This article is republished from Startup Colorado, the event organizer behind West Slope Startup Week. See the original post from Startup Colorado.
West Slope Startup Week is NEXT WEEK in Durango! And this year is special for a number of reasons. Besides an anticipated record turnout, Startup Colorado is hosting a special celebration of rural entrepreneurship. We want to see you there!
Some of the most valuable moments at West Slope Startup Week happen between sessions. They happen when you meet someone who has the solution to the problem you’ve been trying to solve. Or, when a brief introduction turns into a long conversation and a new collaborator, mentor, or friend. When entrepreneurs from every corner of the state come together, they often realize that they have more in common than they thought.
On Tuesday, October 6, we’re creating more room for those conversations at Outside City Limits, an evening celebration of Startup Colorado’s 15th birthday! Join us in Durango during West Slope Startup Week for a locally-sourced dinner, craft cocktails, a friendly trivia competition, and most importantly, a candid space to connect with the community.
15 Years of Building Rural Connections
Startup Colorado launched in 2011 as a summer program within the Silicon Flatirons Center at the CU Boulder Law School. A few years later, the program was reinvented as a fully funded five-year pilot to test whether the “Boulder Thesis” —a framework for building startup communities—could be applied to rural Colorado. The resounding answer was “yes!” and rather than sunsetting, Startup Colorado became an independent, 501c3 non-profit in 2022. We now support entrepreneurs in 53 rural counties across the state.
We’ve grown and changed a lot since 2011, but the idea behind our work remains the same: everyone should have the ability to start and scale a business in the place they call home.
We work to make the human, social, and financial capital needed to build a thriving business more accessible to rural entrepreneurs. That includes founder education and accelerators, capital access development, storytelling opportunities, and events like West Slope Startup Week that bring people together.
Dinner, Drinks, and a Little Friendly Competition
In true rural Colorado fashion, we will not be celebrating fifteen years with speeches all night. We’ll gather around the table for a locally-sourced dinner and drinks, with time built in to meet the people around you. Then, we’ll put your entrepreneurial knowledge to the test with a trivia showdown featuring questions inspired by rural Colorado’s growing startup scene.
You’re encouraged to dress up “Colorado classy” for this soirée! Think dinner with your coolest business friends. Less shirt and tie, more fedora and cowboy boots. Fewer pearls, more turquoise.
Your Ticket Supports What Comes Next in Colorado
Outside City Limits is a celebration, but it’s also an investment in the next chapter of rural entrepreneurship. 100% of the proceeds will directly support Startup Colorado’s free programming for rural founders, including:
- Our proven business accelerator programming, the Idea Factory and Growth Challenge
- Virtual and in-person pitch opportunities
- Entrepreneurial gatherings like West Slope Startup Week and Rural Startup Days
- In-depth founder storytelling, elevating the profile of rural businesses throughout the state.
Your attendance also fuels the next stages of our roadmap, including increased capital access for rural founders.
So, after Tuesday’s WSSW sessions wrap up, have dinner with us! Pull up a chair, meet someone new, and celebrate 15 years of building connections outside city limits, with many more to come.
Outside City Limits
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
The Powerhouse, Durango, CO
Tickets will be available until 12 pm on October 6th.
