Business Incubator to Continue Process with May 3 and 4 Meetings

The Estes Park EDC will participate in two public meetings on May 3 and May 4 2016 to continue planning for business incubator programs and services in the Estes Valley.  Attendees of the event will include current volunteers for the Estes Park EDC Incubator Committee.  Entrepreneurs, potential mentors and angel investors are especially encouraged to attend one of the meetings.

A public meeting will be held on Tuesday May 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Town of Estes Park Town Board Room.

ATP Management, a consultant to Estes Park EDC and the Town of Estes Park, will present and discuss a virtual business incubator as well as planning for growing a sustainable business incubator in Estes Park to support entrepreneurship and capital formation in the Estes Valley. 

On Wednesday, May 4, incubator planners will participate in the Estes Park Startup Meetup at Via Bicycle Café from 8 am to 9:30 am. Local Entrepreneurs hold the Startup Meeting the first Wednesday of each month to exchange information and form a local community of startups, entrepreneurs, investors and mentors. 

According to the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA), business incubation has seen rapid changes in recent years, with the rise of new business models such as seed accelerators and co-working spaces.  The project team from ATP Management is charged with helping our local community develop a sustainable and successful model that will promote local innovation and entrepreneurship. 

“During the first Startup Meetup, 46 local entrepreneurs, mentors and potential investors participated,” said Jon Nicholas, President/CEO of Estes Park EDC.  Another 50 people participated in two other public meetings.  “As a resort community, Estes Park contains a mix of highly experienced and capable business leaders including those who may have retired here or own second homes here,” said Nicholas.   Project leader Kyle Cox, who also serves as Managing Director of ATP Fund, a seed-stage venture capital firm based in Austin, Texas stated that “Estes Park has unique, untapped assets and capabilities on which to build an incubator program with the potential for national draw.”

The project is funded through a federal award from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration to the Estes Park EDC and the Town of Estes Park.