DURANGO, Colo., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Durango, Colorado is known for its exquisite outdoor recreation. Like the boom of tourism in response to the pandemic, local entrepreneurs and investors are seeing big wins too. With the help of active support organizations, not only are rural Colorado companies growing, they are thriving.
The Southwest Colorado Accelerator Program for Entrepreneurs (SCAPE) offers mentoring, education, and access to funding for businesses looking to scale. Executive Director, Elizabeth Marsh, has built a business start-up curriculum and network of mentors, in addition to managing top performing investment funds, that have produced high ranking returns.
“The SCAPE program is an extraordinary example of the untapped opportunities rural communities have to help start-ups scale and exit. SCAPE’s accelerator program is one of the most successful accelerators that we’ve seen in any rural community, with an incredible track record of working with local entrepreneurs to build scalable, investable businesses. We view SCAPE as an extremely effective model that brings together the expertise of local mentors, the commitment of local investors, and the dedicated support of the SCAPE staff.” Mark Rembert, Director of Network, Center on Rural Innovation.
MUNIRevs | LODGINGRevs is a great example of this. Female founder Erin Neer targeted a need to optimize the tax collection process for municipalities. She was accepted into the SCAPE program in 2017 and has grown her team to 39 employees, serving 109 clients across the country, with 200,000 business users and $148 billion processed. And that’s not all, her latest accomplishment is the recent news of the acquisition of MUNIRevs | LODGINGRevs by GovOS.
Agile Space Industries, a small engine space propulsion and thruster manufacturer, has also had much success in 2021 and it’s not just the news of their product going to the moon. With the acquisition of a 3D printing operation, Tronix3D now named Agile Additive, they are able to enhance their manufacturing capabilities and continue to grow their operations while improving job creation in Durango.
These examples are just two of the success stories coming out of Southwest Colorado. SCAPE will be hosting their 8th Annual Startup Showcase to launch its latest cohort of companies on Sept. 23: www.goscape.org/startupshowcase2021
SOURCE SCAPE
