15 years ago, Boulder was a sleepy US college town situated in the Rockies. It was known for its nature and hiking, along with its more bohemian and traveler atmosphere. After all, Boulder is a place to come for bouldering.

In 2006, Google acquired a local startup called @Last Software. This was perhaps the first flap of the butterfly effect that ignited a tech scene which no one could predict. The infrastructure has been in place for such an innovative environment, with federal labs stretching back to the 1950s along with its famed university.

Digital Innovation in Entertainment

A big thrust behind the type of innovation that occurs in Boulder has been in entertainment. There are many video game developers based in Boulder, such as Backflip Studios and Serenity Forge. The type of people searching for legal Bovada alternatives, many of which are reviewed by Casinos.us, are also the type to be working within gaming in Boulder. The site provides more details and insights into various legal alternatives to Bovada, offering detailed comparisons and reviews for users looking for different gaming platforms.

Many of these video game firms have had significant inputs into virtual reality and graphic advancements. Boulder-based Occipital is leading the way with its Structure Sensor, a 3D scanning device that has the ability to recreate realistic 3D models for games. This helps speed up VR game development for other companies, as they can transpose real-life objects into the virtual world.

One aspect that has really shaped the entertainment industry has been personalized recommendations. Boulder-based firms like Wurl have been R&Ding with machine learning to iterate on more sophisticated algorithms that help curate content. Wurl’s ContentDiscovery platform is exceedingly competent at analyzing real-time viewer behavior and thus predicts what they may like to watch, before they even realize it themselves. Wurl’s platform is going to open opportunities up to FAST channels, which can attract high-value targeted viewers to then increase their advertising profitability.

Boulder’s Tech Ecosystem

Boulder’s tech ecosystem is a dynamic dance between experimental startups and tech behemoths like Google, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft. The large tech firms are attracted to the area due to its highly skilled workforce, with the local university attracting many internationals to study STEM subjects. In fact, the university is known for three things in particular: Tech, business, and physics – the latter of which is often the most useful when recruiting talent in tech and finance.

By 2021, there was around $6 billion in VC funding already, showing that it’s not just the established firms that have been attracted to Boulder, but startups too. In fact, it is the relationship between the two that has created a highly creative environment.

It’s also important to note its positioning. It’s a youthful, walkable town that is surrounded by mountains and climbing opportunities. With both nature and urban culture, its geographical positioning alone is a cause for talent being attracted there.

Key facts about Boulder’s business environment:

• Boulder has almost 9,000 employers, 120,000 jobs and 130,000 population.
• Over 700 of Boulder’s employers are considered “primary employers” meaning that more than 50% of their revenue comes from outside the county.
• 96% of Boulder’s 8,000 employers have under 50 employees
• 1.6% of employers are responsible for half the workers, showing it does attract big business
• 17 research centers that are federally funded
• Around 60% of businesses have only been in the city for under 10 years.
• 92% of the population are in white-collar jobs
• Average household income is $132,932

Why Innovation Spreads

Boulder is a good example of the network effect, in which the value of a good, service, or place increases in value because more people are using it. More talent through the university brings more businesses, which in turn brings more talent. The cyclical impact this has had is evident in the startup ecosystem that has emerged.

Furthermore, Silicon Valley, which is essentially a highway that many perceive to have a worse living experience than Boulder, along with the higher cost of living, means that a large network has developed. While many of the headquarters are still in Silicon Valley, a lot of the innovation occurs in the Boulder offices due to its close proximity to startups and the research labs.

Final Word

To top off the success of Boulder, it’s a wildly popular hub for travelers and tourism. These extra funds only bring in more tax revenues to be spent on developing the local startup ecosystem, which was birthed from federal research labs and a top university. Boulder has yet to make itself known globally as a place to headquarter large tech firms, but for those involved in tech, it’s a hub of innovation and research.

John Mali Director of Media Relations

Director of Media Relations at AboutBoulder.com

john@aboutboulder.com