1. Thea Chase
Director, Southwest Innovation Corridor
A Telluride Foundation initiative
Supporting Entrepreneurs and building eco-systems an International perspective

2. What you find in rural America
Stagnant and shrinking economies
Institutions taking leadership role in eco-system development
Networks supporting mostly local market penetration
A few dynamic leaders
Some good companies

3. What you want Growing economies
Entrepreneurs leading eco-system development
Robust networks – industry and functional
Movements not dependent on individuals
Critical mass of innovation and growth activity

4. Getting there requires us to rethink

5. Removal of geographic and political boundaries
Sharing expertise and resources
Larger pool of startups and talent
Enhanced branding opportunity

6. How we deploy resources

7. Role of institutions and government
Lets be real…

8. To be founder focused…

10. Business Development Resources
Seeds of Innovation
Colleges and Universities
Industry
Entrepreneurs
Networks
Co-working spaces
Meetup Groups
Industry Mashups
Convenings
Business Development Resources
Accelerators
Incubators
Small Business Development Centers
CAPITAL

11. Acceleration Incubation Morphing models
Telluride Venture Accelerator (TVA)
Southwest Colorado Accelerator Program for Entrepreneurs (SCAPE)
Incubation
IceLab at Western State College
Virtual hub and Spoke

12. Small Business Development Centers
Morphing models
Small Business Development Centers
Combining regions and redeploying resources in western Colorado
Higher Ed
Fort Lewis College
Technical College of the Rockies

13. Research Centers Morphing models Mountain Studies Institute
Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting (CoE)

14. Some really cool stuff coworking Coding “schools”
Apprenticeship and internship programs
Community connection creative space
Startup weekend D51 high schools

15. What we haven’t quite figured out
Right capital at the right time with the right terms and conditions
Recognizing the jewels and how to maximize their success
Restructuring economies

16. Sustainability

17. Grow entrepreneurship through innovative practice!