Estes Park EDC B.A.S.E. Program Participants Prepare for Pitch Competition

The Estes Park Economic Development Corporation (Estes Park EDC) offers a Business Accelerator Services of Estes (B.A.S.E.) Program consisting of a six month long business support program throughout the Estes Valley focused on world class education with the intent to support economic diversification. The primary objective is to encourage business owners to maximize their downtime in the winter to ensure the next season will be the best year ever for their business. Common in the nation’s largest entrepreneurial communities, business accelerator programs have proven themselves to be a vital tool in the business start-up and scale-up process. 73% of businesses that participate in accelerator programs not only survive the first nine years but scale within those same nine years. The B.A.S.E. Program curriculum is comprised of Business Model Mapping, Purpose in Business, Market Research, and Advertising Strategies, as well as Long and Short Term Strategic Planning.

Eight businesses have participated in the 2020-21 cohort including, VERT, Argonaut Engineering, Backpacking Light, Creativity Cabin, Jackalope Adventure Rentals, Movement 4 Life, Estes Park Rocky Climbing and Frame Point. As the program nears the end, five businesses will participate in a pitch competition on April 20, 2021 to present their business to an esteemed panel of judges. Businesses will have an opportunity to present their product/service, business strategy and scale-up plans. Businesses will also be offered feedback on how they can improve, what they need to focus on for the next six months, and opportunities to connect with local resources in Estes and the front range. The competition will be available for public viewing on www.gotomeet.me/EstesParkEDC on April 20, 2021 from 10am to 1pm.

Businesses in the program have already celebrated their experiences in the program. Jason Toth, Founder and Owner of Argonaut Engineering, says, “The B.A.S.E. Program has been like a mini-MBA program complete with a cohort of fellow entrepreneurs, talented and experienced facilitators, mentors, and other regional specific beneficial resources. The knowledge-base and local network I am building, paired with professional reading has been phenomenal.”

Ryan Jordan, Founder and CEO of Backpacking Light states, “The B.A.S.E. Program’s commitment to helping us solve business problems has been unparalleled. Our company is more than 20 years old, and we've never achieved the clarity of purpose, vision, and execution that we've achieved through our participation with the B.A.S.E. Program and its collaborative relationships with Innosphere and the Larimer County Small Business Development Center.”

In May, there will be a graduation ceremony open to all of the businesses in the cohort and presenters from the program. All businesses in the Estes Valley, who are interested in the program, are also invited to attend to learn more about B.AS.E. and meet businesses in the cohort.

The 2021-22 B.A.S.E. Program cohort begins in October and registration is open. To learn more about the program, contact Thomas Cox, Program Manager, at tcox@estesparkedc.com.