Colorado is one of the most well-known states in the US and its startup ecosystem reflects its status, being strong, mature and constantly growing. The state is home to a wealth of top startups across various cities. Colorado startups benefit from a range of factors in their ecosystem that allow them to succeed. In the previous year, startups in the area managed to raise a total of $5.7 Billion. This highlights the development of the ecosystem and its strengths.
One of the main reasons why startups in Colorado succeed is their ability to access startup funding. There are currently more than 70 VC firms that are actively involved in the Colorado startup ecosystem, helping them to accelerate their growth. A wide range of incubators and startup accelerators also operate in the area, which helps earliest stage startups to bring their concepts to life.
The local governments in the area are also incredibly active in supporting the startup ecosystem through a range of funding and support opportunities. One such example of this is the Colorado Startup Loan Fund, which the state government distributes to mission-based lenders so they can invest in startups that have potential and a mission.
1. Gitcoin
Year Founded: 2017
HQ: Boulder, Colorado, USA
Size: 1-10
Founders: Kevin Owocki
Gitcoin is a Colorado startup that was founded in 2017 and is currently based in the city of Boulder. The company operates in the blockchain market and helps to fuel the growth of future blockchain projects by providing quadratic funding to businesses that need it. This funding is achieved through users on the platform and they have already funded more than $50 Million in projects since being established six years ago.
The team at Gitcoin have been very successful in raising startup funding for the business. Since being founded, the company managed to raise a total of $11.8 Million in startup funding. This funding was achieved with the support of eleven investors across multiple funding rounds.
2. Scythe
Year Founded: 2017
HQ: Longmont, Colorado
Size: 11-50
Founders: Jack Morrison, Issac Roberts, Davis Foster
Scythe is a startup in Colorado that was founded in 2017 and is currently based in the city of Longmont. The company works in the robotics industry and has developed the next big thing in garden maintenance. The company has managed to develop an automated robot that can assist with the process of mowing your lawn. The robots are electrically powered to make them more environmentally friendly and they give great efficiencies to the companies using them.
The company has been very successful in raising startup funding since being founded, with the company raising a total of around $60 Million in startup funding. The business raised a large portion of this funding during its Series B round in January 2023 when the company raised a total of $42 Million.
3. Flock Homes
Year Founded: 2020
HQ: Denver, Colorado, USA
Size: 51-100
Founders: Ari Rubin
Flock Homes is a Colorado startup that was founded in 2020 and is currently based in the city of Denver. The company works in the property market and offers customers a better way to sell their homes. This is specifically for landlords that want to make an exit from that vocation. Users of their services are able to defer their taxes, earn eventual passive income and improved income potential.
The team at Flock Homes have recently achieved a big win in terms of startup funding, with the company successfully closing a $26 Million funding round. This funding round was achieved with the support of eight investors and the company will use this funding to further expand its operations.
4. AMP Robotics
Year Founded: 2014
HQ: Louisville, Colorado, USA
Size: 101-250
Founders: Matanya Horowitz
AMP Robotics is a startup in Colorado that was founded in 2014 and is currently based in the city of Louisville. The company aims to improve the state of the world by leveraging artificial intelligence and robotics technology to improve the world's waste management and recycling processes. This technology allows recyclables to be more easily identified and then processed for recycling, when many recyclable items are wrongly considered to be single-use only.
The team at AMP Robotics have done a great job of raising startup funding for the business, with the company raising a total of $167.1 Million in startup funding since being founded. This funding was achieved with the support of fifteen investors and the company is rapidly making strides to make the world a greener place.
5. Sunday
Year Founded: 2018
HQ: Boulder, Colorado, USA
Size: 51-100
Founders: Trent Lewis, Coulter Lewis
Sunday is a Colorado startup that was founded in 2018 and is currently based in the city of Boulder. The company helps its customers to build and generate their own backyard of their dreams by offering a range of different plants, trees and lawn care products which are all specifically designed and chosen to give the best garden experience for its customers. They also have a range of products to protect gardens against pests.
The business has done a great job of raising startup funding since being founded, with a total of $78 Million being raised. This funding was achieved with the help of seven investors across multiple rounds of startup funding. The company has been using this funding to rapidly grow its operations.
6. Meati
Year Founded: 2016
HQ: Boulder, Colorado, USA
Size: 101-250
Founders: Tyler Huggins, Justin Whiteley
Meati is a startup in Colorado that was founded in 2016 and is currently based in the city of Boulder. The company is aiming to end the cruel ways of meat farms by offering a tasty, healthy and sustainable alternative to traditional meat. Their alternative products are made with mushroom root, which are nutrient rich and great to eat. Customers have commonly highlighted the delightful taste of their products.
The team at Meati have seen great success in raising startup funding from investors, with the company raising a total of $274.5 Million since being founded. This funding was achieved with the support of thirty-three investors across multiple rounds of startup funding, which highlights their belief in the company's business model.
7. Soona
Year Founded: 2018
HQ: Denver, Colorado, USA
Size: 51-100
Founders: Elizabeth Giorgi
Soona is a Colorado startup that was founded in 2018 and is currently based in the city of Denver. The company helps e-commerce store owners and other businesses with getting high-quality product photography and virtual photoshoots. This is achieved quickly, meaning store owners can add their latest products onto their stores as quickly as possible, helping them to make more money.
Soona has done a great job of raising startup funding from investors, with the company raising a total of $53.5 Million in startup funding since being founded. This funding was achieved with the support of nine investors across multiple funding rounds. This funding has helped the company to rapidly grow its operations.
8. SALT
Year Founded: 2016
HQ: Denver, Colorado, USA
Size: 11-50
Founders: Benjamin Yablon, Blake Cohen, Caleb Slade
SALT is a startup in Colorado that was founded in 2016 and is currently based in the city of Denver. The company operates in the blockchain market and facilitates the lending of money without customers needing to sell their own crypto holdings. Instead, users are able to use their crypto to hedge against the loan, and users then earn crypto rewards when they make repayments. SALT is driving the future of the lending market.
The team at SALT have been very effective in raising startup funding since being founded, with the company managing to raise a total of $64.4 Million in startup funding. This funding was achieved with the support of a single investor and the company has been steadily growing ever since.
9. Enveda Biosciences
Year Founded: 2019
HQ: Boulder, Colorado, USA
Size: 101-250
Founders: Viswa Colluru
Enveda Biosciences is a Colorado startup that was founded in 2019 and is currently based in the city of Boulder. The company operates in the medical sector and utilizes a mix of AI and ML technology to unlock the potential of a range of different plants for use in medicine to treat a wide range of illnesses. They are also building a search engine for a wide variety of different drugs to be discovered.
The company has done a brilliant job of raising startup funding from investors since being founded, with the startup raising a total of $184.6 Million at the time of writing. This funding was achieved with the support of nineteen investors and this funding was achieved across several rounds of startup funding.
10. CometChat
Year Founded: 2019
HQ: Denver, Colorado, USA
Size: 51-100
Founders: Anant Garg
CometChat is a startup in Colorado that was founded in 2019 and is currently based in the city of Denver. The company operates in the technology space and provides the functionality for real-time text, voice and video communication to a range of different businesses so their users can communicate effectively with each other. This adds a range of functionalities to website applications and mobile applications.
The startup has done a great job of raising startup funding since being founded, with a total of $12.6 Million being raised at the time of writing. This funding was achieved with the support of eleven investors and has been achieved over a number of funding rounds.
11. Mentor Spaces
Year Founded: 2020
HQ: Denver, Colorado, USA
Size: 11-50
Founders: Chris Motley
Mentor Spaces is a startup in Colorado that was founded in 2020 and is currently based in the city of Denver. The company has created a platform that offers virtual mentorship opportunities to people looking to elevate their career. Users can get mentorship from individuals in a range of world-leading companies, which helps them to get real and critical advice relating to the development of their skills and careers.
The team at Mentor Spaces have done a good job of raising startup funding to accelerate the growth and development of the business. At the time of writing, the company has managed to raise a total of $4.5 Million from a group of fourteen investors. This funding was achieved across a number of funding rounds.
12. Voyager Space
Year Founded: 2019
HQ: Denver, Colorado, USA
Size: 101-250
Founders: Dylan Taylor
Voyager Space is a startup in Colorado that was founded in 2019 and is currently based in the city of Denver. The company works in the space industry and has made an impact on the market by designing advanced space stations for its customers along with a range of designs for other key infrastructure and technology needed for advanced space exploration and discovery.
The team at Voyager Space have been very active in raising startup funding since the company was founded, with a total of $177.8 Million being raised at the time of writing. The company has used this funding to improve its offering and to complete the acquisition of six other startups to improve their offering.
13. Orbit Fab
Year Founded: 2018
HQ: Lafayette, Colorado, USA
Size: 51-100
Founders: Daniel Faber, Jeremt Schiel
Orbit Fab is a Colorado startup that was founded in 2018 and is currently based in the city of Lafayette. The company works in the aerospace industry and designs solutions for 'gas stations in space'. What this means is that the company has developed a range of technological solutions to make it easier for spacecraft to refuel whilst still in space, which is currently a very complex and time-consuming process.
The team at Orbit Fab have done a good job of raising startup funding to develop the company. Since being founded, the startup has managed to raise a total of $13.7 Million in startup funding, with the support of twenty-two investors. The funding itself was achieved across a number of funding rounds.
14. Wunder
Year Founded: 2014
HQ: Boulder, Colorado, USA
Size: 1-10
Founders: Dave Riess, Sam Beaudin
Wunder is a Colorado startup that was founded in 2014 and is currently based in the city of Boulder. The company works in the renewable energy sector and makes it easier for commercial and industrial real estate companies to get access to high-quality solar projects for their buildings. Customers are able to access high energy savings from their solar projects and advance their sustainability goals.
The team at Wunder have done an incredible job of raising startup funding to further the business since being founded. Overall, at the time of writing, the company has managed to raise a total of $266 Million in startup funding, which is huge for such a small team. This funding was achieved with the support of eleven investors.
15. Strata Identity
Year Founded: 2019
HQ: Boulder, Colorado, USA
Size: 11-50
Founders: Eric Leach
Strata Identity is a startup in Colorado that was founded in 2019 and is currently based in the city of Boulder. The company helps businesses to make it easier to secure their on-site and cloud-based security all in one place. All of the different ID platforms a business uses are integrated together to create an identity fabric, which is then managed by the team to ensure safety and security.
The startup has done a great job of raising startup funding to further its growth and development since being founded. At the time of writing, the company has managed to raise a total of $37.5 Million in startup funding. This funding was achieved with the support of five investors across multiple funding rounds.
16. AgentSync
Year Founded: 2018
HQ: Denver, Colorado, USA
Size: 101-250
Founders: Niranjan Sabharwal, Jenn Knight
AgentSync is a Colorado startup that was founded in 2018 and is currently based in the city of Denver. The company works in the InsurTech market and provides a range of infrastructure tools for insurance companies to help them maintain compliance with the law, experience increased growth and their overall efficiency. They are currently trusted by some of the leading figures in insurance.
The team at AgentSync have done a great job of raising startup funding to grow and expand the business. Since being founded, the company has raised $111.11 Million in startup funding, which was achieved with the support of nineteen investors across multiple rounds of startup funding.
17. Luxonis
Year Founded: 2018
HQ: Littleton, Colorado, USA
Size: 51-100
Founders: Brandon Gilles
Luxonis is a Colorado startup that was founded in 2018 and is currently based in the city of Littleton. The company is developing the future of robotic vision with its design and manufacturing of advanced camera solutions with on-board machine learning devices and improved depth and resolution. This provides a great use for a number of different use-cases across a number of industries.
The team at Luxonis have done a good job of raising startup funding to fuel the development of its products and growth into new markets. Since being founded, the company has managed to raise a total of $4.8 Million to this end. This funding was achieved by an unknown number of investors.
18. Copper Labs
Year Founded: 2016
HQ: Boulder, Colorado, USA
Size: 11-50
Founders: Jeffrey Matthews
Copper Labs is a Colorado startup that was founded in 2016 and is currently based in the city of Boulder. The company works in the utilities sector and helps businesses to get more exact and detailed information from their utility metres in real-time. Users are then able to take this data and the actionable insights provided in order to make improvements in their business.
The startup has done a great job of raising startup funding since being founded, with a total of $13.5 Million being raised at the time of writing. This funding was achieved with the support of nine investors across multiple rounds of startup funding.
19. Nextbite
Year Founded: 2018
HQ: Denver, Colorado
Size: 101-250
Founders: Paul Allen, Mike Jacobs, Jay Fuhr
Nextbite is a Colorado startup that was founded in 2018 and is currently based in Denver. The company helps restaurants to get thousands of dollars in additional revenue each month and improve upon their existing staff. This is achieved through their offering of virtual restaurant brands. The team at Nextbite do the hard work of marketing your business, whilst you focus on the cooking.
The team at Nextbite have done a great job of raising startup funding since the company was founded, with a total of $150.9 Million being raised at the time of writing. This funding was achieved with the support of seventeen investors.
20. Posterity Health
Year Founded: 2021
HQ: Parker, Colorado
Size: 11-50
Founders: Barrett Cowan, Pamela Pure
Posterity Health is a Colorado startup that was founded in 2021 and is currently based in the city of Parker. The company works in the healthcare sector and provides the world's leading digital fertility clinic for men. Not only do they manage men's conditions and health, but they also help to educate them on fertility and the steps they can take to maintain it.
The startup has been very successful in raising startup funding since it was founded, with a total of $17.2 Million in funding being raised at the time of writing. This funding was achieved with the support of six investors over a number of funding rounds.
21. Suite Studios
Year Founded: 2021
HQ: Boulder, Colorado, USA
Size: 1-10
Founders: Craig Hering, Michael Hering
Suite Studios is a Colorado startup that was founded in 2021 and is currently based in the city of Boulder. The company has developed a new post-production platform that is cloud-based for improved security and collaboration between creatives. This studio can meet the evolving needs of any project and makes it easier for creatives to find the tools they need to succeed.
The team at Suite Studios have been very effective in raising startup funding since the company was founded, with a total of $8 Million being raised with the support of three investors.
FAQs
How Many Startups Are There in Colorado?
There are currently more than 4000 startups operating in Colorado.
What is the Average Investment in Colorado?
Colorado startups have done incredibly well in the last year, with a total of $5.7 Billion raised in 2022.
What Startup Industries Are The Strongest in Colorado?
The strongest startup industries in Colorado are Health, Data and IoT and SaaS.
