Boulder Startup Week 2025

Join the team from Second Rodeo on a sunrise hike on the Boulder trails. This event is a networking opportunity for founders, operators, and capital providers looking to forge a new path for company growth here in Boulder.

Get your blood flowing with this fun run/jog around downtown Boulder with fellow founders and investors. What better way to get to know each other than while pounding some pavement (or dirt!).

Learn how to utilize the securities law exemptions under Regulation CF and Regulation A to facilitate public offerings of your start-ups stock, debt, tokens, or other investment securities to raise capital. Under these Obama era laws, you can utilize digital marketing, your customer lists, and a variety of other advertising means to solicit the general public and accept investments from unaccredited investors. Join the thousands of other startups that have successfully circumvented the VC firms to fund their business under these groundbreaking new regulations.

This panel will dive into current fundraising trends at the Seed and Series A stages, specifically focusing on how companies should be preparing ahead of a Series A fundraise. Discussion topics include current benchmarks at the Seed/Series A and best practices for companies ahead of a Series A.

Boulder is quickly becoming a global hub for quantum technology. In this session, meet founders, researchers, and community leaders helping to grow this next-gen industry here. We’ll talk about what it takes to launch a quantum startup, what resources are available, and why Boulder is uniquely positioned to lead in this space.

Come learn from CU student/alumni founders! Our students and alumni will share what's worked, mistakes they've made and recommendations for others. Erick Mueller, Executive Director at the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the Leeds School of Business will lead the conversation with our panel of founders from the CU Boulder community. Our startups are addressing needs in diverse industries and our founders will share their journeys, answer your questions, provide unique insights on entrepreneurship, and highlight valuable resources from both CU Boulder and the larger Boulder/Denver ecosystem.

What happens when you mix a group of investors with rapid-fire startup questions?
Welcome to the most chaotic and entertaining panel of Boulder Startup Week, a high-stakes mashup of Shark Tank meets The Dating Game. But instead of roses, we’ve got whiteboards, and brutally honest investor opinions.

• We ask spicy, high-leverage questions:
   Would you fund a startup without a technical cofounder?
   How much traction is “enough”?
• Every investor has a chance to answer - all at once. 
• We follow up on the most surprising or controversial answers.
• And you get to play along by asking your questions!
  
  
  

Expect sparks, real talk, and some surprising responses. You’ll walk away with insights into how investors think, what they’re actually looking for right now, and what founders get wrong when trying to stand out.
Whether you’re raising or just curious, this is one session you won’t want to ghost.

Every startup founder faces moments of doubt, tough decisions, and external pressures that challenge their original vision. How do you stay true to your mission while adapting to the realities of funding, scaling, and market demands?

In this session, we’ll hear from founders who have navigated these challenges and discuss practical strategies for maintaining authenticity, resilience, and focus.

Expect real stories, actionable insights, and an interactive Q&A where you can get advice on your startup journey.

The I-36 Space Corridor is literally blasting off. Several local companies are exploring the final frontier from ThinkOrbital building huge infrastructure in space and protecting space from adversaries to Cislunar Industries working on recycling metals for propulsion in space to Orbit Fab refuelling satellites. Leaders from these and other local space companies will be brought together on a panel to discuss their vision for the future of outer space, the challenge of the space domain, why Boulder? and a host of other topics.

Starting a business is hard. There is a lot to know and there are a lot of great people and companies out there to help.The vendor forum is a great opportunity to learn about needed b2b services from startup tailored vendors; make business connections; and network with other BSW attendees and sponsors.Bonus- there will be adoptable puppies!
Come visit us on the 12th, 13th and 14th from 10am to 1pm at the kitchen lounge.

97% of your ideal buyers aren’t ready to talk to sales—but they are forming opinions and making early decisions.

They’re learning about their problems, looking for fresh ideas, and identifying who seems credible and helpful. If your team isn’t visible during this early research, you miss the chance to shape their thinking and earn their trust before they narrow their options.

Being seen at this stage is not just about creating marketing noise. It’s about making sure the right voices are sharing the right messages with the right people.

Buyers want to hear from people who understand their world—and they’re more likely to trust peers who speak their language. That’s why aligning your team’s voices with the roles of your target buyers matters.

Imagine a finance expert from your team speaking directly to CFOs. Or an ops lead sharing firsthand lessons with operations teams. These role-to-role conversations earn trust before the shortlist is built.

It’s more than content. It’s connection. And it can be the difference between being considered and being ignored.

This session shows how to:

* Take conversations you’re already having and turn them into buyer-centric content
* Use AI to turn them into LinkedIn posts, blogs, and articles
* Find places to publish where your target audience already hangs out
* Publish content that builds trust across key buyer roles

This will be an interactive session where members of the audience will get a chance to share what’s working for you. So come ready to learn from your peers and bring your own success stories.

Leave with practical next steps you can start using right away.

One of the most important parts of the fundraising process is having a pitch deck that stands out and gets investors excited. In this session we’ll look at a successful pitch deck and see what they did to stand out. Startups will leave this session with clear, actionable ideas about how to make the best pitch deck for their business.

🚨 External Registration Required
Due to the nature of this activity, space is extremely limited.
👉 Register at the Luma link — Adding this to your sched calendar does not guarantee admission.
https://lu.ma/PitchonthePitch
🧗‍♂️ Ever watched a founder pitch their startup while dangling from a wall?
Now’s your chance.

📅 Wednesday, May 14
🕚 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM MST
📍 Local Climbing Gym (details in Luma)

Pitch on the Pitch is what happens when Hot Ones meets Mic’d Up—but on a climbing wall.

As founders climb increasingly difficult routes, they’ll deliver their pitch while investors ask questions—mic’d up, mid-climb, and in front of a live audience.

🥪 Lunch provided
🧗‍♀️ Climbing gear provided
🪢 Free climb time available before and after the main event

What’s harder to climb—the rock wall or your preference stack?
🎤 Co-Sponsored by:
Tim Morrissey (Drive Capital) & Erika Nash (Next Frontier Capital)
🎬 Co-Hosted by: Victor Medeiros

Spectate or send it — participation is by invitation and application only via Luma.
https://lu.ma/PitchonthePitch

Do you have questions around syndicating funds for investment?
Are you curious what it looks like to participate as an investor alongside others as one line on the cap table?
How costly and complex is it really to run a syndication? Is it worth it?Join this session to learn about the ins and outs of syndicating investments and what to expect (as an investor and as a founder.)Natalie Levy, the Managing Partner of She's Independent, will lead this session. She's Independent is an investment group syndicating (group investing) in early-stage businesses from Pre-Seed to Series A.

Deep-tech is seeing strong interest in Colorado. There is new access to capital for startups, along with many changes in federal and grant funding. Part of the trick for startups is finding the right partners to support company growth. The panel will discuss what it takes to get funded and how to find the right fit.

Are you a startup founder preparing to raise venture capital? Understanding the legal aspects of fundraising can make the difference between a smooth financing round and a costly, time-consuming process. Join us for this practical masterclass that demystifies the essential legal instruments and documents used in early-stage startup fundraising.

Who Should Attend:
Founders planning to raise venture capital
Startup team members involved in fundraising decisions and process

What You'll Learn:
Deep dive into SAFEs: Understanding how they work, when to use them, and their key components including valuation caps and discount rates
Convertible Notes vs. SAFEs: Clear comparison to help you choose the right instrument for your startup
Term Sheet fundamentals: Navigate the critical elements of term sheets, including valuation terms, economic provisions, and control/governance matters
Common pitfalls: Learn about the most frequent fundraising mistakes and how to avoid them

Key Takeaways:
Practical understanding of fundraising instruments and when to use them
Ability to evaluate and negotiate key terms in investment documents
Confidence in managing legal aspects of your fundraising process
Framework for making informed decisions about your startup's financing strategy

Why This Matters:
As a founder, you need to make crucial decisions about your startup's funding structure that will impact your company's future. This session will equip you with the knowledge to make informed choices, understand investor expectations, and protect your interests while building strong investor relationships.

The session combines theoretical knowledge with practical insights, using real-world examples and industry-standard documents (including NVCA model documents) to provide you with actionable knowledge you can apply immediately in your fundraising journey.

Don't let legal complexity stand in the way of your startup's growth. Gain the essential knowledge you need to navigate early-stage fundraising with confidence from some of the industry's top startup/venture capital lawyers.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are highly competitive programs that encourage domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) with the potential for commercialization. Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR and STTR enable small businesses to explore their technological potential and provide the incentive to profit from its commercialization.

This session will explore the basics of the SBIR and STTR programs and what you need to do to set your self up for success in your submission.

Join Rockies Venture Club for Angel Investing 101 to acquire the necessary skills to successfully secure and/or deploy angel investment. Without such training, new investors might spend years and over $250,000 to learn effective investment strategies on their own.

This session is open to both entrepreneurs seeking to learn more about how to secure angel investment and "angel-curious" investors who are in pursuit of the best early stage startup investment deal flow. Rockies Venture Club offers education to both entrepreneurs and investors through the extension of this program, Angel Accelerator, the RVC Pitch Academy, and the RVC HyperAccelerator. In addition to education, RVC Members receive access to 140+ events annually, which include Monthly Investor Forums, Industry Investment Nights, and the Angel Capital Summit.

Join JP Morgan for an insightful panel discussion on how founders can strategically structure their startups for long-term success. Our expert speakers will share actionable strategies and key insights on aligning business foundations with future goals, ensuring maximum outcomes and impact. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your approach, this session will equip you with the tools to build a thriving and sustainable business.

About the Member Showcase:

This trade fair-style event highlights AI projects from local companies, students, researchers, and community members. It’s a chance to share your work with a diverse audience of technical and non-technical attendees in a casual, welcoming atmosphere.

Cisco Meraki is probably the largest Rails shop you’ve never heard of. Our 2 million line Rails monolith has been under continuous development since 2007. As with any large codebase, ours is not without challenges. In “Derailing Our Application,” we share how our architecture has evolved to decouple 800,000 lines of Ruby code from Rails constructs in order to enable us to scale our team to 1,000 engineers and beyond without losing the benefits of Rails. Join us on the track less traveled! All aboard!