Boulder is the world’s most creative city, according to a recent study highlighted in Richard Florida’s Rise of the Creative Class – Revisted, so it makes perfect sense that NewCo Boulder has a plethora of extraordinary companies to visit during NewCo Boulder, coming to town November 18-19.
Boulder is also home to sovrn Holdings, a company I chair (it was spun out of Federated Media last year), so I get to visit regularly – and that’s quite a treat. It’s the home of well known VCs Foundry Group, TechStars, and as you might expect, no shortage of creative cannabis startups.
Choosing is never easy, but here’s where I’ll be during NewCo Boulder:
Wednesday, Nov. 18th
5.00 pm – VIP Kickoff Dinner – Esprit Entrepreneur Awards This year our partners in Boulder are teaming up with the Boulder Chamber to both kick off NewCo and celebrate Boulder’s top innovators. It promises to be a great event!
Thursday, Nov. 19th
8.30 am – Zeal – Food for Enthusiasts. One of the most exciting categories in all NewCo cities is food – and I’m looking forward to hearing about this startups journey to “stability,” as the session description puts it. It’s an early start (they don’t waste daylight in Boulder!), so I’m hoping for some good coffee too! Wish I could have gone: SomaLogic, Google, Foundry Group.
10.00 am – TechStars. One of the best known names in incubator/accelerators, TechStars is also a major player in the event space, and I’m eager to learn more about their plans to grow beyond their already impressive reach around the world. Wish I could have gone: IdeaForge, Made In Nature, Boulder Public Library.
11.30 am – CanopyBoulder. “The most active investor in the cannabis business.” Enough said, I’m fascinated by the legalization story unfolding in Colorado and elsewhere, and am an investor in the industry myself. So I’ll be looking to learn even more during this session. Wish I could have gone: Rapt, eTown, BlackSquare.
1.00 pm – Waste to Energy Partners. The Colorado “breakout cleantech company of the year” sounds fascinating, and is attacking a huge problem/opportunity in the sustainability ecosystem. Wish I could have gone: Watson University, Pivotal Labs, Surna.
2.30 pm – Sanitas Brewery. Who doesn’t need a beer at this point in a long NewCo day? This artisanal brewery will include a behind-the-scenes tour and tasting. Yum! Wish I could have gone: Blow Things Up Lab, FlyteDesk, madelife.
4.00 pm – sovrn. Of course I’ll be at sovrn! sovrn has been a leader in adtech for years, and I’m so proud of the core mission the business holds at its center: To help publishers level the playing field with data. Wish I could have gone: Drizly, Human Design, Anthem.
5.30 pm – After a very full day, it’ll be time for a drink and conversation with my fellow NewCo festival goers. See you there!
Register for NewCo Boulder here!