Over the past few years, Denver has made a name for itself as a burgeoning tech hub. New companies are being founded every day and some top tech talent is even leaving the coasts and headed to the Mile High City to help support its entrepreneurial ecosystem. Now, as Denver continues to grow, it’s starting to transition into an even more mature tech scene than in previous years. Companies aren’t just starting in the area and bolting to the coasts. They’re launching, growing and maturing in Colorado.
Denver’s transition from being more of a startup-focused city to a leading center for technology is due to many factors. There has been a surge in the amount of venture capital funding as well as mentorship and partnership opportunities with local business leaders. These additional resources are helping companies to thrive in the area and continue to scale upward without having to head to a new location.
Twentyseven Global has been in Denver since 2014 and in just three short years, the company has seen a tremendous amount of change in both the technology and entrepreneurial communities. Creighton O’Neal, our vice president of client services in Denver, said, “We started the company in Kansas City, but expanded to Denver just three years ago. We knew the tech startup ecosystem was big out here but we really began to experience it once we were working in it. Today, even more organizations are around that are really helping the startup community.”
From organizations like Techstars to events like Denver Startup Week, the amount of support that businesses have in Colorado continues to grow. O’Neal said, “With the increase in funding there is more opportunity and growth has been large. We go to Denver Startup Week every year and the event is amazing. It has grown so large and thousands of people attend. Overall, the area continues to mature with more and more people getting involved.”
While O’Neal loves the extra resources that are coming into the area, he does recognize that even with the additional resources, there’s still a major tech talent shortage. The influx in financial support helps startups to find C-level executives, but when it comes to finding multiple other employees, it’s not as simple. O’Neal said, “We are seeing it begin first in the school systems by getting more kids familiar with technology and preparing them for the jobs that will be awaiting them. Although, that takes time for the number of workers to grow. It’ll always be a challenge here and all over the US. The startup ecosystem helps attract more tech workers out here but it remains a challenge to fill the many needs.”
As Denver continues to grow and mature, so does it technology scene. Companies are staying longer and growing larger, continuing to promote the city on a global scale.
