Public meetings set for Estes business incubator

ESTES PARK — The Estes Park Economic Development Corp. will host two public meetings in March to get input from area entrepreneurs and business mentors about what business-incubator programs and services are desired in the Estes Valley and how they can be provided.

Current volunteers for the Estes Park EDC Incubator Committee will be present, and entrepreneurs, potential mentors and angel investors are especially encouraged to attend one of the meetings.

The first meeting will be held from 8 to 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 9, at Via Bicycle Café in Lakeview Plaza, 1751 N. Lake Ave., Unit 110. That meeting also will serve as the first open meeting of the Estes Park Startup “Open Coffee” group; more details are online.

The second meeting will be held from 8 to 9 a.m. Thursday, March 10, at the Estes Park Museum, 200 Fourth St.

According to the International Business Innovation Association, business incubation has seen rapid changes in recent years, with the rise of new business models such as seed accelerators and co-working spaces. The Estes Park EDC hired Austin, Texas-based ATP Management and charged it with helping the community develop a sustainable and successful model that will promote local innovation and entrepreneurship.

“The success of a potential incubator begins with the talented people of Estes Park and Northern Colorado,” said Jon Nicholas, president and chief executive of the Estes Park EDC, in a media statement. “We are one of the most entrepreneurial communities in the state, with a high number of local business owners. As a resort community, Estes Park also contains a mix of highly experienced and capable business leaders who may have retired here or own second homes here.”

The project is funded through an award to the town and the EDC from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.

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