Wait, has it only been a month since we launched?

Hi Fellow Traveler,

First, a big thank you for subscribing and following along this journey to support Colorado’s builders, innovators, and creators.

Second, if you know someone who might be interested, forward this newsletter to them. Every person we reach matters.

The past month has been a whirlwind. Colorado Startup Resources went live with a mere 600+ resources and a functional, yet clunky design. Fast forward to today. You’ll notice the site looks significantly different, and has grown to over 2,100 resources for both startups and nonprofits alike. (Another 600+ resources are in draft mode and slowly going live.)

Not only has the volume of resources grown substantially, the platform has steadily matured in functionality. It’s no longer just a static directory of resources, but a platform that innovators can utilize to bring their vision to life.

And we’re just getting started.

In the coming weeks, the site will offer conversational agentic chat, shared resource collections, a beta-testing sandbox connecting early-stage founders with their first users, and many other enhancements.

My goal, when I set out to build CSR, was to reinvent what I believed a healthy and inclusive innovation ecosystem should be for the people who truly represent our communities. Those people are everyone from young, aspiring teenagers to seasoned veterans with a lifetime of learnings to impart on the next generation. They can be nonprofit leaders, startup founders, artists, writers, funders, and policy makers.

If you are interested in joining this journey, please reach out. Progress is made when people work together for the greater good of everyone, not just a select few.

In kindness,
Josef Scarantino
Founder, Colorado Startup Resources
contact@coloradostartupresources.com | LinkedIn

Here are just a handful of the recent improvements:

Fresh, fast, mobile-friendly design

Colorado Startup Resources underwent a complete site rebuild in a move away from Wordpress over to Astro. The migration gave us masive performance benefits, such as a perfect PageSpeed Score of 100 for desktop browsing and a nearly-perfect Lighthouse score between 98-100 across geographic locations.

Account Creation & Resource Collections

Everyday users of Colorado Startup Resources can now create their own account (for free!) and build custom resource collections. Account holders will also get access to new beta features before the general public.

Create your free account here.

Claimed Resource Profiles

All resources listed on Colorado Startup Resources can now be claimed by their operators. Claiming a resource is completely free and quite simple.

Search for your resource to see if it already has a profile. If not, submit your resource for consideration.
If your resource is listed, visit its profile and click on the Claim this listing button on the right sidebar. (see illustration below)
You will be asked to create an account using your work email address, so we can verify your authenticity.
Once verified, you’ll have the ability to edit your listing, including any relevant tags or categories.
Additionally, you’ll also receive edit capabilities for any resources (programs, grants, event, etc) directly related to your organization.

A paid upgrade is also available to all resources at an affordable monthly subscription or a discounted annual rate, giving you the ability to publish directly to the CSR blog under relevant categories. All blog posts are also shared to LinkedIn, included in this newsletter, and will be listed directly on your resource profile.

Community Amplifiers

Community Amplifiers is a small network of organizations that help the people they serve discover the support available to them, and help Colorado’s entrepreneurial ecosystem become more connected and easier to navigate.

Who it’s for:

Organizations that serve entrepreneurs and the communities around them: chambers, economic development groups, small business centers, libraries, universities, coworking spaces, nonprofits and community groups. We’re starting with a small pilot group and welcome conversations with more organizations now.

What it costs

Nothing. Zilch. It’s completely free to become a Community Amplifier.

If you operate an organization with a relevant audience, reach out to schedule a conversation.

Search by Stage

Every resource is now searchable by Stages. Instead of following the path of other startup ecosystems that typically use very startup-centric phases, such as Concept-Stage, Early-Stage, and Growth-Stage, I opted for more inclusive language that can apply to startups, nonprofits, individuals, and all types of innovators.

The implementation of Stages will open the door to more customized agentic search features coming soon to CSR. For example, a user may ask, “I just moved to Grand Junction, Colorado. I’m looking for a job, preferably a startup focused on ClimateTech. I’d also like to find my community and get involved in local initiatives.“

CSR will be able to answer these types of inquiries with high precision, and even create a recommended pathway that fits a user’s exact needs and requirements.

Read more about the 10 Stages here.

Expanded Job Boards (over 850!)

Colorado Startup Resources now lists every job board alongside each profile (if a job board was found). The total number of job boards currently stands at 865, growing weekly. No need to navigate to each resource to find these job boards. We’ve compiled a searchable list here.

Sponsorships

Interested in sponsoring a category, tag, or location on Colorado Startup Resources? Check out available sponsorship opportunities and let’s have a conversation.

Ecosystem Library

Ecosystem development is a strong passion of mine, and my vision for Colorado Startup Resources goes far beyond a static directory of resources.

I’ve started collecting dozens of resources for those interested in ecosystem development, community-building, and the growing innovation economy.

If this is your jam, pay a visit to the growing Ecosystem Library. Dozens of additional ecosystem resources from around the world are coming soon. Please forward any relevant ecosystem resources for inclusion.

Public CSR Changelog

For those of you wanting to stay updated on more technical site developments, please venture over to our public Changelog, updated in real-time. We also invite anyone to submit bugs or requests here.