Boulder Innovation Center Boulder Innovation Center

Frequently Asked Questions



Question 1:  What is the Boulder Innovation Center?


Question 2:  Is the Boulder Innovation Center a traditional ‘business incubator’?


Question 3:  How is the Boulder Innovation Center funded?


Question 4:  What does the Boulder Innovation Center mean by "Boulder’s entrepreneurial community"?


Question 5:  In what industries does the Boulder Innovation Center specialize and emphasize?


Question 6:  What if I am interested in becoming an Advisor for the BIC, but do not have expertise in any of these industries?


Question 7:  How can a business or individual become a client of the Boulder Innovation Center?


Question 8:  Where does a company have to be located in order to become a Boulder Innovation Center client?





Question 1:  What is the Boulder Innovation Center?
The Boulder Innovation Center is a Colorado 501c (6) nonprofit corporation.



Question 2:  Is the Boulder Innovation Center a traditional ‘business incubator'?
The Boulder Innovation Center is not a “business incubator” as this term is traditionally used. For example, the Boulder Innovation Center does not offer entrepreneurs access to office space at reduced rates. Instead, the Boulder Innovation Center provides subsidized consulting services to support entrepreneurs building successful companies in the Boulder area. The Boulder Innovation Center can offer a broad range of services at an affordable price because a percentage of our intellectual and financial support is donated by Boulder's business community and governmental agencies. Additionally, we will consider tackling any project because we can draw upon Boulder's rich pool of entrepreneurs to supplement the skills and experience of the Boulder Innovation Center’s staff.



Question 3:  How is the Boulder Innovation Center funded?
Financial support for the Boulder Innovation Center comes from a variety of sources. Some of the expenses are covered by fees charged for services provided. The Boulder Innovation Center also receives significant levels of financial support from the Boulder Economic Council, the City of Boulder, and the State of Colorado’s Economic Development Commission. Finally, the Boulder Innovation Center has recruited a broad range of sponsors who not only provide monetary support, but also add to our extensive pool of resources. Corporate sponsors include the Boulder Chamber of Commerce and many of Boulder’s leading law firms, accounting firms, banks, real estate developers, insurance companies, and consulting firms. Click here for a list of current sponsors.



Question 4:  What does the Boulder Innovation Center mean by "Boulder's entrepreneurial community"?
The Boulder Innovation Center describes itself as "Boulder’s Entrepreneurial Hub". Boulder, Colorado attracts a large and experienced pool of individuals with strong backgrounds in all aspects of entrepreneurship. Many of these individuals are successful entrepreneurs … either past or present. Others are service providers with strong histories of helping entrepreneurial ventures (e.g., attorneys, accountants, business consultants), investors who specialize in making early-stage investments (e.g., angels, venture capitalists), and entrepreneurial educators (e.g., CU’s Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, CU’s Entrepreneurial Law Clinic). The Boulder Innovation Center brings all of these groups and individuals together to create an ‘entrepreneurial community’ to launch and grow new businesses.



Question 5:  In what industries does the Boulder Innovation Center specialize and emphasize?

The Boulder Innovation Center focuses its energies on industries important to the Boulder Area. By concentrating our efforts, we ensure that our assistance of the very highest quality and leads to greater success. Currently, the Boulder Innovation Center specializes in helping companies within the following industries:


The Boulder Innovation Center is open to and encourages entrepreneurs working in any industry to contact us about their company. The challenges and issues new businesses face are not specific to any industry and we are able to recruit advisors from a wide cross section of industries.



Question 6:  What if I am interested in becoming an Advisor for the Boulder Innovation Center, but do not have expertise in any of these industries?
The Boulder Innovation Center needs individuals with business process expertise. This includes individuals with the abilities to: write business plans, understand or provide financing, develop or produce marketing efforts, support operations, and do other tasks such as bookkeeping. If you feel you are an expert in one of these areas or perhaps you want to become a leader of a new company, please click here to contact us.




Question 7:  How can a business or individual become a client of the Boulder Innovation Center’s services?
Please send an email to apply@boulderinnovationcenter.com with “questionnaire” in the subject line. Complete the questionnaire and return it to BIC. A representative of the Boulder Innovation Center will contact you to follow up regarding your interest. Next steps include completing a more lengthy application to identify key challenges your company is facing and the resources we can bring to the table for success.



Question 8:  Does a company have to be located inside the city limits of Boulder to participate in a Boulder Innovation Center program?
The Boulder Innovation Center requires that a company reside within the "Boulder metropolitan area", Boulder, Louisville, Lafayette, and Longmont, in order to apply for admission to its Boulder Business Program. This restriction is placed on applicants because virtually all of the many advisors are drawn from this geographic area and their primary motivation for volunteering their time is their desire to “give back to the Boulder community”.





Boulder Innovation Center