2012 was a year of acceleration for the Denver startup community. With entrepreneurs leading the way – they proved that Denver really does compete on the national stage. We are lucky to have great organizations and people behind these events that are moving Denver forward.
Highlights of 2012:
Denver Startup Week
Celebrating "everything entrepreneurial in Denver," Denver Startup Week in October included more than 70+ events, 500+ companies and over 3,500+ attendees involved. For the first year, Denver Startup Week exceeded expectations and showcased the best of digital in Denver.
Startup Bash
Led by the team at FullContact, the Denver Startup Bash was the official launch for Denver Startup Week in September. Featuring a performance by the Flobots and over a 1,000 guests made up of the who's who of the Denver startup scene. Expect this again in 2013! Thank you Bart and crew!
SendGrid and Rally relocate to Denver
it is a sign of a growing community when anchor digital companies expand operations to city. In 2012 – Denver welcomed SendGrid and Rally Software to the Mile High City. They moved to Denver to have access to more talent, bigger space and more access to resources to grow their businesses. Having their presence will amplify all the great energy in the city.
Galvanize Opens
Denver needed a basecamp. A place where ideas and entrepreneurs feel at home – and can collaborate all hours of the week to build the next great Denver company. Welcome Galvanize. Much more than just a coworking space, Galvanize, located centrally near downtown, opened its doors in August. With the aim of building "a community greater than the sum of its parts to spark disruptive ideas and breakout companies," Galvanize has already had great success. With a cafe set to open yet this month, several events already under their belt, and suite rentals 90% full, there's no doubt many interesting ideas will be coming out of this community. Galvanize is a Built In Denver partner – and the Built In Denver office and team are residents!
BDNT Grows like Crazy
In 2012 BDNT really had a strong year, launched a new site and is Colorado startup map. A mainstay of the new tech scene in Denver, Boulder, and as of recently, Fort Collins, BDNT is a meetup for the tech minded. If you go to one thing – go to BDNT. Part networking, part pitch night, this event is always attended to what is probably beyond its capacity, and is a must-do for any new tech company across the Front Range. Congratulations Robert and Andrei for an awesome 2012 and for hitting the benchmark of close to 9,000+ members.
Startup Colorado | Startup Mile High
Led by a group of passionate Denver entrepreneurs, Startup Mile High debuted in 2012 as the Denver organization under Startup Colorado. With events featuring Andre Durand, Bart Lorang, Paul Washington, Chris Onan, Nancy Phillips, Steve Halstedt and others – the organization has grown to over 500. Mayor Hancock commended the efforts and leadership of the group to drive innovation in November.
i[4]c Summit
Welcome to Denver i[4]c! The team behind this organization knows how to create energy – as the first event in Denver had over 1,500 attendees, a Red Bull DJ super truck and invested over $150,000 in three breakout startups. The Summit, a "Shark Tank" style event for the 5 finalist startups each competing for a $50k investment followed by a block party outside of the DCPA, brought together companies and individuals from all aspects of the startup community.
Built In Denver
To capture the energy created in 2012, a group of entrepreneurs in Denver were in search of a ‘digital container’ to house all the great things happening the Denver community. On the last day of Denver Startup Week – Build in Denver debuted to the Top 100 Digital Leaders in Denver. As this site develops, it will be the hub to find resources, capital, mentors, clients, and understand the activities and events in Denver that can help entrepreneurs build and grow digital businesses.
To support all efforts, Built In Denver has a Community Manager to foster community development – and amplify everything digital and ‘built in’ Denver.
First Hack Denver
Denver’s first ever API hackathon took place at UnCubed in August. On a Friday night developers from all over the Front Range pitched their app ideas, formed teams, and built some awesome apps in the next 24 hours. Apps were submitted to the judges and Denver Hack gave away thousands in prize money all supported by AT&T, FullContact, SendGrid, MapQuest, and AlchemyAPI.
StartupGrind comes to Denver
Startup Grind, a global event series and community designed to help educate, inspire, and connect local entrepreneurs, opened its Denver chapter in November. An opportunity to "learn from the best, network with other members of the startup community, and improve the chance of entrepreneurial success," we look forward to seeing what StartupGrind does in 2013.
Communities are built by inspired people who want to make a place, better. 2012 was a great step forward – and set the stage for a breakout 2013!
Hats off to all of you in the startup community who made these events happen. You are building a better Denver!