Boulder Startup Week 2025

We’re here because something big is happening across startups and product teams—and it's happening faster than a lot of us expected.
A few years ago, the model was simple:
 Raise a huge round of funding, hire an army of people, burn through cash, and hope to scale.
But today? AI is flipping that script.
According to a recent New York Times article, startups like Gamma, Cursor, and ElevenLabs are reaching tens of millions in revenue with tiny teams—sometimes just 20 to 50 people.
 The game has changed:

• Efficiency is the new flex.
  
  
  
• Tiny teams are the new giants.
  
  
  
• AI is the ultimate force multiplier.
  
  
  

And the role of the product manager is evolving right alongside it.
 Today’s PM needs to not only lead across engineering, UX, and strategy—but also learn how to leverage AI tools, workflows, and thinking to extend their reach without needing a team of 10 behind them.

Employee ownership is a proven yet often overlooked business model that drives productivity, stability, and wealth distribution. Companies where at least 30% of shares are broadly owned by employees experience faster growth, higher wages, better benefits, and greater resilience against economic downturns. With the passage of House Bill 24-1157, Colorado has doubled down on its commitment to employee ownership, codifying the Colorado Employee Ownership Office and establishing a $1.5 million annual tax credit to support businesses in their first seven years of employee ownership.

This panel will explore how more entrepreneurs can approach shared ownership—whether they’re launching a startup, scaling a business, or planning an exit. Experts will break down state incentives, legal considerations, governance models, and strategies to mitigate risks in financing and decision-making. Panelists include Matt Licina (National Center for Employee Ownership), Allie Clark (Foley & Hoag), Ashley Ortiz (Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center), Jason Weiner (Jason Weiner PC), and David Henry (Namaste Solar)—leaders with deep expertise in employee ownership transitions and operations.

As wealth inequality grows and business leaders play an increasingly crucial role in balancing the economy, shared ownership offers a sustainable, strong alternative to status-quo business approaches. Entrepreneurs have an opportunity to build stronger, more equitable companies—and Colorado is making it easier than ever to do so.

Video is a powerful tool to tell your brand's story, engage with customers, and also raise funds. In this panel, myself and several production company owners, producers, and directors will discuss how video production is a essential to grow a company, and not just merely a way to "create content" for social media. I (Rob) will lead a discussion with the panel, and we will open up for Q&A at the end of the session.

A discussion with entrepreneurs who have decided to take an alternative path to scaling their business. Learn from founders who have built and grown their business outside of the traditional venture playbook. We hope the conversation is far ranging… drawing from experiences across a variety of industry segments and company maturities.

Second Rodeo is a new take on an accelerator that helps early-stage founders scale their business in advance of taking on significant outside capital.

Our economy is not well designed for the work of care.
Social cooperatives are a kind of business designed to put workers and recipients of care at the center. The model emerged in Italy and has been spreading around the world—including to the United States. This discussion will explore how the social co-op model is already at work in Boulder and its prospects for taking hold more widely around the country.

Colorado is a leading hub for health innovation. In 2024 alone, life sciences companies in the state raised $2.15B. And according to new research from CBRE, Denver-Boulder now ranks among the top 20 life sciences R&D clusters worldwide, with Boulder at the epicenter.

With more than 30% of the state’s biotech, medtech, and digital health assets concentrated in Boulder and along the U.S. 36 Corridor, the region includes powerhouse companies and promising startups.

Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) leads the health and growth of life sciences in Colorado. CBSA President & CEO Elyse Blazevich, who is also a medtech founder, brings some of Boulder’s leading life sciences founders together for a panel discussion offering stories from the frontline on what it takes to build, scale, and succeed in Boulder.

Location for Innovation: What makes Boulder and Colorado the right place for health innovation.
Raising Capital: How founders secured their first rounds, and what uncertainty with federal and state funding sources means for early-stage companies.
Founder Stories: Honest stories about challenges, wins, and what it takes to move science from the lab to the patient.

Whether you’re thinking about spinning out your research for CU Boulder, preparing your first round, or curious about growing a life sciences business in Colorado, this session offers valuable takeaways and new connections.

Innovation Unleashed: The Power of Customer Discovery highlights the vital role customer discovery plays in truly understanding and shaping a successful business. Through insightful panel discussions, attendees will explore how customer discovery is essential for validating market fit, refining strategies, and driving sustainable growth. Panelists will share firsthand experiences of how customer discovery helped them refine their business plans, pivot effectively, and build stronger, more customer-centric ventures. This event underscores why deeply understanding customer needs is not just beneficial, but fundamental, to startup success.Drawing on the expertise of NSF I-Corps Hub West founders and instructors, we will explore the intricacies of identifying target customers and key decision-makers as innovative ideas progress toward commercialization.It's okay to pivot (REALLY IT IS)! Through real-life examples and experiences, the panelists will provide insights into the process of pivoting in startups, including the factors that necessitate a pivot, the strategic considerations involved, and the potential outcomes.

At the intersection of AI and Biotechnology, meet a panel of founders that are making life-saving medicine. Each founder has raised significant venture capital and is developing technology in cancer, immunology, or metabolic disease. Panelists include Joel Dudley (Partner @ Innovation Endeavors VC), Jerome Fox (Founder/CEO @ ThinkBio, CU Boulder), Doug Chapnick (Founder/CEO @ BioLoomics, ex-CU Boulder), John Meyer (Founder/CSO @ Ambrosia Tx), and Joey Azofeifa (Founder/CEO @ Arpeggio Bio, ex-CU Boulder)

This panel followed by networking will feature folks from the AI realm - talking about the hurdles involved and best practices in maintaining company culture as you scale up- should be as interactive