Summer and the fun it brings can never come soon enough. Here's four Colorado-based tech companies that you can use to get summer started as early as this weekend:
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What it is: A marketplace for renting outdoor gear.
How it can spice up your summer: Rent a camping kit for $8 or a backpacking kit for $11. (That's half of what you would pay at REI.)
What’s going on behind the scenes: “We had offers from two different accelerator programs, but recently chose to join Coolhouse Labs this summer,” founder Robert Auston said.
Who they are: A local team of two, including Auston and CTO and founder Alex McClary. Their looking to grow their brand this summer through their ambassador program, which gives benefits like $400 towards outdoor activities.
Team’s favorite hiking place: “The Collegiate Peaks in central Colorado,” Auston said. “Mt. Harvard is a favorite for a three-day weekend backcountry camping trip.”
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What it is: a mobile software company that develops web and mobile technology for social event planning.
How it can spice up your summer: "You can plan any activity with a group of friends directly from your mobile device,” CEO and founder Eric Hubbell said. “Set the details, send invites and collaborate with friends all using our social application. Collect cash from all your friends in one app by creating a paid or crowd-funded event."
What they’re working on behind the scenes: “Myhub’s been in private beta for about a month now and we’re rapidly developing new features and fine-tuning the app experience,” Hubbell said. “Recent submissions have included significant updates to the interface and a lot of functionality tweaks that include various notifications, editing and canceling events. To date, Myhub’s sent out over 15,000 invites and seen over 3,000 follows - and we’re just getting started.”
Who they are: A five-member team based out of Galvanize in the Golden Triangle district: “We’re looking for a passionate and motivated front-end developer that’s looking for an exciting opportunity to optimize and develop ahead with our web development and mobile integrations.”
For more summer fun: “We’ve set up a variety of local partnerships for the summer including the Final Fridays Art Walk (final friday of every month) happening in the Rhino District downtown.”
Their favorite place to hike in Colorado: “You simply can’t beat the beauty of the flatirons, proximity to Boulder / Denver, and speed of the hike. A couple hours will get you to the top and back while completely changing your day. We recommend the Royal Arch trail.”
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What it is: A members-only hotel site, giving users up to 27 percent off prices on leading travel sites.
How to use it for this summer: “On your next business trip or family vacation, try us out and save money on your hotel,” CMO David Folwell said. “We offer insider access to exclusive rates at over 34,000 hotels.” (Here’s a link to get 10,000 ($10) in free points.)
Who they are: An 8-person team that is looking to make some marketing and developer hires soon.
Why their team loves summer: “Every year we host a casino night,” Folwell said. “We move the ping pong table and shuffle board aside and install a craps table for a night filled with cocktails and faux gambling.”
Their favorite Colorado hike: Hanging Lake
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What it is: an online booking agency for vacation rentals.
What’s going on behind the scenes: “We recently surpassed 70,000 nights booked for our owners,” VP Brian Becker said. “Our platform allows us to monitor the performance of every property in the Evolve Network in real time. This gives us the ability to make instant adjustments that help to maximize each home's booking potential.”
Their team’s summer plans: Their 21-person team always hosts a summer picnic in a Denver park and also takes full advantage of their amazing rooftop deck: “Team members have organized everything from yoga classes to bean-bag toss tournaments,” Becker said.
The team’s favorite hiking place: “Roxborough State Park is one of the area's best kept secrets,” Becker said. “The hikes offer fantastic views of incredible red-rock formations and there's an abundance of wildlife in the area.”
To recommend an enterntainment & leisure startup, email [email protected].
