Boulder Startup Week 2025

Join David Bernstein and Ann-Clarke Bailey for an interactive conversation at the nexus of design, purpose and community. As founders of 2 unique yet interconnected startups, David and Ann-Clarke want to invite you inside their projects to learn about what makes them tick and hopefully glean insight from you as well. Perspective is a valuable, two way street when building a business. This event will be programmed with perspective in mind, enabling attendees to not only learn from our founders but to contribute ideas and opinions to their projects as well. Attendees will learn about the challenges and opportunities of forming a collaborative partnership, how to integrate design with values, and the benefits of holding complex and sometimes conflicting viewpoints at the same time. 

SAGE Boulder is a pro-bono mentoring group that meets regularly in Boulder. We have helped over 200 founders over the past 11 years. In this session, you have a chance to watch a live SAGE session. You might find that SAGE is a great option for your company. An early stage tech founder will present to a group of expert SAGE advisors. But they aren't pitching for money, they are pitching for customized help from SAGE advisors to move the company forward. Here’s how it will go:
Founder Presentation
Structured, facilitated feedback on the following questions:
What is compelling about this company?
What are the risks?
What key steps should be taken in a 3 months to help mitigate those risks?
SAGE is sponsored by Innosphere, Cozen O’Conner Law and Venture Partners at CU Boulder.

In this highly interactive workshop, you’ll learn a new way of thinking about imposter syndrome – your Imposter Monster! You'll meet your Imposter Monster, and we'll discuss ways to turn them from a whisper that makes you feel small to a champion who helps you do hard things. This research-supported method encourages participants to reframe imposter feelings as a coping mechanism, rather than something that is wrong with them. We explore the 5 types of Imposters and how to interact with your Monster based on your type.

The result:

→ Healthier perspective on imposter feelings.

→ Decreased stress in situations that were previously difficult.

→ Improved ability to do brave things.

Join two Boulder founders for a detailed and personal look at what it REALLY takes to build a $1M+ revenue company. This session isn’t about sales, marketing, pricing or product - it’s about the Inner Journey that all founders go through as they find product-market-fit and scale their companies.
Alex Raymond, Founder of AMplify and Host of The Conscious Entrepreneur Summit and Ret Taylor, Co-Founder and former Co-CEO of Ned, will discuss:

• What does it really take to be a successful entrepreneur?
• How do we deal with the Inner Demons like self-doubt, burnout, impostor syndrome?
• How must founders evolve as our companies grow?
• What happens if we don’t build a unicorn?
• When is it time to hand over the reins or pivot?

This session is for current, former and future CEOs, founders and entrepreneurs who want an unvarnished look at the ups-and-downs of building a company.