Longmont, Colo.: Innovate Longmont, a Longmont-based startup platform, was originally established by the Longmont Community Foundation and a group of community-minded individuals who believed that investing in local entrepreneurs adds to the economic vitality of Longmont. Supported since 2018 as a program of Longmont Economic Development Partnership (EDP), Innovate Longmont has grown to the point where it has now spun out of Longmont EDP as its own entrepreneurial development organization.
Innovate Longmont is structured as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation in Colorado. Sergio R. Angeles, who previously worked at Longmont EDP as director of innovation and entrepreneurship, now serves as president and CEO of Innovate Longmont.
“I’m incredibly honored to be given the opportunity to run Innovate Longmont and help accelerate its impact to local entrepreneurs and Longmont’s startup ecosystem,” said Sergio Angeles.
Innovate Longmont invests in local entrepreneurs by running accelerators and funding startups and has future plans to build innovative products in its in-house studio at The Advance Longmont Center, and to launch a venture capital fund aimed at investing in innovative startups in Longmont.
The Innovate Accelerator is a personalized accelerator program for early stage innovative startups that helps transform vision and passion into successful, scalable ventures. There are currently six startups enrolled in the Innovate Accelerator program, with a goal to accept 10 startups into the program throughout the year.
Innovate Campus, a partnership with Front Range Community College, is an intensive summer accelerator program that assists students in building, launching, and growing their startup business. The first Innovate Campus cohort of four student entrepreneurs graduated in July 2019, and plans are in the works for a second program in summer 2020.
Longmont community members interested in supporting Innovate Longmont can sign up to become volunteer mentors and instructors, and funding partners. Innovate Longmont is a State of Colorado Enterprise Zone Contribution Project. Learn more at https://innovatelongmont.org.
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About Innovate Longmont: Innovate Longmont is a startup platform for entrepreneurs with innovative and transformative ideas. At Innovate Longmont, we invest in our local entrepreneurs by running accelerators, funding startups, and building innovative products in our in-house studio. Innovate Longmont is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.
About Longmont Economic Development Partnership: A 501(c)6 non-profit organization founded in 1981, Longmont EDP is funded with both public and private dollars. More than 120 private sector businesses join the City of Longmont, Boulder County, and Platte River Power Authority as Longmont EDPs funding partners. Longmont Economic Development Partnership leads a comprehensive approach to building an economic ecosystem that not only supports, but champions, businesses and their owners. From world-famous brewers to smart manufacturing plants, specialized business catalysts to world-class research facilities, businesses in Longmont build an economy that champions growth, prosperity, and inclusion. Longmont’s newly launched economic development strategy, Advance Longmont 2.0, focuses on quality job creation and business investment. Longmont EDP activates a powerful civic infrastructure that identifies problems, creates innovative solutions, and implements these programs across partner organizations. For Longmont EDP, Advance Longmont means doing it together.
Contact Name: Jessica Erickson, President/CEO
Organization: Longmont Economic Development Partnership
Phone Number: 303-651-0128
Email: [email protected]
Contact Name: Sergio Angeles, President/CEO
Organization: Innovate Longmont
Phone Number: 303-847-2315
Email: [email protected]
