What the Future of Tech Looks Like in Vail, CO!

Reporting from 8,150 feet in Vail, CO! Mountain towns are ramping up their fiber, co-working spaces and most importantly communities of entrepreneurs and tech professionals. How do we know? Because we are one of them. We think people should know that you can enjoy a lifestyle with more outdoors, less traffic and still have a community of professionals to tap into while living at altitude. So if you have ever dreamed of moving to the mountains… keep reading:)

West Slope Start-up Week

While Denver has become a major hub for tech professionals there is a large push to share the love in more rural areas. Earlier in June ,Techstars Start-up Week hosted an event in Grand Junction, CO and satellite events in surrounding areas like Vail, Steamboat and Carbondale. Keynote speaker Brad Feld kicked off the regional event sharing his excitement for rural colorado. The goal of these events was to bring together like minded people, build community and create a network in these areas.

So what happened in Vail on June 5th? A buzzing room of professionals (remote workers, entrepreneurs and dreamers) gathered at the Colorado Snowsports Museum in downtown Vail, CO for an evening of connection and learning. Angelo Ferdnandez, Deputy County Manager (Eagle County) introduced a line up of panellist including Delphine Gennisson of Upparel — sustainable, global fashion brand; Clare Hefferren of Callosum — spoke about growth of the outdoor recreation industry; David Smooke and Linh Dao of Hacker Noon spoke about their move to the mountains and the growth of their business; Aryn Schlichting of Mountain Careers shared trends across mountain towns and companies that are hiring in tech.

The competitive advantage It is easy to see why everyone moves to the mountains but the ‘ah — ha’ moment occurs when professionals realize they aren’t alone on this journey and these movements/communities are growing across mountain towns. At the local event in Vail we talked about attracting investors to our area and supporting each other in our pursuits. We shared success stories of how spending time outdoors, getting away from the hustle has helped grow careers/business and is a competitive edge!!!

Comment below if you are interested in joining our community or learning about local meet-up groups and co-working spaces in mountain towns across the county.