Colorado: The Next Silicon Valley

When Colorado was recently called “the next Silicon Valley,” it was no surprise to Colorado’s business owners, entrepreneurs and innovators. Over the last decade, the Denver and Boulder areas of Colorado have become a hotbed for start-ups, high-tech businesses, the health and organic food industry and outdoor gear manufacturers. From organic bread and green energy to cloud technology and mobile game development, the Boulder County area boasts no less than 166 start-ups and seven investor groups. Organizations like TechStars and leaders like The Foundry Group have led the way, making Boulder County an internationally known start-up community.

• CNBC named Colorado the 8th Best State for Business.

• Forbes ranked the Metro Denver area of Colorado #5 on its 2012 “Best Places for Business and Careers” list. Fort Collins came in at #3.

• USA Today named the Boulder/Denver area as a Top 10 City for Technology Start-ups.

• Colorado, on a per capita basis, is ahead of other states in: green technology, health care, telecom, energy, aerospace, bioscience, high tech, health food and organics.

What’s motivated Colorado’s business boom? Quality of life is a biggie. It’s the sunshine. It’s the proximity to fresh powder, iconic climbing spots, world-class museums and fabulous restaurants. And it’s the abundance of 14,000-foot peaks, craft beers and fresh air. Quality of life—among other qualities—has motivated companies like Arrow Electronics, Vestas Wind Systems, DaVita, Lockheed Martin, and Hitachi Data Systems to relocate and expand here.

Erie sits amid it all—surrounded by start-ups and research institutions like the National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology and National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and by institutions of learning, such as University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado School of Mines and Colorado State University.

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