Silicon Flatirons

A Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado

Entrepreneurship Initiatives

Something special is happening in Boulder's entrepreneurial circles. The world is taking notice that Boulder is a world-class location to start a business. Silicon Flatirons helps stitch together the entrepreneurial fabric for the area’s software, telecommunications and Internet startup communities.

Silicon Flatirons' initiatives - which focus on high technology - catalyze entrepreneurship across the University of Colorado-Boulder campus as well as throughout the larger regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. The New York Times cited Silicon Flatirons' role as a nerve center which ensures that entrepreneurial "veterans cross path with young entrepreneurs" through the wide variety of events and services we provide. The University of Colorado-Boulder enjoys a location amid a great emerging company environment. Bloomberg Business Week deemed Boulder the "best town for startups". Fast Company recently wrote an article describing what makes Boulder a good place for startups and entrepreneurs. And in 2007 researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston ranked Boulder as the highest performing small city for venture capital investment.

To support networking and an exchange of ideas, the Center sponsors the monthly New Technology Meetup, which draws over 275 local entrepreneurs to the Law School's Wittemyer Courtroom for presentations and demonstrations by start-up companies. Since spring 2008 Silicon Flatirons has hosted Entrepreneurs Unplugged, a series which features successful entrepreneurs sharing their experiences with University of Colorado students and faculty. We provide free legal services to area start-ups through our Entrepreneurial Law Clinic and support them through our Crash Course for Entrepreneurs series, which addresses issues for start-ups ranging from Intellectual Property strategies to fundraising matters. All of the above opportunities are also open to students, who are encouraged to take part in our campus-wide business plan competition - the CU New Venture Challenge - and can take advantage of our unique certificate in entrepreneurial law. And Colorado Law offers an advanced law degree focused on issues facing startup companies, the Entrepreneurial Law LL.M. This degree has garnered national attention in the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, Inc. Magazine, and the National Law Journal.

New Technology Meetups

The monthly New Technology Meet-Up draws over 300 local entrepreneurs to the Law School's Wittemyer Courtroom for presentations by start-up companies.

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Entrepreneurs Unplugged

In spring 2008, Silicon Flatirons launched Entrepreneurs Unplugged, a monthly event to resume this September, which provides faculty and students with technical backgrounds the opportunity to meet and learn about entrepreneurship through the experiences of a local successful entrepreneur.

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Entrepreneurial Law Certificate

The Entrepreneurial Law Certificate coordinates Colorado Law's strengths and business-law related assets in the areas of entrepreneurial and technology law.

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Roundtable Series on Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Public Policy

The roundtable series - - which gathers local business leaders, attorneys and academicians to discuss topics of pertinent interest - - is an important means of furthering Silicon Flatirons' goal of elevating the debate around entrepreneurship, innovation, and public policy issues.

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CU New Venture Challenge ("CU NVC")

In conjunction with several academic centers and departments on campus (the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, the E-Ship Program at the College of Engineering and Applied Science, ATLAS, ITP and TTO), we have launched the first-annual campus-wide business plan competition comprised of workshops, team building events, a pitch day and a final competition. The annual competition, which will provide hands-on experience for developing a plan for a successful venture, will help further our goal of fostering viable start-ups to emerge from the university and surrounding community.

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Crash Course Series

The Crash Course Series for Entrepreneurs provides focused lectures for the outside community, students and faculty about legal and business issues confronting entrepreneurs when launching new ventures.

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Entrepreneurship-related Opportunities for Colorado Law Students

Silicon Flatirons Center and the University of Colorado Law School present many opportunities for students to learn about entrepreneurship and get hands-on experience working with new ventures.

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Boulder's Entrepreneurship Scene

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Entrepreneurial Law Clinic

The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic at the University of Colorado Law School provides transactional legal services regarding the formation and development of small businesses.

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8th Annual Bard Center Business Plan Competition

The Bard Center hosts an annual Business Plan Competition for early-stage Colorado companies.

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Entrepreneurship Week

CU's first annual Entrepreneurship Week (and a half) kicks off on April 7 The Week officially begins April 13 and runs through April 17.

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