As Colorado’s tech ecosystem continues to grow, the state’s top technology companies and startups are hiring more frequently.
We track the major player personnel moves in our daily newsletter, the Beat.
Below, we’ve listed the top Colorado technology and startup hires reported in October.
CyberGRX, a Denver-based global cyber risk exchange provider, announced the addition of a new board member and three individuals to its executive team. Bob Carrigan will join the board, Adam Cecil will join as CFO, Jessica Reiter as CMO and Frank Price as VP of product. These hires will contribute to the company’s continued expansion into new markets as it comes off a $30 million Series C last fall. More on the hires here.
Voyager Space Holdings, a Denver-based space-focused holding company, announced Matthew Kuta will join the team as president and COO. Kuta was formerly a member of the Goldman Sachs private equity group investment team and was a distinguished military officer before that. In addition, Voyager announced the addition of three people to its board of directors: William Shelton, Gabe Finke and Alan Stern. More on all of that here.
Denver-based LifeFilez, a subscription service that helps people manage important life documents, has partnered with Adel ElMessiry to develop the blockchain and AI capabilities of its platform. ElMessiry will leverage his expertise in blockchain and AI to deliver a solution that addresses the current issues concerning digital document storage. Prior to working with LifeFilez, ElMessiry has spent decades as a CTO at HealthStream, InVivoLink and Utilize Health. More here.
Denver's Commvault, a software company managing data for cloud and on-premise environments, announced the appointments of two industry veterans to new strategic and operational leadership roles. Mercer Rowe will take over as vice president, global channels and alliances, and Edison Peres will serve as a strategic go-to-market advisor. Prior to Commvault, Rowe served in various roles at VMware, IBM and SoftBank. Peres previously led Cisco’s channel organization for 14 years. More on the hires here.
Denver-based tech consultancy Fruition announced that former chief growth officer Jim Collins will take over as CEO. Founder and ex-CEO Brad Anderson will shift to the role of executive director, where he'll lead strategic initiatives and help with technical guidance as needed. More on Fruition's leadership shuffle here.
Boulder's Ocelot, a provider of AI conversational chatbots for colleges and universities, announced that it has hired four people to its executive team. Christian Lawrence has joined as president, Ciaran Power as COO, Benjamin Beck as senior VP of product and Steve Johnston as senior VP of marketing and sales operations. More on all of those hires here.
After nearly six years at the helm of Catalyst HTI, Biselli announced that he'll be moving to BurstIQ as the company's chief community officer. He had been an advisor to the company since 2015 and will continue to serve as a partner at Catalyst moving forward. BurstIQ, a Denver-based blockchain health care software startup, announced that it closed a $5.5 million Series A led by Austin's Elsewhere Partners earlier in October. More on the funding here. More on the move from Biselli here.
Louisville, Colo.-based Bluebird Botanicals, a manufacturer and distributor of hemp extracts and CBD oils, announced that Josh Luman has joined the company as president. Prior to joining Bluebird, Luman served as GM and then as global director at MolsonCoors, where he was a leader of the global innovation and enterprise growth teams. He also founded Corks Wine Company and co-founded his own craft brewery, River Dog Brewing Co., in Bluffton, S.C. More on his hire here.
Colorado's Ball Corp. announced that it has appointed Wendy’s president and CEO Todd Penegor to its board. Penegor joined Wendy’s in June 2013, serving in a variety of positions before taking his current dual-role in 2016. More on the appointment here.
A month after it announced a new Boulder HQ, froyo company Yasso is building out its local executive team. The company announced that it has brought on Andy Judd as CMO, Paul Kenny as chief customer officer, Robert Machado as chief supply chain officer and Peter Riccio as CFO. More on all of these hires here.
