It’s no secret. Colorado tech is growing — fast. It’s home to nearly 11,000 technology companies. Homegrown startups are turning into industry leaders. New startups are bursting onto the scene every day. And investors and businesses around the world are taking notice and making moves to get in on the action.
This is all great news for the tech and startup community, and the local economy as a whole, but there’s an important ingredient needed to bolster and continue this growth: ample tech talent.
Though Colorado has the third highest concentration of tech talent in the country, the number of open tech roles is quickly outpacing the number of qualified candidates. But the tech community isn’t sitting by idly, waiting for the talent pool to dry up.
On April 2, a consortium of Denver’s leading technology companies joined state and city economic organizations to launch the Colorado Technology Recruiting Coalition. The coalition’s goal? To attract top talent to the state — particularly talent from Silicon Valley and the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
The announcement of the new coalition was joined by the launch of its Pivot to Colorado campaign, which highlights the state’s vibrant tech ecosystem, testimonials of Bay Area transplants and career opportunities available to engineers, product developers and tech professionals in Colorado.
Shameless plug: interested out-of-staters can peruse our job board, content, local guides and events calendar for a crash course in all things Colorado tech.
We recognize that the rising tide can lift all boats and that talented workers bring talented partners along with them, so we all need to do our part.”
“It speaks volumes about our tech community that we've collaborated on this,” said Bryan Leach, CEO of Ibotta. “We recognize that the rising tide can lift all boats and that talented workers bring talented partners along with them, so we all need to do our part. Recruiting the same people back and forth from each other isn't the way forward. We must expand the labor pool and attract talent to Colorado, particularly for specialized roles.”
The Pivot to Colorado campaign plans to drive awareness through a series of ad placements throughout Silicon Valley and San Francisco area transit systems, including train cars, stations and platforms. It will also leverage targeted social ads on Facebook and Instagram as well as audio ads and sponsored sessions on Spotify.
“While we have a strong talent pool already, the decades-worth of rich experience found in places like Silicon Valley will make our workforce even stronger for years to come,” said Tami Door, president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership. “The talent we’re seeking will make an impact on our companies while also developing the next generation of tech leaders from here in Denver.”
As the coalition and its recruiting initiatives evolve, it plans to target other markets and bring on new members, both from the public and private sector.
We share a common goal, which is the betterment and enrichment of our tech ecosystem, and we always dig in to support one another.”
“The collaborative and dedicated efforts of our coalition over the last year in contributing to and launching our Pivot to Colorado campaign is an authentic representation of what it’s like to work in the Denver tech community,” said Pattie Money, chief people officer at SendGrid. “We share a common goal, which is the betterment and enrichment of our tech ecosystem, and we always dig in to support one another. We’re excited to launch this campaign and bring more top talent to Denver.”
Founding coalition members include local tech companies Four Winds Interactive, Gusto, Healthgrades, HomeAdvisor, Ibotta, Ping Identity, SendGrid, Workday and Xero, in partnership with The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Colorado Technology Association and the Downtown Denver Partnership.
