its statutory partnership with the State of Colorado codified by legislation championed by former board member Su Ryden. It maintains a headquarters at 310 S. 14th St, Colorado Springs, and operates a statewide physical footprint of senior procurement counselors across Colorado Springs, Golden, Aurora, Westminster, Grand Junction, Southern Colorado, and Fort Collins.

The organization delivers its services through four core offerings: one-on-one counseling with senior procurement counselors (most of whom are former federal Contracting Officers with FAC-C Level III certification and collectively over 200 years of procurement experience), marketing/proposal/contract performance support spanning opportunity identification through contract closeout, a Subject Matter Expert (SME) consultation network spanning 14+ partner firms in legal, cybersecurity, accounting, insurance, and proposal preparation, and education/training events hosted via the eCenter Direct online platform. The underlying technology is minimal — there is no proprietary platform; eCenter Direct serves as a self-service portal for service signup, resource access, and event registration. Counselors provide direct, confidential consulting on SAM registration, socioeconomic certifications (8(a), SBIR/STTR), bid matching, solicitation review, FAR/DFARS compliance, and post-award administration.

Its business model is non-commercial: all client services are free and confidential, with operating revenue derived entirely from the DoD cooperative agreement and supplementary state-level support. The GTM motion is community-led, relying on LinkedIn, content marketing, education events, and referral partnerships with entities such as the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Minority Business Office, the Southern Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce, and Colorado Companies to Watch. The customer base is horizontal — any Colorado business interested in and suited to government contracting — with no pricing tiers, billing cadence, or revenue per customer. Leadership includes Executive Director Beth Ann Taylor and Deputy Director Andrew Stott, supported by a Board of Directors chaired by Jeff Holwell (City of Lone Tree) and including executives from Apogee Engineering, Omni Federal, Neugeboren O'Dowd PC, and Gardner Law Office.

Name

Colorado APEX Accelerator

Legal name

Colorado APEX Accelerator

Website

https://coloradoapex.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Colorado APEX Accelerator is a Colorado-based non-profit that provides free, confidential government contracting counseling and training to small businesses statewide, funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Contracting Consulting

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Incumbent Worker Training & Upskilling (EDAAAOAE)

Keywords

• Government contracting assistance
• Small business consulting
• Procurement counseling
• Federal contract advisory
• SAM registration support

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government-funded Program Services: Colorado APEX Accelerator is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense, Office of Small Business Programs. All services are provided at no cost to clients. The program does not generate revenue from clients but rather operates as a publicly-funded economic development initiative.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Colorado APEX Accelerator provides free, confidential consulting, training, and networking services to Colorado businesses seeking federal, state, and local government contracts. Services include one-on-one counseling from senior procurement counselors, guidance through the entire procurement lifecycle (marketing, proposing, and contract performance), access to subject matter experts, and education/training events. The program is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense, Office of Small Business Programs.

Product overview

Colorado APEX Accelerator is a free consulting service that assists Colorado businesses with government contracting. The organization provides a unified suite of services centered on one-on-one counseling, supplemented by marketing and proposal support, subject matter expert partnerships, and educational training events. All services are provided at no cost to clients and are designed to guide businesses through the entire acquisition process from opportunity identification through contract administration and closeout. The program is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense, Office of Small Business Programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One-on-One Counseling Confidential consulting from dedicated procurement counselors covering federal, state, and local government contracting laws, policies, and procedures, including SAM registration, socioeconomic certifications, SBIR/STTR programs, and subcontracting requirements. Available to all Colorado businesses interested in and suited to working with federal, state, and local agencies or prime contractors.
• Marketing, Proposing and Contract Performance Guidance through the entire procurement process from identifying opportunities through contract administration and closeout, including bid opportunity location, solicitation review, and government invoice procedures. Counselors support small businesses at each stage of the acquisition lifecycle.
• Subject Matter Expert Consultation Partnership with industry experts providing advice on government contracting aspects including FAR/DFAR compliance, cybersecurity, mentor-protégé programs, intellectual property, Davis-Bacon Act, DCAA cost accounting, and SBIR/STTR opportunities. SMEs include legal, cybersecurity, accounting, insurance/bonding, and proposal preparation experts.
• Education and Training Events Comprehensive training programs and networking events for Colorado businesses interested in government contracting. Events cover topics such as SAM registration, certification, proposal preparation, and contract administration, and provide networking opportunities with government agencies and prime contractors.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• Colorado Office of Economic Development and International TradecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with state economic development agency to deliver services statewide. The Minority Business Office within this organization is represented on the Board of Directors through Azarel Madrigal.
• Department of Defense, Office of Small Business ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded through a cooperative agreement with DoD Office of Small Business Programs. This is the primary funding source enabling all Colorado APEX Accelerator services to be provided at no cost.
• Colorado Companies to Watch (CCTW)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerColorado APEX Accelerator facilitated touchpoints with Colorado Companies to Watch as part of client support services.
• Southern Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce (SCWC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerColorado APEX Accelerator has made introductions with SCWC as part of helping women-owned businesses access government contracting opportunities.
• Whitcomb Selinsky, PCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal subject matter expert providing consultation on government contracting legal matters through the SME program.
• Palmetier LawminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal subject matter expert providing consultation on government contracting legal matters through the SME program.
• Piliero MazzaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal subject matter expert providing consultation on government contracting legal matters through the SME program.
• FP&C ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProposal preparation subject matter expert helping businesses with proposal development through the SME program.
• RFPreparedminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProposal preparation subject matter expert helping businesses with proposal development through the SME program.
• Six and Geving Insurance, Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInsurance and bonding subject matter expert providing consultation on insurance requirements for government contracts.
• HUB InternationalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerContract administration and support subject matter expert providing consultation on SCA/DBA fringe benefits, workers comp, property and casualty, and retirement plans.
• GovIrgminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAccounting subject matter expert providing consultation on government contract accounting requirements.
• McNew & AssociatesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAccounting subject matter expert providing consultation on government contract accounting requirements.
• City of Colorado Springs / El Paso CountysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as partners and supporters of Colorado APEX Accelerator operations.
• Advanced SpacesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as partners and supporters of Colorado APEX Accelerator operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• BidPrime: BidPrime aggregates and distributes government bid opportunities across federal, state, and local levels, supporting bid discovery for businesses. It is functionally comparable to part of Colorado APEX's bid-matching offering but is subscription-based rather than free consulting.
• GovSpend: GovSpend is a government spending and contract awards database helping vendors identify government opportunities. It serves a similar end-user (businesses seeking government contracts) as Colorado APEX but delivers self-service data rather than human consulting.
• HigherGov: HigherGov is a government contract intelligence platform offering federal, state, and local opportunity data and bid notifications. It competes with parts of Colorado APEX's bid-matching and opportunity identification services through a subscription model and represents a digital-native emerging threat to traditional consulting.
• FedBiz Access (GSA Partners): FedBiz Access is a commercial government contracting consulting firm offering SAM registration, bid matching, proposal support, and certification assistance to small businesses. It directly competes with Colorado APEX on services like SAM registration and bid matching, but charges fees instead of being free.

Broad incumbents

• SCORE: SCORE is an SBA resource partner providing free mentoring, workshops, and educational resources to small businesses nationwide. It overlaps with Colorado APEX in offering no-cost consulting and training, but its focus is on general entrepreneurship rather than government contracting specifically.
• America's SBDC (Small Business Development Centers): America's SBDC is the national network of Small Business Development Centers, also funded in part through federal cooperative agreements (SBA), providing free consulting and training to small businesses across the U.S. It is highly comparable to Colorado APEX in mission and funding model, but covers broader business topics beyond government contracting.
• Deltek (GovWin IQ): Deltek's GovWin IQ is a leading commercial intelligence platform for government contracting, providing bid opportunity data, capture management, and market intelligence. It overlaps with Colorado APEX in serving businesses seeking federal/state/local contracts but operates as a paid SaaS rather than free consulting.
• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): The SBA is the federal umbrella agency that funds many of Colorado APEX's peer programs (APEX Accelerators, SBDCs, WBCs) and sets small business contracting policy. It is a strategic incumbent that defines the funding and regulatory environment in which Colorado APEX operates.
• Women's Business Centers (SBA): Women's Business Centers are SBA-funded centers providing training, mentoring, and consulting to women entrepreneurs. They share Colorado APEX's nonprofit, grant-funded, free-service model and target an underserved small business segment, but specialize by demographic rather than by government contracting topic.

Direct peers

• National APEX Accelerators: The National APEX Accelerators (formerly PTAC) program is the federal network of which Colorado APEX is a member, with approximately 95 centers across the U.S. Sister state APEX accelerators (e.g., Texas APEX, California APEX, New York APEX) deliver the same DoD-funded counseling, training, and SME services as Colorado APEX, serving as direct peers within the same program.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights2 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colorado-apex-accelerator
• Xx.com/coloradoptac
• Facebookfacebook.com/ColoradoPTAC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 APEX Accelerator