Larimer SBDC (Small Business Development Center)

What Larimer SBDC (Small Business Development Center) does

The Larimer County Small Business Development Center is one of 14 service centers in the Colorado SBDC statewide network, hosted by Front Range Community College at its Fort Collins campus (4616 South Shields Street, Blanca Peak Room 151). The center delivers no-cost, confidential, one-on-one business advising, drawing on a statewide bench of approximately 300 business experts, alongside no- or low-cost training, events, and workshops. Service offerings span the full small business lifecycle from ideation and start-up planning through growth, marketing, financial management, and exit or succession planning. The portfolio also includes specialized statewide programs such as Leading Edge, Exit Planning, Child Care Business Program, Marketing & Online Presence, and the TechSource program (with Ascent Workshops and the Tech Venture Accelerator), delivered through 14 service centers and more than 25 satellite centers covering all 64 Colorado counties.

The Larimer center itself is staffed by a small in-house team led by Executive Director Hope Hartman and Client & Program Coordinator Becky Douthit, supported by access to the broader statewide advisor network. Marketing and outreach are conducted through the sbdc.colorado.gov/larimer website, an email newsletter, published client success stories, and a network of community partners including the City of Fort Collins, Larimer County, the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, the Estes Park Chamber of Commerce, and several financial institutions.

The business model is not commercial. The Colorado SBDC is funded through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and receives matching support from the State of Colorado and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, with additional sponsorship from municipalities, counties, chambers, banks, a credit union, and a CDFI. All services are provided at no cost to eligible small businesses. As a government-funded economic development program rather than a revenue-generating enterprise, the center does not generate commercial revenue; its scale is measured in program reach — 730,887 small businesses served statewide, representing 99.5% of all Colorado businesses — rather than top-line financial performance.

Name

Larimer SBDC (Small Business Development Center)

Legal name

Colorado Small Business Development Center

Website

https://larimersbdc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Larimer County Small Business Development Center is a government-funded, no-cost business advisory and training center hosted by Front Range Community College in Fort Collins, Colorado, serving small businesses across Larimer County and statewide Colorado.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Collins

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 (Federal and State): The Colorado SBDC is funded through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and receives support from the State of Colorado, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Services are provided at no cost to eligible small businesses. This is a publicly funded nonprofit initiative, not a revenue-generating commercial enterprise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Larimer SBDC delivers no-cost, confidential, one-on-one business advising to small businesses in Larimer County through a statewide network of approximately 300 business experts, supplemented by no- or low-cost training events, workshops, and specialized statewide programs (Leading Edge, Exit Planning, Child Care Business Program, Marketing & Online Presence, and TechSource including Ascent Workshops and the Tech Venture Accelerator). Services are provided at no cost to eligible small businesses and delivered via appointment-only advising sessions, structured workshops, and accelerator programs.

Product overview

The Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Larimer County, hosted by Front Range Community College, operates as a network-based small business support organization rather than a single product. The organization offers a unified portfolio of advisory, training, and specialized program services. Core offerings include no-cost confidential one-on-one advising from approximately 300 statewide business experts and no- to low-cost training events and workshops. The portfolio includes statewide programs such as Leading Edge, Exit Planning, Child Care Business Program, and Marketing & Online Presence, as well as the TechSource program with its Ascent Workshops and Tech Venture Accelerator (TVX) sub-products. These programs are delivered through 14 service centers and over 25 satellite centers across Colorado's 64 counties, providing businesses at every stage with resources to start, grow, and succeed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• No-Cost Business Advising Confidential, one-on-one business advising provided at no cost to eligible small businesses in Larimer County through a statewide network of approximately 300 business experts across Colorado.
• Training, Events & Workshops Essential training, events, and workshops offered at no- or low-cost to help small businesses gain actionable skills and expertise across the Colorado SBDC network.
• TechSource Program A specialized statewide technology program under the Colorado SBDC that provides workshops and accelerator services for tech-oriented businesses, including Ascent Workshops and Tech Venture Accelerator (TVX).
• Tech Venture Accelerator (TVX) An accelerator program within the TechSource program designed to support technology ventures and startups.
• Ascent Workshops Workshop offerings under the TechSource program focused on technology skills and business development for tech-oriented small businesses.
• Leading Edge Program A statewide business development program providing structured support for small businesses at various growth stages.
• Exit Planning Program A statewide program helping business owners plan and execute successful business succession or exit strategies.
• Child Care Business Program A specialized statewide program supporting child care businesses with tailored resources and guidance.
• Marketing & Online Presence Program A statewide program helping small businesses develop marketing strategies and establish their online presence.
• Core Business Programs Foundational statewide business development programs covering essential topics such as financial management, marketing, and business planning for small businesses.

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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Front Range Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFront Range Community College hosts the Larimer SBDC location at its Fort Collins campus. The college provides physical office space (Blanca Peak Room 151) and institutional support for the center's operations.
• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)coreOthersThe Colorado SBDC is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, which provides federal funding for the statewide network of small business development centers.
• Colorado Office of Economic Development and International TradecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner in the Colorado SBDC partnership that provides state-level funding and strategic direction for small business development initiatives across Colorado.
• State of ColoradocoreOthersThe State of Colorado is a key funding partner in the Colorado SBDC, contributing state resources to support small business development statewide.
• City of Fort CollinsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity sponsor of the Larimer SBDC, supporting the center's operations in Fort Collins.
• Larimer CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty sponsor providing support for the Larimer SBDC operations.
• Fort Collins Area Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal chamber partner providing business community connections and support for the Larimer SBDC.
• City of LovelandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity sponsor of the Larimer SBDC serving the Loveland area.
• City of BerthoudminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity sponsor of the Larimer SBDC serving the Berthoud area.
• Estes Park Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional chamber partner providing connections to the Estes Park business community.
• Minority Business Office of ColoradominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState office partner supporting minority-owned small businesses through the Larimer SBDC network.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): The SBA is the federal agency that funds and oversees the SBDC network via Cooperative Agreements. While not a direct service peer, it is the principal funder and policy stakeholder for the Larimer SBDC, making it a structurally important peer in the small business support ecosystem.
• America's SBDC: America's SBDC is the national association representing the collective SBDC network across U.S. states and territories. It is the broader umbrella under which Larimer SBDC operates, providing national program coordination, accreditation, and data aggregation for the entire SBDC system.

Direct peers

• Denver Metro SBDC: The Denver Metro SBDC is a sister center within the Colorado SBDC network, providing the same model of no-cost business advising, training, and specialized programs to small businesses in the Denver metro area. Like Larimer SBDC, it is hosted by a higher education institution and operates under the statewide Cooperative Agreement with the SBA.
• SCORE: SCORE is a nonprofit association providing free, confidential business mentoring and education to small businesses through a volunteer network of experienced business professionals. It is the closest direct peer to the SBDC, offering a similar model of no-cost advising funded primarily through the SBA and private sponsors.
• Women's Business Centers (WBCs): WBCs are SBA-funded resource partners that provide tailored business training, counseling, and mentoring to women entrepreneurs. They share the SBDC's free advising model and SBA funding structure but specialize in serving women-owned businesses, making them a parallel federal small business support program.
• Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs): VBOCs are SBA-funded programs providing business training, counseling, and resource referrals to veteran entrepreneurs. They operate under the same SBA resource-partner model as SBDCs, serving a specialized segment of the small business population with similar free advisory services.

Others

• Accion Opportunity Fund: Accion Opportunity Fund is a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) providing small business loans, advising, and support to underserved entrepreneurs. As a named financial partner of Larimer SBDC and a similar no-cost advising-and-capital provider, it is a comparable ecosystem participant in Colorado small business support.
• Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT): OEDIT is the parent state agency that houses the Colorado SBDC and provides state-level funding and strategic direction. As the Larimer SBDC's parent organization, OEDIT is the ecosystem sponsor and policy-setting entity that determines the statewide program's strategic priorities.
• Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce: The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce is a named local partner of the Larimer SBDC, providing connections to the regional business community. As a chamber, it offers complementary business networking, advocacy, and education services that overlap with SBDC programming for Larimer County businesses.

Emerging players

• Kauffman Foundation: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a major national philanthropy focused on entrepreneurship and small business development through research, education, and program funding. While not a direct service provider, it shapes the small business support ecosystem through programs like the Kauffman FastTrac curriculum, which many SBDCs use.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/larimersbdc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Larimer SBDC (Small Business Development Center)