Commons on Champa helped create 47 companies

The Commons on Champa supported 63 entrepreneurs founding 47 companies in its new nine-week business development accelerator program, resulting in ore than 60 new jobs in downtown Denver, according to a report from the Downtown Denver Partnership.

The Commons on Champa is a nationally recognized public entrepreneurship center led by the Downtown Denver Partnership. Its business development accelerator program is called CO.Starters at The Commons.

The 2017-2018 “Commons Impact Report: Another Year at the Intersection of Risk & Reward” features many entrepreneurs who leveraged The Commons programs to develop their businesses in 2017-1018, including Sarah Tuneberg, co-founder and CEO of distaster recovery technology company Geospiza. Tuneberg says the connections she made at The Commons led to her team’s successful application to Techstars, a global accelerator for technology startups where Geospiza attracted the clients and investors she needed to scale the company.

“The CO.Starters at The Commons program took our product from so-so to incredible,” Tuneberg says.

The report also revealed that more than 400 volunteers provided 4,900 volunteers with 2,250 hours of training, counsel, advice and mentorship in the last year at The Commons on Champa, according to the report.

Nearly 30 million Americans are running businesses today, and reports indicate our metropolitan area consistently ranks among the top 10 regions for startup activity, said Jacqui Dietrich, manager of The Commons program.

“Organizations and individuals are increasingly interested in achieving economic and community impact through entrepreneurship,” Dietrich said. “With young companies driving job and wealth creation and economic growth in our region, the Commons serves as a central point of access to the personal, business, financial and community support that entrepreneurs need. We are working to improve the local environment for entrepreneurs to achieve higher rates of startup success and make Denver No. 1 in entrepreneurship.”