As Colorado’s reputation as a startup destination grows, the local, young talent is one of the primary drivers.
If you’re looking to predict what the future holds for this startup ecosystem, look no further than the young entrepreneurs that are currently making an impact.
With strong innovation programs at the state’s universities, a rich accelerator and incubator system and an ever-growing network of coworking spaces, Colorado is ripe with startup resources - and the next generation of innovators are taking advantage.
To highlight a handful of Colorado’s most accomplished young entrepreneurs, we reached out through our newsletter, social media, community leaders, accelerators and schools for nominations. We’ve trimmed that to a list of 15 local innovators who are 25 years old or younger.
Here are Colorado’s 2019 Inno Under 25:
Reyn Aubrey - 23 Founder and CEO of Pocket Change
The DU alumnus is the founder and CEO of Pocket Change, a startup that helps people make donations in the moment they are inclined to act. PocketChange enables you to take action on the causes you care about, anywhere online, in one click. After analyzing more than 1 million charities, the company selected 100 charities tackling world problems at the root, from the Special Olympics to the League of Women Voters, and even the Turtle Survival Alliance.
Uriel Berrum – 25 Co-founder of Effct
In 2018, Berrum co-founded Effct, a digital marketing company in the political sector, and has since helped on a number of winning local campaigns, including with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. Berrum also co-founded Building the Bench, a political committee in Colorado to help elect Latinx candidates.
Mel Du - 23 Founder of Ramp USA
Eight years ago, Du broke his back in a motorcycle accident and has since dedicated his career to wheelchair mobility. In 2018, Du launched Ramp USA in an effort to expanding mobility for wheelchair users by developing a conversion kit that turns a normal wheelchair into an easy-to-use, off-road capable electric vehicle. After going through Techstars Boulder earlier this year, Du was named a Thiel Fellow and will receive $100K in grant funding and mentorship to help grow his company.
Tommy Gaessler – 22 Developer Advocate at Zoom
Gaessler took an unusual path to his first job, choosing to enroll in a six-month coding school at Galvanize, rather than college, when he finished up at Regis Jesuit High School in 2016. Since then, Gaessler landed a software development job at health insurance startup Apostrophe, took part in Techstars Boulder and recently took a job at Zoom Video Communications. He now currently works on Zoom’s App Marketplace, both on the API and the developer relations side.
Abb Kapoor – 23 COO and Co-Founder at Curu
Kapoor developed the idea for Curu while studying at the University of Maryland, eventually spurning college to dive headfirst into his initial venture. After graduating from Charlotte-based accelerator Queen City Fintech, the team continued to build its software application that provides customers with automated credit building. Curu landed a spot in Denver’s Techstars and Western Union Accelerator Program in June and pitched at its Demo Day earlier this month.
Daniel Katz – 23 Founder and CEO of No Cow
Katz has always been passionate about health and fitness and in 2014 set out to change the industry with his dairy-free, high-protein, low-sugar bars. After launching in Cincinatti, Katz moved his company, No Cow, to Colorado in an effort to grow the brand. Since then, he’s landed his bars in Walgreens, CVS, Meijer, Fresh Market, Sprouts and now Kroger.
Hunter Owens – 25 President and Co-Founder of SHOW
As a residential real estate broker, Hunter saw a flaw in the industry and knew how to solve it. Hunter and his partner Patrick created SHOW, an app that helps brokers find and schedule other brokers to “show” their property listings when they are unable to do it themselves. Recently, Showing Assistance pitched at the FUND Conference in Denver.
Gitanjali Rao - 13 Scientist
The Lone Tree teen has become nationally known for her efforts in clean water innovation, landing on the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list before she even reaches high school. Rao is developing a solution that detects lead in water with the help of a mobile app. She was motivated by the Flint water crisis and hopes to have a working product in a couple of years.
Scott Romano - 21 Founder of Cultivo Media
Romano, a student at DU, is the founder of Cultivo Media, a business consultancy that builds new experiences and technologies. Romano has worked with former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, the Boston Consulting Group and the Colorado Media Project. Romano also runs Mile High & Hungry, a food Instagram with 33,000-plus followers, and is behind a company that helps student freelancers connect to companies that need their talent.
Kyle Sink - 25 Associate at MG Stover & Co.
Sink quit a corporate job earlier this year to work for fintech company MG Stover & Co., focusing on the company’s technology integration, specifically focused on crypto. Sink has a background in data science and analytics, and is working on a framework for using machine learning in trading markets on the side.
Becky Stifter - 24 Law Clerk at Michael Best & Friedrich
A recent law school graduate from the University of Denver, Stifter was chosen as a Barton Institute Social Enterprise Fellow, a Chancellors Global Innovation Fellow and launched the Venture Law Society at the law school. Stifter is also behind the first-ever student-led venture fund at DU. For the past year, while finishing her degree, Stifter has served as a transactional law clerk at Broomfield’s Michael Best & Friedrich.
Tracy Wesley – 25 Director of Software Development at Proximity
Much has changed for Wesley in the past five years, going from freelance software developer to director of software development at Grand Junction-based Proximity. Tracy is the only female working on the software development team at Proximity and holds a vital role in the company, helping grow the development team from two to eight in less than two years. Wesley is trying to break down the stereotype that women can’t be coders by aligning her mission with Girls Who Code and starting a club in Grand Junction.
Timothy Visos-Ely – 22 CEO and Co-Founder at Stride Tech
Visos-Ely made waves this year as his startup, Stride Tech, took home first place at CU Boulder’s 2019 New Venture Challenge and won the $100,000 grand prize. Stride Tech is developing an IoT device that can attach to any walker that improves posture, reduces walker dependence and increases walking confidence in seniors. Since graduating from CU this spring, Visos-Ely and the Stride Tech team have continued to develop and test the Smart Step.
Melanie Zhou and Mia Hayden – 17 Co-Founders at Oasis Mental Health
After a series of personal tragedies impacted the ThunderRidge High School community in Highlands Ranch, Zhou and Hayden were looking for a way to address mental health. The duo created Oasis Mental Health, a nonprofit organization that destigmatizes mental health conversation, generates funding for mental health services and builds physical “Oasis” safe spaces for students struggling with mental health. Within six months of these tragedies striking the community, they opened the first physical Oasis space at ThunderRidge High School and negotiated with the school superintendent to expand their reach across the district. The high school seniors recently took part in Denver Startup Week’s Youth Pass Pitch Challenge and won the 2019 Denver Startup Week Pitch finals.
