This EDA investment funds the denver's techup project, to support a new program, techup, offered through denver economic development and opportunity (dedo) and primarily focused on supporting…

The City and County of Denver received a $6,180,520 Project Grant award from the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration under the BUILD TO SCALE federal grant program (CFDA 11.024) to fund the Denver's TechUp project. The three-year project will provide a multi-tiered entrepreneurship program focused on technology and targeted towards Black, Indigenous and other People of Color entrepreneurs in the Denver area. Delivered in partnership with Access Mode, University of Colorado Denver, and Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network, the program will offer mentoring, technical assistance, incubation services, and sales opportunities. Funding will support pre-accelerator, mid-point, and post-accelerator programming at a new hub and the CU Denver campus. The program aims to serve 75% BIPOC individuals, deliver 100+ hours of training to each completing entrepreneur, and have 80% indicate increased confidence and knowledge in technology entrepreneurship upon completion.

This EDA investment funds the denver's techup project, to support a new program, techup, offered through denver economic development and opportunity (dedo) and primarily focused on supporting technology entrepreneurs in the denver area who are black, indigenous, or people of color (bipoc). The project will provide a multi-tiered program for entrepreneurs, focused on technology entrepreneurship, mentorship groups, ideation technical assistance (TA), business incubation services, and sales pipeline generation opportunities. Dedo will deliver these services in partnership with the local bipoc-led tech accelerator access mode, the university of colorado (CU) denver and the blackstone entrepreneurs network (BEN). The project will also support the delivery of techup's programming. This includes pre-accelerator, mid-point, and post-accelerator programming at the new hub and at the CU denver campus. Techup will build on denver's assets as the center of a growing technology innovation region, while also working to make entrepreneurial support for underserved and non-traditional minority tech entrepreneurs more equitable. Once implemented, the program aims to serve 75% (stretch, 100%) bipoc individuals during the three-year grant period, and deliver at least 100 total hours per year of training, mentorship and technical assistance to each entrepreneur who completes all three tiers of the program. Techup also plans for at least 80% of those completing all three tiers to indicate on post-participation surveys increased confidence, aptitude and knowledge in tech entrepreneurship.