Denver’s Annual Startup Week Brings Together a Community of Entrepreneurs

At this year’s annual Denver startup week, panels: Just Send It: How Skiing off a Cliff is like Bringing a Product to the Market, and Breweries and Distilleries of Denver CO: A Vision of Change, shared the risks and rewards of starting a business.

Financial sacrifice, a strong vision, and effective product development were all key identifiers of starting a successful business venture.

At the panel titled, “Just Send It”, various local founders came together to discuss what it takes to start a business in the outdoor industry, and the tremendous commitment required to bring an idea to life. One likeness these companies shared was the unexpected difficulty of getting their products off the ground—all sharing one crucial piece of advice: start obsessing over an idea. The point was to boldly believe in the product you want to develop. Your mission can’t be focused solely on financial gain—some personal or external triumph is a crucial ingredient.

Trailfork founder, Lillian Hodes, explained how her vision for Trailfork came from seeing a disconnect between consumer and product when it came to dehydrated foods. She realized that she was participating in outdoorsy activities: camping, skiing, and hiking, all while eating the equivalent of fast food and using packaging that was detrimental to the environment. It was enough to spark both an idea and a social mission: she could feel better about the food she consumed outdoors all while contributing to sustainability at the same time.

Similarly, a representative from Callosum—a Vail-based marketing company—shared her expertise in the marketing world. “Marketing is all tactical, but branding is your company’s way of reaching out to your consumers in a way that feels personal”. She asks: “What is your vision?” and “what are you providing to the world that gets you out of bed in the morning?”. According to Callosum, your mission has to be internal and you have to genuinely believe in your product in order to succeed.

A recurring theme from this seminar maintained that starting a new business takes major sacrifices. A lot of importance was placed on seeing gaps in “the map” or in the industry—and acting on those gaps.

Leaders in the local Colorado beer industry explained the importance of building good bank relationships. They discussed how: “establishing good bank relationships can make or break you, and are incredibly important to building a strong foundation for your business.” Fundraising is a crucial piece of getting your products on the market, with one representative noting: “We had to continually fundraise throughout the entire process; we would get three months in and then need to fundraise again.”

This seminar spelled out to entrepreneurs everywhere, the cruciality of building strong financial relationships, understanding the importance of your product, and having a mission that feels meaningful to you.