i3 - March/April 2016 - 40

Policy

BY JUSTIN SIRAJ

U Grok It

A couple hours east of Denver, startup
U Grok It has been having success in
the Colorado tech hub. "U Grok It got
its start like many startups-wanting to
solve a problem and not finding a better solution out there," says CEO and
Co-founder Carrie Requist. "We make
passive RFID simple and affordable,
breaking it out of the warehouse and
enterprise to bring asset management
and digital inventory to all companies,"
said Requist. Local events such as
Ignite, a self-described "fast-paced
geek event" in Colorado Springs, also
help startups connect and inspire.

T EC H H U B : D E N V E R

C

olorado, and especially the Denver area, is a region that attracts
the active, creative and intelligent. According to the Colorado
Startup Report by Built In Colorado, more than 95 companies
raised over $683 million in funding in 2015. That number is
down from the $758 million in funding done in 2014, but overall funding
is still up since 2013's $461 million. Tech companies in the Denver area
play a big part in driving success for Colorado startups and entrepreneurs.
People attracted to this area tend to be independent and adventurous, the
same spirit that great entrepreneurs have. The
people, the money, the programs and the area
Galvanize is located in
make Denver a great tech hub for startups.
downtown Denver and is

The University of Colorado Denver's Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship
serves as a "new idea laboratory that educates and empowers graduates to act
entrepreneurially." The Center offers AACSB accredited courses for degree and
non-degree students, panel discussions, networking opportunities, clubs, organizations, business engagements and a business plan competition. Similarly, the
University of Colorado Boulder's Deming Center for Entrepreneurship "prepares
graduates to embrace key global challenges by equipping them to think like entrepreneurs, act as social innovators and deliver as successful business leaders."

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MARCH/APRIL 2016

Clockwise from the top: Tony Requist,
co-founder and CTO; Tony Lijphart,
director of UI/UX; Laura Sankey, VP of sales;
Carrie Requist, co-founder and CEO

"Ignite was great support for us as well
as small startup events that let us try
out our messages and connect with
the larger Colorado startup community," says Requist.
"Denver and Colorado's entrepreneur community is vibrant, diverse
and extremely welcoming," explains
Requist. "Fellow Entrepreneurs, angel
investors and groups, and VCs are
willing to mentor new startups with
groups and events like Ignite (Denver,
Boulder, Colorado Springs and Steamboat Springs), Denver Startup Week
and the Rockies Venture Club. We like
to work hard and play hard-a great
mix for startups."

I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

Courtesy of CU Boulder

Colorado Office of Economic Development
and International Trade offers funding,
grants and incentives to early stage startups
that have created viable products that meet a
market need and that can be created or manufactured in Colorado and exported globally.
Its Advanced Industries Accelerator Program
promotes growth and sustainability by helping
drive innovation, accelerate commercialization, encourage public-private partnerships,
increase access to early stage capital and
create a strong ecosystem that increases the
state's global competitiveness.

"focused on coalescing communities of early stage technology companies through
the three pillars of community, curriculum and capital."
Galvanize is a startup itself
and encourages growth in
the tech industry merging a
co-working space with hightech courses, seed stage
venture capital funds and
connecting the tech community together, allowing
entrepreneurs and veterans
to learn from each other.

https://www.ugrokit.com/ http://www.builtincolorado.com/companies/startup-reports http://www.builtincolorado.com/companies/startup-reports http://www.galvanize.com/ http://www.advancecolorado.com/ http://www.advancecolorado.com/ http://www.advancecolorado.com/funding-incentives/advanced-industries-accelerator-grants http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/business/industry-programs/entrepreneurship/Pages/default.aspx

i3 - March/April 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of i3 - March/April 2016