As we prepare to head to Durango this October 5-9, West Slope Startup Week is entering an exciting new phase. This year marks a milestone as we officially welcome Olivia Reed into her first year as Lead Event Organizer. Stepping into the shoes of the magnificent Vanessa McCrann, Olivia will bring a fresh energy and a deep commitment to the community members who make our regional ecosystem thrive.
Speaker submissions for WSSW26 are officially open! To ensure every session hits the mark, we’ve assembled an incredible team of Track Captains. These local experts are rolling up their sleeves to curate the high-impact workshops and conversations that our community needs in 2026.
Get to know the leaders behind the tracks:
Climate Track — Anne Spalding
Anne joins us from Grand Junction with a background that perfectly bridges high-level tech leadership and a deep-rooted passion for the outdoors. After years of leading technical teams and founding programming schools in San Francisco, she is now focusing her next career on the intersection of creativity and nature conservation.
As an active volunteer with the Climate Reality Project and Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Anne is dedicated to nurturing the creative spark needed to protect our environment. She’s looking to curate a track that isn’t just about the idea phase, but about the tangible innovations that support and celebrate the natural world.
Comms Track — Jon-Michael Horst
With over 20 years of experience in marketing and storytelling, Jon-Michael is on a mission to prove to founders that branding isn’t rocket science. Based in Colorado Springs but deeply connected to business communities from Pueblo to Fort Collins, he currently serves as the Director of Marketing and Outreach at Exponential Impact (XI).
Jon-Michael’s focus is always on the brand story. This year, he’s bringing a wealth of digital strategy and SEO expertise to the Comms track to help founders find their voice and connect with their customers authentically.
www.exponentialimpact.com // LinkedIn // Facebook // Instagram // X
Creatives Track — Connie Byers
Connie is a powerhouse maker who built Byers Ranch Apothecary on her Durango homestead with nothing but resourcefulness and an impressive growth rate to show for it. She is a fierce advocate for the bootstrapped entrepreneur—the makers, builders, and designers who scale without big venture capital.
Connie has managed every moving part of a handmade business herself, from sourcing and branding to SEO and wholesale. She’s leading the Creatives Track to demystify the path for rural creatives, offering a grounded and transparent perspective on how to grow a successful brand without sacrificing authenticity.
www.byersranchapothecary.com // Facebook // Instagram
Fun! Track — Vanessa McCrann
A familiar face to the WSSW community, Vanessa is stepping away from her previous leadership role as WSSW Lead Organizer to give the Fun! Track the spotlight it deserves. Living in Pagosa Springs and deeply connected to the “Wessy” folks of the SW corner, she knows that the best business breakthroughs often happen off the clock.
With years of event experience under her belt, Vanessa is dedicated to making sure this year’s Fun! Track programming shines. Her goal is to create a space where founders can recharge, connect with the natural beauty of Durango, and remember why we choose to call Colorado home.
www.startupcolorado.org // LinkedIn // Facebook // Instagram
Latine Track — Yani Rodriguez
Yani brings three years of WSSW experience and a deep passion for financial empowerment to the Latine Track. As a Lending Specialist with First Southwest Community Fund, she works daily to ensure that rural entrepreneurs in Southwest Colorado have the capital they need to enrich their communities. Yani is excited to lead a track where Spanish-speaking and bilingual founders feel truly seen and supported.
Her focus is on providing the specific resources and guidance that allow Latine-owned businesses to thrive, ensuring that every entrepreneur has a seat at the table.
Money Track — Christine Walsh
Christine is a fierce advocate for human-centered capital. Based in Steamboat Springs, she brings an impressive background in investment banking and financial consulting to the Money Track. As the founder of Rebel Rise Finance, she’s currently building software tools to help women founders manage their money with confidence.
For Christine, “money is not for getting more things, it’s for changing things.” She’s leading this track to explore updated, soulful ways of accessing funding and managing wealth, ensuring that the financial side of a startup feels like a tool for impact rather than a source of stress.
www.rebelrisefinance.com // LinkedIn // Instagram
People Track — Robin Doss
Robin is a Paonia-based management consultant who views human connection as a superpower. With over 15 years of experience in leadership development for everyone from Fortune 100 companies to rural nonprofits, she specializes in building thriving organizations with intention.
Robin is a connector in every sense—she’s a volunteer DJ for KVNF community radio and is currently helping develop a creative industries accelerator in the North Fork Valley. She’s bringing her expertise in team facilitation and organizational strategy to the People Track to help founders lead with clarity and build cultures that last.
Tech Track — Guy Ewing
Guy is a true technologist who believes that “learning is the most important skill in the tech world.” Over his 18-year career in Durango, he’s done it all, from hardware repair and app programming to serving as a CTO and exiting a successful SaaS company. When he isn’t diving into AI consulting, you’ll find him playing bass in three different bands or serving as the president of his neighborhood association in Vallecito.
Guy’s approach to the Tech Track is defined by flexibility and a never-sit-still attitude, making him the perfect lead to explore the rapidly changing digital frontier.
www.durangocomputers.com // LinkedIn
Toolbox Track — Mike Mathisen
Mike describes himself as an “occasional idea-instigator,” and his Leadville-based businesses, The eBike Shop of Colorado and Epic Happy Adventures, are proof of his build-and-scale mindset. He’s a community builder who has expanded his e-bike tours across multiple states while maintaining a deep commitment to outdoor accessibility for people with disabilities.
Mike is leading the Toolbox Track with a refreshingly honest perspective: he’s failed more than he’s succeeded, and those rough patches have given him a toolkit of tried-and-true processes. He’s here to create space for the conversations that every founder needs to hear.
www.coloradobikeshop.com // LinkedIn // Facebook // Instagram // X
Your Turn: Help Us Build the 2026 Schedule
Our Track Captains are ready to review session proposals and get a head start planning October’s event. Do you have a story that needs to be told? A technical skill that can help a fellow founder scale? A go-to hack that saves time and sanity?
We’re looking for the real-world expertise that only comes from doing the work. Check out our tracks, find your fit, and submit your idea by June 20th.