It’s about time I do a predictions post. There are a lot of things that became apparent in 2012 that are going to continue in to the New Year. Social is evolving and so is startup funding. People are coming together easily and passionately, is this the decade of the tech 70’s? Free geek love, baby!
On to the goods:
1.) Co-Working is really blowing up. Co-Working has been on the rise for a while now so the shops that are established are really starting to kill it, but Boulder, for example, has seen an explosion of places for freelancers and those with the freedom to work wherever they choose (lucky!)
Scrib, Fuse, Co-Motion, and the Hub have all sprung up with different strengths to persuade you to participate at their location. Scrib, the incumbent, has a thriving community with frequent meetups and an awesome culture already established. Atlas Purveyors coffee and tea helps keep people going while “What would Draper do” adorns the liquor cart for those needing a little break. Fuse and Co-Motion are the up and coming crew with big ideas coming together like being a life accelerator and having a month long personal branding course respectively. Lastly, The Hub is a beautiful space earmarked for socially aware looking to collaborate in downtown Boulder. Let’s not forget long term Boulderites, Boulder Digital Arts as a fantastic facility for classes as well as co-working space.
In Denver, Galvanize, at the pinnacle of these new facilities launched during Startup Week Denver with a bang. These guys are one of the ones to watch… with startups, individuals, beverages, and a code school (we’ll get to that trend later) with some talented people at the helm these guys will crush it in 2013.
Other Denver locations to take note of are Creative Density, my favorite example of coworking community done right. The Desk, with coffee and quiet being keys to their success, and Uncubed, offering an open environment for collaborating and events.
Expect to see more participation, more adoption, and more spaces in the year to come as people begin to understand the value of maximizing your creativity and passion in the work you do.
2.) Social Media gyration. While we’re on the theme of free tech love let’s get down and dirty with the way social media is changing, well, everything. Big companies are starting to get it, early adopters are refining it, and everyone in between knows they need to be a part of it. We’re starting to see strategy and management roles emerge and the day to day nuts and bolts of posting and moderating en masse being relegated to more entry level positions. Companies are starting to get the fact that they can’t just pitch at consumers to get their message across, which means we’re going to start to see sneakier ways of infusing their brand into your friends and activities. It’s going to get creepier. If 2012 was the year of big data. 2013 is the year all of the social graphs begin to finally converge. Actionable information, FTW! Immense data sets coming together with other immense data sets to predict elections, the stock market, and how likely you are to spend your hard earned dollars are going to get more and more accurate. So Orwell was a little zealous with 1984, 2013 however… nothing is private. Remember the phrase “if it’s free… you’re the product.” Also, Google+ is awesome. Deal with it.
3.) Money. Big banks aren’t the only game in town anymore. Thank sweet, creative jeebus. Venture Capital, Accelerators, Incubators, and Crowdfunding are the tools of the new entrepreneur. Even with some apprehension around a startup bubble, innovation continues to fuel our economy with new ideas and new jobs. The stale model of walking into a stodgy high rise with your idea that doesn’t fit into the corporate box of risk tolerance is no more. In Boulder, Atoms Express took their concept from an idea to over $180,000 in funding in 90 days using crowfunding! Try doing that 10 years ago with a traditional funding model. Ideas will continue to explode through Colorado with such a strong support network of innovators and successful business people. Denver will come together as a cohesive community to thrive and Boulder will be business as usual as the nation watches more closely what “the bubble” is up to after all of the positive startup press through 2012.
I started this post and realized I had a lot to say... so it's going to be a 2 part post. More to come!