This year, more than ever, Colorado's startup scene showed its resiliency, grit and determination.
So many bright companies stepped-up and showed their worth amid a global pandemic, a social movement and much more over the last 12 months. To shine a light on the impressive work these people and companies have done, we compiled a list of 50 of the most impressive innovators in our 2020 Colorado Inno on Fire list.
We began this process over the summer, when we asked our readers to nominate people or companies they thought were having a positive impact on the local innovation ecosystem. From there, the Inno team compiled those submissions and selected the top 50, our second annual Inno on Fire.
The common thread among winners is that these people and companies have had a banner year—whether that’s new funding, recent product launches, big hires or innovative approaches to solving problems during a pandemic.
Winners span industries from health care to software to crisis innovators, with some just getting off the ground and others with nearly a decade of progress at their back.
After choosing the 50 winners, we reached out to members of Colorado's startup community to help us select our category-winning Inno Blazers. Judges included editorial staff, industry stakeholders and past Inno on Fire winners.
Now, after a competitive voting process, we are happy to introduce the 2020 Colorado Inno on Fire Blazer winners. Along with the title, these seven people and companies received Inno's iconic red blazer.
Now, let’s get to the list of 2020 Colorado Inno Blazer winners:
Early Stage
soona - This year has been challenging and rewarding for Denver’s soona, as the company brought on a crucial round of funding in February, navigated Covid-19 related closures and expanded into a new city. The content creation startup, led by Liz Giorgi and Hayley Anderson, closed an oversubscribed $3.5 million seed 2 round to kick off the year, as it eyed an Austin expansion. Then, Covid-19 hit, and the company was forced to shut down its in-person experience, putting increased importance on the company’s digital content solutions. Despite the challenges caused by the global pandemic, soona persevered and recently opened its Austin location. The company was previously named to Colorado Inno’s 20 Startups to Watch in 2020 list.
Software
Bonusly - As Covid-19 forced most companies to go remote, Boulder-based Bonusly stepped up to enable better communication, collaboration and team cohesion. On Bonusly's platform, employees get a monthly allowance to give small bonuses to their colleagues to recognize their contributions. These points translate to a monetary amount, giving employees the ability to transfer them into real-world rewards. The company, which was founded in 2013, is working with more than 1,700 companies to improve employee recognition and rewards. And, to fuel its growth, the company closed a $9 million Series A in June to grow its team and built out its platform.
Health Care
SonderMind - Since raising a $3 million Series A in April 2019, SonderMind has been busy. The Denver-based startup has jumped from around 20 employees to more than 70, expanded into new markets and added a huge infusion of capital to fuel its growth. SonderMind announced a $27 million Series B in June, as it continues to build out its behavioral health platform and change the way we view mental health care. And, as students prepared to return to school, the company announced a new partnership with Varsity Tutors to present a series of free live, interactive online mental health forums for parents and students. In April, SonderMind co-founder and CEO Mark Frank was the first Colorado entrepreneur to be selected to Endeavor, a global nonprofit supporting high-growth entrepreneurs.
Crisis Innovators
CirrusMD - As virtual medical care became a crucial resource during Covid-19, Denver-based telemedicine company CirrusMD stepped up to meet the demand. The company, which offers chat-based medical conversations with physicians, was seeing a boom in interest on its platform, hovering around a 400% increase of its typical action. Despite an increase in demand, CirrusMD was able to meet the needs of the community during this crisis. The company’s ability to scale its doctors up and down allowed it to never get above 60 seconds waiting time to see a doctor. The company also saw an opportunity to provide more support for continuity of care, particularly related to behavioral health resources. There was a 1000% increase in activity related to behavioral health on CirrusMD’s platform during Covid-19. Due to this increased need, CirrusMD has accelerated a new bridged care model for behavioral health patients experiencing things like anxiety and depression. In June, Target announced a number of new Covid-19 benefits, including access to Denver's CirrusMD’s virtual care platform. CirrusMD won a 2019 Inno Blazer award for the Medtech & Health Care category.
Supporters
Aaron Clark, Equity Consultants of Colorado - Though he’s long been involved in the state’s startup ecosystem, particularly related to diversity, equity and inclusion in Boulder, Aaron Clark has shined in 2020. The equity consultant has stepped up to lead the Colorado Coalition for BIPOC Support, a group of 14 white Colorado tech leaders that have committed to broaden access and improve equity in Colorado. Clark and Equity Consultants of Colorado were hired to lead these efforts, guiding each founding member through an 8-week program of in-depth work to assess their own personal biases, followed by thorough anti-racist trainings. A foundational tenet of the coalition is to understand and leverage the member’s white privilege to support the BIPOC community through creative, social and financial channels. The ultimate goal is for these leaders to chart a course of action for themselves, their companies and the broader Colorado ecosystem that will break down barriers and create a more just society for all.
Hardware / Physical Products
Cipher Skin - The last year has been busy for Denver’s Cipher Skin, as it launched its flagship product the BioSleeve, landed a government contract and moved into a new office. The BioSleeve is a smart compression sleeve designed as a digital tool for physical therapists, trainers and athletes in the rehab and return-to-play process. Users can visualize real-time complex motion of their knees and arms in three dimensions, along with key metrics such as range of motion and joint angular velocity. In June, Cipher Skin was awarded a $1.5 million grant by the U.S. Department of Defense, as part of the second phase of the Small Business Innovation Research program. This program and grant will support the development and commercialization of Cipher Skin’s BioSleeve in partnership with the Air Force Special Operations Command.
Inno on the Road
Greater Colorado Venture Fund - There’s more to Colorado’s startup scene than in just the big cities, and the team at the Greater Colorado Venture Fund is well aware of that. The fund’s latest initiative was targeted at getting funding to startups in remote parts of the state. The Greater Colorado Pitch Series was held in July, with startups located in rural Colorado outside of the Fort Collins through Colorado Springs urban corridor pitching for up to $250,000 in investment. More than 100 companies applied to pitch at the event, with seven selected to the finals in July.
