Epicenter of Innovation and Entrepreneurism
At BEC, we take a well-rounded approach to economic vitality, thoroughly exploring Boulder's vibrant innovation scene. Our perspective goes beyond a strong economy and education – it's about the allure of arts, culture, and the environment, all of which draw and keep innovative professionals in Boulder.
Check out our Innovation Venture report for a deep dive into Boulder's innovation ecosystem and what makes it tick.
In this section...
Boulder is an epicenter of innovation and entrepreneurship, enhanced by the collaboration between our research university, federal research laboratories and industry. This environment allows new businesses to start and succeed and existing businesses to innovate and thrive.
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Entrepreneurship is part of Boulder’s essence. Our entrepreneurial business environment is propelling forward with dynamic industries, significant venture capital awards, and high concentrations of talent. Helping creative people turn their big ideas into reality is a collaborative effort involving a number of individuals and organizations in the city.
But don’t take our word for it – just examine Boulder's impressive record of competitiveness and entrepreneurial activity:
- Boulder was named the 58th ranked startup city in world (20th in the US) according to the StartupBlink 2024 rankings.
- Top 15 best US city for startups and entrepreneurs according to Crowdspring.
- CU Boulder is a top 50 national recipient of NSF R&D funds.
- The Leeds School of Business is home to the 14th best entrepreneurship program in the nation (US News)
- Tenth best place to live in the US (US News).
- Named the 6th best city in the nation for Aerospace in 2024 (Indeed).
- According to a 2023 CBRE report, the Denver/Boulder metro area ranked the 10th best market for Life Sciences research talent.
Boulder’s entrepreneurial ecosystem includes many support resources helping new businesses expand and grow, ranging from programs at the University of Colorado Boulder to venture capital and angel investor networks to accelerators, incubators and co-working spaces.
Venture Capital Investment
Startups in the city of Boulder closed 141 deals and raised $1.7 billion dollars in venture capital investment in 2024, up 21% from 2023 outpacing growth at the state (12%) and county (-5%) levels. The city accounted for 81% of the county's investment and 17% of the state's.
| VC Deals | VC Investment | |
|---|---|---|
| City of Boulder | 141 | $1,700,810,000 |
| Boulder County | 172 | $2,081,860,000 |
| Colorado | 634 | $10,078,130,000 |
Source: Pitchbook
University of Colorado Boulder
Innovation is embraced throughout the University of Colorado. The Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship is an interdisciplinary research center at the University of Colorado Law School. Silicon Flatirons' core mission is to elevate the debate surrounding technology policy issues; support and enable entrepreneurship in the technology community; and inspire, prepare, and place students in these important areas.
The University’s Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the Leeds School of Business has been nationally recognized as one of the nation’s top colleges for entrepreneurs. Collaboration between the Deming Center, Boulder Innovation Center and CU Technology Transfer Office has established what Deming Center Executive Director Paul Jerde describes as “a model for the intersection of entrepreneurial creativity, technology innovation, and students.”
The Venture Partners at the University of Colorado is the conduit for technology commercialization by working with researchers to pursue, protect, package and license to businesses the intellectual property generated from research at CU. From CU intellectual property, 200+ Startups with $3.5 billion dollars raised since 2018. These companies are taking risks to create innovative technological impacts. According to AUTM CU Boulder ranks 5th for startup creation among universities.
Specialized test and measurement equipment and resources can be accessed through CU's Core Facilities Instrumentation Network.
Other Entrepreneur Resources
Boulder’s economy includes many resources for entrepreneurs, including incubators, co-working spaces, accelerators, mentorships and other support services, including:
- Boomtown: accelerator that works with start-ups to take them to the next level.
- Boulder Small Business Development Center (SBDC): offers training and workshops, confidential one-on-one counseling with experienced businesspeople, and access to business resources and financing.
- Galvanize: Denver-based start-up focused on coalescing communities of early stage technology companies through the three pillars of Community, Curriculum and Capital. One of the locations is in Boulder.
- Innosphere Ventures: Colorado’s leading science and technology incubator, accelerating the success of high-impact startup and scaleup companies. In addition to the program, Innosphere has real estate with office and wet labs, and a seed stage venture capital fund.
- MergeLane: discovers, accelerates and invest in exceptional women and the companies they run.
- TechStars: a mentorship-driven seed stage investment fund located in Boulder. The fund was founded in 2006 and accepts 10 companies each summer to work with, providing advice on product and strategy, as well as connections to potential partners and customers.
Check out other financial resources and potential partners for entrepreneurs starting a business in Boulder.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
The opening of a satellite U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in Denver should further bolster an already strong innovation economy in Boulder. In June 2014, USPTO opened one of four new satellite offices. Initially, the office will employ 130, growing to as many as 595 staff with a $439 million economic impact within five years.
The USPTO chose Denver because the region:
- Has one of the highest per capita rates of people with science and technology degrees.
- Has an ever-increasing reputation as one of the nation’s leading locations for innovation.
- Has relatively low living costs.
- Offers an outstanding quality of life.
- Offers a desirable location in which to recruit and retain the most talented workers.
The patent office will further breed and expand Boulder’s strong high-tech, entrepreneurial and innovation economy.