Central Mountain Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

What Central Mountain Small Business Development Center (SBDC) does

Central Mountain Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is a regional nonprofit-government advising center serving Chaffee, Lake, and Park Counties in central Colorado, hosted by Chaffee County and operating from Salida, CO. The center delivers no-cost, confidential, one-on-one business advising to any small business eligible for federally funded services, covering the full lifecycle from idea stage through startup, growth, and exit planning. Service delivery is fundamentally human and advisory rather than technology-mediated: clients access support via appointment-based in-person sessions, a digital intake portal (Colorado SBDC Login), and an event calendar of training programs and workshops. The center is embedded in the statewide Colorado SBDC network, which spans 14 service centers and over 25 satellite centers covering all 64 Colorado counties and provides access to approximately 300 business experts. Supporting offerings include statewide programs such as Leading Edge, Exit Planning, Child Care, Marketing & Online Presence, and TechSource (with Ascent Workshops and Tech Venture Accelerator modules), plus disaster recovery resources activated for events like the Willow Fire in Lake County.

The business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Revenue is sourced from a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, supplemented by the State of Colorado, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), Colorado institutions of higher education, local economic development organizations, and local chambers of commerce. Services are provided at no cost to eligible small businesses, so there is no pricing tier, subscription, or transaction-based revenue mechanics. The center has 6 employees under Executive Director Audrey Welsh and operates Monday-Thursday from the Sherman Building Lofts in Salida. There is no proprietary technology platform; core tooling consists of the state's login portal, event calendar, and standard web presence at sbdc.colorado.gov/centralmountain.

Name

Central Mountain Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

Legal name

Colorado Small Business Development Center

Website

https://centralsbdc.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Central Mountain SBDC is a federally and state-funded regional center in Salida, Colorado that delivers no-cost, confidential one-on-one business advising and training to small businesses across Chaffee, Lake, and Park Counties as part of the statewide Colorado SBDC network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Salida

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

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

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Central Mountain SBDC provides no-cost, confidential, one-on-one business advising and training to small businesses and entrepreneurs in Chaffee, Lake, and Park Counties of Colorado. Services are delivered through a network of approximately 300 business experts statewide, covering business planning, financial management, marketing, growth strategy, exit planning, and disaster recovery support. The center operates as part of the Colorado SBDC network funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration and the State of Colorado.

Product overview

The Central Mountain SBDC is a single-service advising and training center rather than a technology platform. It offers a unified service model centered on no-cost, confidential one-on-one business advising, supplemented by training programs and statewide specialized initiatives. The core offering is the advising service, which connects businesses to approximately 300 expert advisors statewide. Supporting programs include the Leading Edge Program, Exit Planning, Child Care Program, Marketing & Online Presence, and TechSource (with Ascent Workshops and Tech Venture Accelerator modules). Additional resources include the Business Recovery & Resiliency Guide and disaster-specific support materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• No-Cost Business Advising

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chaffee CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChaffee County is the host organization for the Central Mountain SBDC. The center is physically located in Salida, CO, within Chaffee County facilities, indicating a deep operational partnership for serving the Central Mountain region.
• Lake County ChambercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLake County Chamber is a key local partner collaborating with the Central Mountain SBDC to support businesses in Lake County, including disaster recovery efforts following the Willow Fire.
• Leadville MainstreetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeadville Mainstreet partners with the Central Mountain SBDC to provide business support services in the Lake County area, particularly focused on disaster recovery for Willow Fire-affected businesses.
• Leadville Lake County EDC (Economic Development Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeadville Lake County EDC is collaborating with the Central Mountain SBDC to support businesses affected by the Willow Fire in Lake County through resource guides and one-on-one advising.
• Park CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPark County is listed as a core partner, one of the three counties (along with Chaffee and Lake) served by the Central Mountain SBDC.
• Colorado's Institutions of Higher EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColorado's colleges and universities partner with the SBDC as part of the statewide network, providing academic resources and expertise to the small business development ecosystem.
• Local Economic Development Organizations and Chambers of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVarious local economic development organizations and chambers of commerce throughout Colorado participate in the SBDC partnership network, providing local business support and referrals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SCORE: SCORE is an SBA-funded nonprofit network providing free business mentoring, workshops, and advising to small businesses. It is the closest direct peer to the SBDC system, delivering a similar no-cost advisory model to the same SMB customer base across the U.S.
• Women's Business Centers (WBC) Program: WBCs are SBA-funded resource partners delivering free business training and advising specifically to women entrepreneurs. They share the SBA funding model, no-cost service delivery, and small business target market with the SBDC network.
• Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC): VBOCs are SBA-funded centers providing business advising, training, and resources to veteran-owned small businesses. They operate on the same SBA cooperative agreement model and serve a similarly defined small business segment.
• Pikes Peak SBDC: Pikes Peak is another regional SBDC within the Colorado statewide network, delivering the same no-cost advising model to a different geographic territory. It is a direct operational peer at the same center-level scale within the same parent network.

Broad incumbents

• America's SBDC: America's SBDC is the national association that represents the SBDC network under SBA cooperative agreements. It is the umbrella organization for state networks including the Colorado SBDC, setting national standards and accreditation.
• SBA Colorado District Office: The SBA Colorado District Office is the federal agency presence that oversees the Colorado SBDC network and administers SBA loan and contracting programs. It is the principal federal counterpart and partner in the cooperative agreement that funds the SBDC system.
• Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT): OEDIT is a core state funding partner for the Colorado SBDC network and operates parallel small business and economic development programs. It is a higher-level state government counterpart shaping the policy and funding environment for the SBDC system.

Others

• Small Business Majority: Small Business Majority is a national small business advocacy and research organization that influences policy and provides resources to entrepreneurs. It operates in the same small business support ecosystem but with an advocacy and research orientation rather than direct advising.
• Leadville Lake County EDC: Leadville Lake County EDC is a regional economic development organization that partners with Central Mountain SBDC to provide joint support for local businesses. It is a complementary economic development actor rather than a direct competitor.
• Lake County Chamber of Commerce: The Lake County Chamber is a local community partner that refers small businesses to the Central Mountain SBDC and collaborates on disaster recovery. It is an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-mountain-small-business-development-center-sbdc

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 Central Mountain Small Business Development Center (SBDC)