Starting a business in Golden may have just gotten easier. At least, that’s the goal of a new platform spearheaded by the city’s economic development arm and put together by a local startup.
Golden-based Qwally is a business engagement software startup that helps governments and economic development entities collaborate with their business communities. In partnerships with cities and through automation, Qwally-built platforms match new businesses with necessary government resources.
Golden and Qwally recently launched a platform called Golden B2B to help community members access business resources to start or grow their company.
“We worked closely with the City of Golden for eight months to get everything ready,” said Brandon Gumm, Qwally’s vice president of revenue. “During that time, we learned about all the rules and steps businesses need to follow. Our goal was to make sure that when businesses use our system, they get advice and help that’s just right for them.”
Golden B2B is a free platform that provides community members with a guide to starting a business in Golden — from developing a business plan and registering with the Secretary of State to getting licenses and permits. It also helps them find and prepare to open a physical location. The website even allows users to find resources, support and other general business assistance. Robin Fleischmann, Golden’s economic development manager, noted that in addition to Golden B2B, city staff are still available to assist people.
Golden B2B and other Qwally platforms save the public and private sector time while offering better customer service to the business community, the company said.
Qwally has also worked with the Jefferson County Economic Development Corp.
The two entities created and launched JeffCo EDC’s BizHub, a website connecting the county’s primary employers with relevant resources and opportunities. BizHub discussions between Qwally and JeffCo EDC began in spring 2023 with the website launching in September 2023. BizHub now serves as a one-stop-shop to onboard and connect entrepreneurs with opportunities to help their venture grow and succeed in JeffCo, said Jansen Tidmore, president and CEO of JeffCo EDC.
“What the EDC and Qwally really hope to accomplish is making business easier for communities,” Tidmore said. “Far too often, it is not that processes or opportunities do not exist, it’s that they are hard to find and navigate. This platform is working to make that process better, connecting more ideas to resources and growing our economic base one business at a time.”
JeffCo and Qwally are also working on another project to connect businesses of all sectors and sizes with more than 400 programs and resources. This platform will be available in both English and Spanish.
“We have a tremendous amount of Latino-owned businesses in JeffCo, and we want to create a platform that connects those businesses with these same resources,” Tidmore said, adding that this project is funded by the Economic Development Council of Colorado and OEDIT’s Action Grant.
Qwally is in early discussions with Commerce City on a platform similar to Golden B2B and JeffCo’s BizHub. Travis Huntington, community relations manager for Commerce City, said this platform will be a “front door tool for the city’s new business retention and expansion program” and allow the city to better serve existing businesses.
Huntington said the platform expects to launch this spring.
The partnership with Commerce City came about through the Connected Colorado Challenge hosted by the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance. Qwally was one of seven startups selected from an international pool of 75 proposals to help Colorado cities and governments use tech to address problems in their community.
Qwally began in 2019 and was co-founded by CEO Chris Offensend and Chief Technology Officer James Schafer.
Gumm said the idea for Qwally came about after seeing entrepreneurs grapple with finding what they needed to start and grow a business and after hearing cities were struggling to guide companies through complex tasks.
“We noticed that getting a business license or finding the right resources was complicated and frustrating for many businesses. So, we created Qwally to make these tasks simpler and to help cities and businesses work together more smoothly,” Gumm added.
This article and headline have been updated to reflect that Qwally is based in Golden.
