Why Boulder is America’s Best Town for Startups
Boulder Named as America’s Best Town for Startups
Last month, Boulder was selected by Businessweek.com as America’s best town for startups. As a company that started here 1994, we definitely support this prestigious nomination. Boulder is a great place to build a company!
The original article describes Boulder pretty well, including this description:
Boulder now has the highest concentration of software engineers per capita in the nation. It’s second only to Silicon Valley in percentage of workers employed in tech, according to the American Electronics Assn. Best-selling author and urban development expert Richard Florida says it has the greatest concentration of the “creative class”—scientists, artists, engineers, and the like—in the U.S.
With so many highly trained and skilled people in Boulder, there are an amazing number of professional organizations and “meet-up” groups that meet monthly and freely share ideas and expertise.
We have been able to benefit from these groups, and now help lead and guide new members by sharing our expertise and experience with the next generation of technology companies. Boulder benefits from a large group of people willing to engage in the entrepreneurial community, which helps organizations to quickly build important networks of friends and professionals.
Boulder also has outposts from major technology companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Google, AOL, Storage Tek, Oracle, as well as other major industries such as Ball Aerospace, Celestial Seasonings, and multiple biotech companies.
As a custom software developer, it is remarkable to have so many skilled and knowledgeable companies in the area. This has led to many impromptu project partnerships and joint initiatives, as well as the ability to consult with top leaders on difficult problems.
It is also a benefit when it comes to recruiting. With so many opportunities here, it is easy to attract top talent, not to mention the already large pool of extremely talented people living in the area.
Boulder has won many other awards in recent years including being nominated by Forbes magazine as “America’s Smartest City” and by Outside Magazine as the “#1 Sports Town in America.”
Boulder also enjoys its close proximity to Denver, which is only about 30 minutes away, and DIA, one of the country’s largest airports which is about 45 minutes away. . Between the two cities, there is an extremely active culture of bands, arts and entertainment options. Included are Denver’s sports teams which includes professional league Football, Hockey, Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, and Lacrosse.
Living and working in the Boulder area also has more subtle benefits. Among them include Colorado’s beautiful Rocky Mountains, which highlight our lifestyle enjoyment as much as our professional capabilities. With more than 45,000 acres of open-spaces and a very active culture, Boulder is well known for cycling, fitness, and more than 150 miles of bike paths and hiking trails. It is also continually listed among America’s “Top 25 Best Green Cities,” according to Country Home Magazine.
We are very pleased to see Boulder recognized for its entrepreneurial atmosphere, for its smart savvy workforce, and for all the things that make Boulder an exceptional place to live and work.
