Ascent Accelerator

The remarkable natural environment and world class outdoor recreation we enjoy in the Central Mountain regions has drawn talented people to our community for generations. Today, the Chaffee County EDC is leveraging uniquely Chaffee County activities, like backcountry cat skiing at Monarch Mountain and high-water river trips down The Numbers and Browns Canyon with River Runners, to attract business growth experts from around Colorado to share their time and insights with local entrepreneurs. In the spring, we tested this approach by hosting Powder_Pitch @ Monarch Mountain. To say it was a hit is something of an understatement: The event drew 45 [...]

It will be quite some time before we can put into actual words what unfolded at our 2nd Annual Ascent Startup Summit. To say we are inspired and impressed with this entrepreneurial movement happening in Chaffee County would be the understatement of the year. Our 2023 Ascent Startup Summit took place last Thursday, April 20th at the stunning Surf Hotel in Buena Vista, Colorado and celebrated entrepreneurs, dreamers, and doers in our mountain community. We connected and listened to inspiring stories from the masterminds behind Weston Backcountry, Topo Designs, and Icelantic Skis. They each shared the highs and lows of their [...]

Simply, wow. Earlier this month we had the incredible honor of hosting our inaugural Powder_Pitch @ Monarch Mountain. The testimonials have been rolling in and the prevailing feeling was that this was among the best business events that our attendees had participated in. Throughout two days, participants received nearly $20,000 in complimentary consulting from some of the leading business growth advisors and mentors in the state.  And, the vibe was HIGH! Honestly how could it not be when you mix entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, live music, and fresh mountain snow with some epic backcountry cat-skiing to boot! We want to give a [...]

It's been less than a month since we hosted our 2nd Annual Ascent Launch event and we're still reeling from this sold-out celebration. The community support, incredible start-up stories, and generous sponsors, truly made the night an unforgettable one. We couldn’t be more excited to introduce you to our 2023 Cohort! Get to know these remarkable companies, some of which are already making a really big impact in rural Colorado, and check out our full event recap below.  Introducing 📣 The Ascent 2023 Cohort! B1: Sustainable, Renewable, and Regenerative Energy Buena Goods CarbonKicker, Inc DifferentKind HOA Guru Knome Little Red Hen [...]