Colorado technology network launches on the heels of C-Level

Days before C-Level @ Mile High, Thursday, March 16, the Colorado Technology Association announced the formation of the Nucleus, a network for burgeoning local companies and enterprise technology executives. The new initiative will provide advisory groups, events and collaborative opportunities with the goal of building and promoting the state's tech industry and infrastructure.

"It became clear through conversations across the community that this is a huge gap," says Andrea Young, president and CEO at CTA and founding member of the Colorado Technology Nucleus. 

Devised by 12 local executives, Nucleus membership ranges from executives to entrepreneurs.

"The main goal is to increase the likelihood of adoption of Colorado emerging tech companies by enterprise organizations through emerging tech sharing their stories and enterprise advising best practices, ultimately leading to sales," says Young.

Founding members include:

• Dave Anderson – SVP, CIO, CH2M
• Alan Cullop – CIO, DaVita
• Mark Endry – VP of global enterprise services, Arrow Electronics
• David Gold – Managing director, Access Venture Partners
• Jeffrey Grayson – SVP, CIP, Intrawest
• Mike Marcotte – CEO, acumen digital
• Rob Meilen – CIO
• Vin Melvin – SVP, CIO, Arrow Electronics
• John Swieringa – EVP of operations, Dish Network
• Robert Urwiler – EVP, CIO, Vail Resorts
• Kim Brown Wilmsen – SVP, CIO of North America IT, Arcadis

Up-and-coming companies will apply to present to the Nucleus network. According to the website, the goal of the new network is to "facilitate entrepreneurial access to early corporate adopters…" Members are offered the opportunity to get their product in front of decision makers, uncover mentors, build their public persona in the technology industry and fine tune their products. 

​Programming for the CTN will include monthly virtual sessions during which members are expected to source expertise, gain visibility and increase the potential for future technology adoption.

"The Denver-Boulder metro is home to some of the strongest startup communities in the country, if not the world," says David Gold, managing director at Access Venture Partners.

"There's no better place to be a startup developing on an enterprise scale, and for local startups to know that those products have committed audiences in Colorado," Gold says.

Young teased out one of the Nucleus' slated activities, set for June just prior to the Colorado Venture Summit, where roughly five emerging companies will come together for a one-day educational event to receive advise and collaborate on best practices for selling into an enterprise. The Nucleus team is also working with Techstars and Innovation Pavilion for future programming and partnership opportunities. 

Additionally, "CTA will utilize a tech platform called POPin to allow these emerging tech companies to make virtual pitches to enterprise leaders…," Young says.

Membership costs will vary depending on program activity, and sponsorships will be available.

"There are so many amazing startups in Colorado, and there's a really high barrier-to-entry to break into working with a lot of enterprise companies," says Jessica Stone, CEO and founder of Konnexe, a Denver-based app that helps business leaders build professional communities in a private environment where they can meet, share insights, identify prospects and crowd source solutions.​ "The Nucleus product is valuable because it breaks down that barrier."