Boulder is a great place for any company to be, but it's really great for tech companies. Not only is Boulder it's own little self-sustaining tech eco-system, but you are also less than 40 minutes to Denver. So you get a very intimate, small-town vibe but you can still benefit from Denver's economy scale nearby. Boulder placement of a headquarters for a tech company is great not only for business but the lifestyle perks of Boulder are what really draw people in and keep them happy outside of the 9 to 5.
The Boulder Chamber of Commerce is incredibly helpful and tech-focused. You will almost certainly run into John Tayer, the President and CEO of BCC, at the world-class Boulder Startup Week or one of the many tech-focused Boulder events and Meetups. The Boulder Chamber sponsored a whole study called the Boulder Innovation Venture Report that breaks down everything a company needs to know about the DNA of Boulder business including economy, demographics, industry sectors, etc. The support is definitely here.
Boulder is regularly tied to the highest concentration of venture capital funding per capita. But to boot, there are great accelerators and incubators for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurial projects of all sizes. TechStars, BoomTown, Galvanize come to mind off the top of our head, but there are many more.
There are some key Boulder-specific financial programs that can help businesses be successful and mitigate risk. The Flexible Rebate Program invests in Boulder’s high impact primary employers if they plan to grow in town and make investments in facilities, employees, etc. Customized incentive packages can be openly negotiated directly with the city council.
Boulder is one smart cookie... Boulder is ranked number one in Bloomberg's Brain Concentration Index which is a breakdown of STEM degrees, amount of advanced degrees, and new business formation in towns of populations greater than 100,000+. Boulder is frequently noted as one of the cities with most Ph.D.s per capita. More than 60% of Boulders population over the age of 25 has at least a Bachelors degree.
Where to even start! Highly underrated (if you are from the East Coast, your mind will be blown) local skiing at Eldora within a 30-minute drive or access to the world-class areas of Summit County within two hours. For all the foodies out there, Boulder boasts one of the highest restaurants per capita in the country. There are two arts venues that draw national level creative, theatrical, and musical acts -- The Boulder Theatre and The Fox Theatre. Not to mention with the Flat Irons minutes outside of downtown, of course, the hiking and rock climbing are out of this world. Cycling in the area is known as some of the best in the country, hence the density of world-class athletes. Long story short, you and your employees will not be bored in Boulder.
Boulder is not just a little solo-entrepreneurs haven. It has some serious world-class tech companies who have a major office in the Front-Range mini-tech-mecca:
Alphabet has been making big investments in our little tech-town. A new $130 million+ campus should be completed by the end of 2019. The total employee count in boulder is said to be north of 1500.
Twitter acquired Boulder data startup Gnip in 2014 for over $125 million and has been making big investments here ever since. They have a very nice campus in the prime downtown area that is expected to house over 200 employees.
Providing cloud-based, end-to-end security solutions to some of the biggest companies out there including Samsung, MLB, and Adobe. Their products cover everything from antivirus and threat hunting to real-time incident response and even regulatory compliance.
Peaksware has applied its formula for facilitating intentional practice to multiple verticals. Their brands include MakeMusic, Alfred Music, TrainingPeaks, Best Bike Split and TrainHeroic. Through these platforms, Peaksware connects creators, performers, athletes, instructors, and coaches to deliver high-quality training and immediate feedback.
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Boulder is not all roses and rainbows, the cost of living is definitely high and traffic has increased significantly since 2014. If you can overcome those two little challenges it truly is a little slice of heaven. If you need help finding outstanding candidates in Boulder or are looking for your next job there, do not hesitate to reach out!
Here at BWBacon Group, we know and live what you are experiencing as an employer or job seeker in Denver, Boulder, Dallas, San Francisco, New York City or any of the other cities we work in. We believe great recruiting starts and ends with understanding people.
If you have any questions about living, working or playing any of the areas we serve, please contact us. We are happy to help. Seize the day, every day, that’s what we say!