Celebrating the First-Ever Summit Founder Coopetition
I can't help but smile as I sit down to write about the incredible journey we embarked on with the inaugural Summit Founder Coopetition—Summit County’s first business accelerator.
When I first took this job, my goal was to create programs for our locals that were truly impactful by helping their businesses grow. In partnership with Startup Colorado, we set out to give scalable businesses in Summit County a shot at a $5,000 business grant, while also helping them fine-tune their strategies, learn from other rural entrepreneurs, and understand their financial path to success.
Over the four weeks, our participants engaged in collaborative activities, both online and in-person, to refine their business strategies and explore different funding options. We had speakers like Robin Hall, Co-Founder and CEO of Town Hall Outdoor Co., and Adam Sanchez from Rockies Venture Club, who shared their wisdom and insights on starting and helping propel Colorado businesses.
Our participants were a diverse and dynamic group. With 80% of the ten participating companies being minority or women-owned, the Coopetition was a true celebration of the amazing talent and creativity in our community. Companies like Wildstack, Magic Marketing, SkyGOAT, TreadShare, Buttnski, Llama Corporation, Folcland, Stay Loci, CodeBeetle, and SeaRex Solutions collaborated for hours each week on how to help each other.
The culmination of the program was the creation of 90-second video pitches by each team, which were judged by over 80 business leaders from Summit County and Colorado. The competition was fierce, but in the end, CodeBeetle came out on top. Their innovative approach to addressing the gap in computer science education in public schools wowed the judges. Aaron Landau and Peder Hansen, the brains behind CodeBeetle, have exciting plans for the $5,000 grant, which will help them develop new programs and enhance existing ones for K-12 students.
But the impact of the Coopetition goes way beyond the prize money. Six of our participants are gearing up to add new jobs over the next year. Eight businesses are expecting to see an increase in revenue, with projections ranging from $70,000 to $250,000. And three participants are planning to seek further funding to fuel their growth.
We couldn't have done it without the amazing support of our partners and sponsors. Startup Colorado provided top-notch programming and coordination, while Summit County and DOLA covered all participant costs. A huge shoutout to our sponsors, including CHFA, Xcel Energy, Energize Colorado, and Freeport McMoRan, whose contributions were crucial in supporting our business owners.
Looking ahead, I am beyond excited about what the future holds for Summit County. We’re rolling out two additional accelerator programs and adding more strategic consulting for existing businesses. Here’s to the future of Summit County’s entrepreneurial ecosystem—stronger, more diverse, and more innovative than ever before! Please visit our website for the latest business and employment opportunities.