After having visited Chicago, Detroit and Grand Rapids we finally made it to Boulder Colorado to examine the factors making the Boulder start up community thrive. Although we had a preset schedule to engage with individuals in various organizations that have fostered a culture that allows entrepreneurial and innovative activities to happen, we also had ‘flexible’ time available to wander, explore and discover the city as well as get to immerse ourselves in the culture to get a better understanding of the community. Here is how I spent my flexible time on Saturday, March 8th.
Our first stop was at the Boulder Theater where Eric, Adam and I attended the Boulder Film Festival. We got to watch a number of short films from all over the world: USA, Ireland, South Korea etc. The short films that we saw during the film festival were Rabbit, Boogaloo and Graham, Everyday, Sprout and Pony Place. My favorite was the inspirational Everyday which tells the story of Joy Johnson, who started running at age 59 and participated in the New York Marathon 25 times. Although attending a film festival was a first for me, I was however surprised at the huge turnout and packed auditorium. I also noticed that it was mostly the older generation present at the film festival. I guess this just shows how open minded people are and also how the arts play a huge role in the community.
Next we wandered into the streets of Downtown Boulder and stumbled upon street performers on literally every corner. Jugglers, quartets, guitarists…you name it, were every where. We stopped to watch Sam Malcom who is a fire juggler and also a comedian. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and it was interesting to see how Sam mixed telling jokes with his fire performances. Again this just showed to me how vibrant the arts are in the Boulder, Colorado. You will not find such activities in many places.
We then went to a local ceramic shop, Emilia Ceramics, which imports beautiful and high quality ceramics from Mexico, Spain and Italy. There we got to learn why the owner recently moved from the Bay area and also how it is operating a business in the Boulder area. Emilia said she moved to to Boulder because she wanted to be in a smaller community, it is cheaper than the Bay area and also because she admires how supportive people are in Boulder. This is consistent with what we have been seeing everywhere, not only is Boulder inclusive but there is also a lot of collaboration going on.
We also took a tour of the University of Colorado with George (a former Bronco who now lives in Denver) and got to see the the beautiful scenery and architectural designs. Although we did not get much interaction with the students we managed to discuss with George about some of the differences he had noticed between Colorado and Michigan. Meetings today with Jason Mendelson from the Foundry Group, and Erick Mueller and Sharon Matsuik from the University of Colorado gave us a better perspective of the role the university is playing in the start community. Jason described the university as a hub of entrepreneurship rather than bringing up ‘wiz kids’. Erick and Sharon talked about how they are incorporating both the theoretical and practical aspects of entrepreneurship in their program. They also mentioned how Boulder has a pay it forward mentality as well as an action oriented mentality.
Everything in Boulder is amazing. The food is great, people are friendly and welcoming and the scenery is awesome. I must say my most memorable moments were us hiking at Chautauqua. I definitely learnt a lot in these past four days and am looking forward to Austin, Texas.
