Denver Means Business For Small Business

colorado!
An interesting statistic on Denver small business was recently collected by G. Scott Thomas, whose “On Numbers” blog for The Business Journals always provides some interesting fodder on the business scene. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, Metro Denver is 17th among 938 U.S. cities for its number of local businesses. What is unique about this is that a higher proportion of these Colorado companies are categorized as small compared to businesses in most other large urban cities. Really, this comes as no surprise with the level of support shown the area’s small business community.

Front Range and Denver Small Business and Entrepreneurial Support:

  • Galvanize!  That’s the newest and most exciting new incubator in Denver.  Galvanize is a tech and triple bottom line incubator which promises to launch up to 12 high tech/social impact companies.
  • Technology accelerator TechStars Boulder was founded by local entrepreneurs and investors, and launched 12 new Colorado start-ups in 2011.
  • Rocky Mountain Innosphere (RMI) in Fort Collins has the goal of assisting 40 start-ups over the next five years. RMI helps these companies by providing networking opportunities, access to facilities and assistance with raising capital.
  • Colorado Springs Technology Incubator provides assistance for hi-tech companies in the Southern Colorado region.
  • One of Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s early projects is to revitalize Denver’s Office of Economic Development. The Mayor just hired a new leader for the Division of Small Business Opportunity with plans to “create and help grow businesses in the city.”

Colorado small business makes up over 97% of the state’s employers and accounts for over 50% of the jobs in the state. I’m proud to be a part of this entrepreneurial community. Though some think that it is the large corporations that drive a region, in reality it is our Colorado small businesses that truly creates the backbone for our local and state economy.

Copyright © 2011 Hasan, LLC. All rights reserved.

“Colorado!” under CC license by Nick Nunns