The 154 Colorado Companies That Made Inc. 5000's List

Inc. Magazine recently unveiled its annual Inc. 5000 list, which ranks the countries fastest-growing private companies. In 2019, 154 Colorado-based private ventures were named to the list. These ventures spanned a number of industries from consumer products and services and software to business products, manufacturing, construction, health and more.

Companies are ranked based on the percentage revenue growth from 2015 to 2018, with the minimum revenue in 2015 at $100,000 and $2 million in 2018. In order to make the list, all companies had to be private and founded prior to March 31, 2015.

The average three-year growth of a company on the list is 454%, with the average revenue in 2018 of $47.5 million. These 5,000 companies accounted for 1,216,308 jobs between 2015 and 2018 and had an aggregate revenue in 2018 of $237.7 billion.

For the 154 Colorado firms, the average three-year revenue growth was 435% and the average revenue in 2018 was $22.34 million. In total, Colorado companies brought in a revenue of about $4.56 billion in 2018.

The highest-ranked firm in the state is the Denver-based hemp company NuLeaf Naturals, which saw 11,949% growth from 2015 to 2018 with a revenue of $13.9 million. It was ranked at No. 11 on the list.

NuLeaf was founded in 2014 and offers a number of products derived by whole-plant extracts from plants grown in Colorado.

“We have remained deeply committed to creating a superior product and providing exceptional customer service,” says Ian Kelly, VP of operations, in a press release announcing their ranking. "We are honored to receive such a prestigious ranking from Inc., and we congratulate and thank our exceptional team members and partners, whose tireless commitment to quality have made this growth possible.”

Following NuLeaf on the list are pet healthcare company H&C Health (ranked at 37), which saw 6,287% growth over the three years; cloud software firm Pax8 (ranked No. 60), with 4,820% growth; HR services company Velocity Growth (No. 185), with 2,122% growth over three years; oil and gas remediation manufacturer IES (No. 246), with a 1,727% growth; and construction company Bridgewater Homes (No. 251), with 1,700% growth. Plus, 148 more.