Go Code Colorado: Innovation through open data

The government collects and manages mountains of data in the course of regular business. Unfortunately, much of this data is locked away in legacy systems or posted to disparate sites online. Public data is an under-utilized resource — a resource that can give Colorado businesses a competitive edge. 

 

Go Code Colorado is taking a lead position in the open data movement, which asks government entities of all sizes to make their data — a public asset — available to developers and entrepreneurs. You have an opportunity to be part of this innovative program that works across government and with the private sector to build a stronger Colorado. 

 

The first and only statewide effort of its kind, Go Code Colorado brings together a community of entrepreneurs, business partners, and developers to make use of public data through a civic app challenge.  

 

The events series is anchored by a challenge weekend in five cities across the state, engaging the entire state in two days of innovation around the use of public data. 

 

Teams are charged with building apps that use public data to help businesses make more-informed decisions. Two teams from each city move on in the competition, getting help from a network of mentors — including a mentorship weekend — as they further develop their ideas. The teams pitch their ideas to an independent panel of expert judges at the final competition event. 

 

The top three teams are awarded a contract with the state and $25,000 each in funding to get their business idea going. This is important early seed money to help you turn your idea into a solution for Colorado businesses.

 

Go Code Colorado is an initiative of the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, with strong collaboration from the Governor’s Office, the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and the Governor’s Office of Information Technology. The program is also supported by corporations like Google, Rally Software, and SendGrid and leading public policy voices like the Colorado Technology Association.  

 

“Go Code Colorado is a prime example of what can be accomplished when the government and private-sector collaborate to move our state forward,” said Erik Mitisek, CEO of the Colorado Technology Association.

 

“We’ve already seen great successes from this initiative over the past year and I’m excited for our second year,” said Secretary of State Wayne Williams. “We’re leveraging our flourishing tech and startup communities to help unleash the potential of our publicly available data to improve Colorado’s business climate.”

 

The calendar is set for Go Code Colorado 2015. Get involved and help build apps, build business, and build Colorado. 

 

 

Music, hors d'oeuvres, and Colorado’s leaders in open data and tech entrepreneurship mix to kick off the second year of the Go Code Colorado challenge. Listen to remarks from Colorado leaders in the public and private sectors and watch Challenge Statement videos to learn more about the business challenges teams will compete to solve. 

 

 

Go Code Colorado Challenge Weekend occurs in five cities across the state—Colorado Springs, Denver, Durango, Fort Collins and  Grand Junction—from Friday evening, April 10 to Sunday evening April 12.  Teams in each of the five cities compete to build apps and businesses that use public data to help businesses make better-informed decisions. Two winning teams from each region will move on from the challenge and attend Mentor Weekend in Boulder (April 24-26th) to further develop their ideas with Colorado’s  tech and entrepreneurial leaders . On May 21st, in Denver, the ten finalists will present their apps to a panel of judges who’ll decide on the three best business and app ideas. The winners are awarded a contract with the state—which includes $25,000 for each of the top three winning teams. For more information regarding the events visit our website.