2020 Esprit Entrepreneur

Though the 2020 Esprit Entrepreneur event was an all-virtual affair, that didn't slow down the evening's celebrations of Boulder's entrepreneurial spirit.

The event began with a lively preshow hosted by Dennis Paul, Vice President of Community Affairs at Elevations Credit Union, and Scott Firle, Member Relations Director at the Boulder Chamber. Attendees who tuned in for the preshow had the chance to hear brief interviews with each of the Esprit Venture Challenge finalists and win one of three special giveaways for the evening.

The long-awaited final round of the Esprit Venture Challenge followed the preshow. Local startups StrideTech Medical, Kegstand, and Mini Money Management participated in the live pitch competition for their chance at the $10,000 grand prize. Each startup was given five minutes to pitch their product to the audience, after which a panel of judges facilitated a Q&A period with each of the ventures. This year's judges included Peter Adams, Executive Director of the Rockies Venture Club; Bhavna Chhabra, Site Director at Google Boulder; and Erick Mueller, Executive Director of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship.

Following superb pitches from all three ventures, local entrepreneurs Trent Hein and Dan Mackin, co-CEOs of cybersecurity firm Rule4, provided the evening's keynote speech.

Lastly, the Boulder Chamber facilitated a round of live voting to determine the grand prize winner of the 2020 Esprit Venture Challenge. Kegstand, a startup that is reinventing the traditional keg to lower distribution costs for brewers, ultimately took home the top prize of $10,000 to close out the evening's celebrations.

The Boulder Chamber would like to thank everyone who virtually attended Esprit Entrepreneur, all of the ventures that applied to and competed in the 2020 Esprit Venture Challenge, the impressive panel of judges who offered their time and expertise in support of the competing finalists, and the evening's sponsors for supporting Boulder's entrepreneurs. You are instrumental in helping Boulder's innovation economy thrive. It was our privilege to celebrate Boulder's entrepreneurial spirit with you, and we'll see you next year!