Tech roundup: SendGrid and FullContact partnering with Broncos, new mental health resource and more

by James Risley
September 29, 2016

Boulder's CANVAS Technology comes out of stealth

CANVAS Technology unveiled what the company has been working on for the past 16 months: autonomous vehicles that drive indoors. Co-founder Sandra McQueen said the driverless vehicles will be used in warehouses and factories, saving time and money spent on indoor transport. [Built In Colorado]

 

What Target’s CEO learned from Colorado startup Revolar

Target hosted the Techstars Retail Accelerator this week in its hometown of Minneapolis, and CEO Brian Cornell served as mentor for Denver-based Revolar. But he learned a few things from the personal safety device startup himself, including how important it can be to make communicating with the right people easier. “A ‘no’ from the wrong leader of the wrong team can kill a great idea,” Cornell wrote in Recode. He also learned about the importance of speed and agility, along with asking the right questions. [Recode]

 

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Occipital brings VR to the iPhone with new tracking camera 

Occipital launched a $500 development kit for its iOS-based room-scale VR headset. Using the Structure headset already in use to build 3D models of large spaces, Occipital’s new kit allows for virtual realities that allow users to move around their physical space while seeing a virtual world. The set of cameras is able to track obstacles and keep the user safe as they get immersed. [Upload]

 

Big Footprint launches new coffee subscription service

After expanding their shaving subscription service, ShaveMob, Denver marketing agency Big Footprint launched their next tech and e-commerce product this week: a single-serve coffee brewer and subscription program called DripJoy. Based on the company’s proprietary algorithms, the system automatically extrapolates how much coffee will be consumed during a customer’s selected timeframe, sending out the next shipment right on time. “We brewed 3,094 cups of coffee in five days at Denver Startup Week,” DripJoy CMO, Justin Kutner, told us. “That’s 255 gallons out of 12 brewers. None of them broke or had to be taken offline for even a minute.” [Interview]

 

Denver ranks 6 in millennials’ job search

A new report from LinkedIn places Denver in the No. 6 slot "with the highest annual growth in job interest among millennials." The study found IT and financial services jobs are hot in the city, with hospitality and health care jobs also generating a lot of interest. Austin; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; and Detroit take the top three slots. [Denver Business Journal]

 

New mental health resource launches for startup employees

Colorado Entrepreneurs Mental Health Network is a new source for help with mental health. The free service offers counseling via phone, chat and text to those dealing with the stresses of working at a startup. It’s a collaborative effort from the likes of Brad Feld, AJ Cohen and Kristin Darga. [Denverite]

 

New STEM hackathon hosted by SendGrid, FullContact and the Denver Broncos

SendGrid and FullContact are partnering with the Denver Broncos for the Tackle STEM Colorado All-Stars Hackathon, bringing college students from across the state together for three days of innovating. Hosted at Sports Authority Field on Nov. 18–20, the event will let participants get feedback from all-stars in STEM fields. Interested students can sign up now. [Press release]

 

Guild Education to help more adults learn with $8.5M Series A

Denver’s Guild Education raised $8.5 million to help them expand education services for the U.S.’s 64 million working adults who can’t afford degree programs. The service already has 200 students after its 2015 launch, and hopes to build on employer and university partnerships to add opportunities for new kinds of students. [Built In Colorado]

 

StartUp Health launches in Colorado

Healthtech startups abound in Colorado, and StartUp Health wants to help them succeed. The California-based company announced its second regional network affiliate program, StartUp Health Colorado, which will leverage the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus to create a health innovation hub. The initiative plans to help 30 startups in the first three years. [Innovation News]

 

Peak Startup Week brings innovators to Colorado Springs

This week, Peak Startup Week will bring together entrepreneurs and startups to share business experiences and pitch ideas with the community. This is the first year for the event, put on by community builder Peak Startup, and will include events at Catalyst Campus, Ivywild School and Epicentral Coworking. [The Gazette]

Images via featured companies, Shutterstock

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