Economic Roundtable

EDITOR’S NOTE: Todd Massey, founder and president of Fort Collins-based Privacy Networks Inc., was scheduled to be among the Business Report’s Economic Roundtable panelists, but could not attend. Technology reporter Kristen Bastian later talked with Massey about the 20007 outlook for the region’s technology sector. Here is a portion of that interview:

Q: Do Northern Colorado’s small technology businesses have a harder time finding venture capital because they’re not located in Denver or Boulder?

A: I think VC firms typically look for good companies. They look for good management. Most of the VCs are looking for return on investment and companies that can give that. Location is an issue to some and to others it’s not. But I think that when people think of tech, they think of Denver and Boulder.

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Q: What is the CEO Forum?

A: We meet every Thursday. We have guest speakers, we have VCs talk to the group, the county manager, the city manager. We’re trying to work and communicate what’s needed in the tech industry. So these guys know what’s happening.

We’re trying to grow it. I would love to have every tech company in Northern Colorado come to the CEO Forum to help expand technology in Northern Colorado. You get these people together, you get talented people together, they know other talented people, and you help each other.

That’s what the CEO forum is all about – helping companies find talented folks, discuss business issues related to tech, related to everything.

Q: What one resource would help to boost Northern Colorado’s technology industry?

A: There are a lot of talented people here. It’s just the networking isn’t that great.

Silicon Valley is very cliquish. You hook up in an industry, whether it be semi-conductor or security, and you pull those people together. Here you have companies doing things all across the board. I think the biggest problem we have up here is the networking – getting people hooked up together and getting talented people into companies.

Q: What could happen to improve the networking opportunities for the technology sector in Northern Colorado?

A: I would love to see the city sponsor a tech event at the Lincoln Center that would essentially happen every year. It would showcase companies that are here. That alone can help the networking. You put the companies on the radar.

It’s awareness. How do you create more awareness? It’s not press releases. Working with the (Fort Collins Technology) Incubator to change the way things are done to get companies funded, better management teams in place. They need capital, right? To help grow Fort Collins, it’s bringing people together. It’s alerting the VCs to the fact that there are tech companies here.

The Incubator should regularly be putting out a newsletter listing the tech companies that are here. You want to raise awareness, raise awareness in capital markets – people who want to fund companies. Raise awareness in the community that these companies exist.

Q: What is the healthiest way for Northern Colorado’s technology sector to grow?

A: We want companies that grew from a garage. So if you want to focus on tech, then this is what we have to do. We have to grow these companies into the next Advanced Energy. The CEO lives in the community so he’s less likely to lay off 2,500 people in Fort Collins because he’s affected by the community. Having companies based here and started here are more community-oriented. The reason people start companies here is because they love the community.