The history of Denver and Boulder’s Tech Scene
Colorado is known for its incredible landscape, The Rocky Mountains, abundant sunshine, and outdoor activities. It also boasts a mix of innovation and funding that has created a thriving environment for tech companies and IT professionals.
Denver comes in at #10 on the CompTIA Tech Town 2020 Index; Boulder follows as #12 and Colorado Springs as #15. In 2021, startups in Denver raised more venture funding than startups in Austin. This was surprising to many who deemed Austin as the “next big tech hub”. Denver-Boulder startups attracted nearly $5.5 billion in venture capital last year - over a 100% jump from 2020.
Denver offers many attractive benefits to new businesses. Through the Office of Economic Development and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, tech companies are eligible for several tax credits, grants, financing options, and other incentives. And it is working! Denver-based startups such as Dizzion, Pax8, JumpCloud, and Gtmhub are breaking venture capital records.
COVID-19 and Arising Tech Boom in Colorado
During the pandemic, remote dealmaking became much more common which led many founders, investors, and entrepreneurs to leave traditional tech hubs, such as Silicon Valley and New York, and seek out more space and a different lifestyle.
In February, the National Venture Capital Association hosted a virtual panel on the region’s recent evolution. Long-term venture firms are popping up more and more in Colorado to hunt for deals.
How Digitiqe Has Experienced the Tech Industry Growth
We at Digitiqe have experienced the growth of Denver’s tech scene first-hand. Our Boulder Apple Repair shop and Denver Apple Repair shop have seen more traffic than ever. We have worked with countless startups and firms - offering them support for their Apple products.
As businesses become more virtual and more entrepreneurs and founders move to Colorado, we see a consistent increase in demand for Mac repair, iPhone repair, and high-quality customer service equipped to provide support to these companies.
While smaller cities have shown strong growth in new tech jobs, traditional tech mainstays have actually seen their growth rates slip, according to a Brookings Institution report. The report also named Denver to a list of nine rising stars in technology.
Of course, the size of Colorado’s venture-capital sector is still quite small compared to larger markets. Silicon Valley startups attracted nearly $85 billion in venture capital last year, according to CB Insights. However, Denver is seeing some of the fastest growth in investment in smaller U.S. metro areas and does not show any signs of slowing down.
