The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, based in Missouri, found that Boulder Colorado had the highest density of start-up companies per capita in the United States. Most of these sprouting businesses are technology-based, and many start and eventually settle in the city. But what is it about Boulder which makes it a breeding ground for new business? First of all, Boulder’s culture spans the distance between nature-loving outdoorsy people and highly-educated tech creators. To the west are the glorious Flatirons and innumerable natural wonders, meanwhile the university is researching more... Read More

If you are of a certain age, you remember when computers were huge mainframes in the computer science lab, you took a typewriter to college, and you wrote notes by hand in class. Technology has presented us with many modern opportunities to take notes – laptops, tablets, phones, watches.  While we have many options at our disposal, science is proving that the best way to take notes for retaining knowledge is a good, old-fashioned paper and pen. Studies of memory retention using a variety of different tools for note taking show that note-taking by hand improves retention in almost all circumstances.... Read More

Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, was often interpreted as displeasure on behalf of those same beings—a punishment for failing to observe proper rituals. It doesn’t take a history scholar to understand this impulse. Weather, now as then, is both an enemy and ally. On one hand, it provides everything from the raw material for food—sunlight driving photosynthesis, wind the primary method of plants spreading their seeds—to something... Read More

Mid-1990s Boulder was busy with activity. Fitness was king. Local businesses were prized. Hacky Sack circles and jam band opuses were ubiquitous anywhere students congregated. Simultaneous to that, though, was something wholly different. Buried in the corridors of the JILA tower on CU’s campus, a breakthrough was purring along quietly. Professors Carl Wieman and Eric Cornell were making real what many physicists thought was only theory. In the 1920s, Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein conceived of a new form of matter, which came to be known as the Bose-Einstein Condensate. A full explanation... Read More

Meet Charles! “I build things. I’ve built seven robots, a concrete canoe, a UAV, a rocket, various vehicles, and a lunar wormbot. I also mentor a high school team known as ‘The Pirates.’ They have recently built a 100 lb. robot.” Thanks Charles!  Read More

Ask someone exactly how long one second is, and you’re likely to get a smirk. If pressed, many might rely on the “one-Mississippi” trick from their hide-and-seek days. Others might claim an innate sense of it, as though they’re a minor—if punctual—X-Men style mutant. But, honestly, most would look at their smartphone. Ask the right scientist that question, though, and they’ll tell you with confidence: it’s a matter of 9,192,631,770. Boulder is home to NIST, which, among its distinctions, is the keeper of official civilian time in the United States. That moniker comes as a direct... Read More

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health technology as “the application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of lives.” We live in an era where technology touches our lives almost everywhere, but in terms of healthcare, we have more access than ever to our healthcare providers and tools to guide our personal health strategy.  For example, mobile apps give us access to price comparisons for prescription medicines. Fitness devices and apps can give us feedback on... Read More

You can find the same business models in all major cities, but the real interests of a community can only be unearthed by digging through their non-profit and/or nongovernmental organizations. Here are a few of Boulder’s which we felt touched on some key interests of this city as a whole. Boulder’s BCycle AboutBoulder has a 3 year history with BCycle, and for good reason. This NGO brought “bikeshare” to Boulder. They now have 39 stations around the city with a fleet of 275 bikes. Simply buy a pass and you’ll get access to unlimited 30-minute bike rental sessions until the pass expires.... Read More

Grab your smartphones and tablets and get ready, because automated learning just got cuddly with this local startup’s toy. Meet Ubooly, the uber cute and unboring toy for your kids ‘guaranteed to outlast any other toy’. At its most basic, Ubooly is an interactive, smart technology based stuffed animal that is powered by your smartphone or tablet.   When you purchase an Ubooly, you receive the adorably furry toy case for your phone or tablet as well as a free membership for Ubooly’s interactive features to provide your child with an engaging and educational play experience. Once your... Read More

Almost anyone with a dog will tell you that their furry friend is more than just a pet, it’s their beloved best friend and they do everything they can together; walks, runs, hikes and in the case of some of the lucky well behaved and registered support dogs, even errands! And in a city where tech and dogs rule all, its no surprise that one of Boulder’s youngest startups offers smart technology for mans best friend. WÜF is a smart dog collar striving to become the leader in smart technology for animals.  Their mission: to enable better dog owners and provide unique communication with... Read More

  Generally speaking, most companies offer a multitude of benefits for their employees. Benefits can range anywhere from local bus passes to health and dental benefits or 401k matching. But nowadays, with startups and new businesses placing such a heavy emphasis on engaging company cultures, new and unique takes on employee perks and benefits are popping up all over, it’s not just your average health insurance coverage anymore. Major companies like Eventbrite offer employees weekly massage, acupuncture and chiropractic sessions covered by the company; Thrilllist and Foursquare allow their... Read More

Recently, a technology that edits genomes was used in China to genetically modify pigs.  The result for the consumer would be pigs that are better adapted to cold weather while carrying around 24% less fat.  The technology, called CRISPR, an acronym for clusters of regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats,  has two components. First, CRISPR is essentially scissors that cut DNA.  The other component is RNA, remember that from your high school biology class?  RNA transmits biological information throughout the genome.  The RNA leads the scissors to the a precise string of compounds,... Read More

      Last week’s blog on the history of movies filmed in Colorado got me thinking about the evolution of television: how we went from theater and plays, to black and white silent shows, to full blown color and sound effects. Now, we have entered a new era of virtual reality and augmented reality, whereupon putting on some over-sized goggles allows us to be fully immersed in a movie or game, becoming actively part of the films we used to passively watch. How VR works Virtual Reality’s goal is total immersion—to trick your brain into believing that what you are seeing is real. Different... Read More

Fifty-eight percent of American adults own smartphones. If you spend more than two hours a day hunched over your phone, you might succumb to “tech neck”.  Tech neck is a condition that occurs when you spend too much time with your head tilted forward to read texts or other content on your smartphone.  At a15 degree angle, your head puts about 27 pounds of pressure on your neck and spine. Patients with mobile technology-induced head, neck and back pain may face other issues besides pain like reduced lung capacity, headaches and neurological issues, depression and heart disease. While... Read More

MediaLive is an annual week long festival of performances, workshops, and events from compelling artists and thinkers working internationally in new media brought to you by the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA). Saturday evening, I got to watch one such artist perform and I’m thrilled to tell you about her. Michelle Ellsworth teaches dance, theater, and interdisciplinary specialty courses that combine dance, theater, science, technology, music, and film at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She’s won a ton of awards and honors and was recently feature in the New York Times. A... Read More

Many people get into their daily routines: get up, get ready, go to work, come home, have dinner, relax, and go to bed. Obviously it is different for every person. However, for those of you who feel stuck in a routine, get out of the house and do at least one of these events! Monday, February 22, 2016 Grab an Uber or Lyft because it’s National Margarita Day! The Rio, Three Margaritas, Rincon Del Sol, or all three in one day are great options for tasty margaritas. It is the perfect occasion to get some friends together and have a good time. Tuesday, February 23, 2016 Janelle Iglesias will present... Read More

Ever heard of Sir Richard Branson? Chances are, you most definitely have. Richard Branson is the English businessman and investor that created Virgin Group, which currently umbrellas over 400 companies world-wide. Somewhere within his busy schedule, Sir Branson decided to create a tech challenge. Starting in 2014, Sir Richard Branson developed the Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) in order to “bring together targeted resources and world class advisors to help high-energy, wicked-smart entrepreneurs that are executing on big ideas”. The final showdown takes place on Neckar Island (Sir Branson’s... Read More

Boulder, as a home for start-ups, entrepreneurs and smart, innovative people, may seem like a welcoming place. It’s a place where technology companies can draw world-class talent with the promise of a high quality of life and perks like the ability to bring your dog and your bike to work. If you look at the career pages of any of Boulder’s prominent technology companies you begin to see a common theme. Boulder is a wonderful place to live because, though people are driven to create good work, they care about things other than work too. The people care about giving back and the companies care... Read More

Boulder, Colorado – Most come to hike the Flatirons, saunter down Pearl Street for a bite to eat or simply bathe in the reverent beauty that is, Boulder, Colorado. Originally, that is why I came. The aesthetic pleasure of Boulder drew me in, so in 2011 I decided to move here, attend the University of Colorado at Boulder and pursue a degree in Economics. I soon realized that beauty, or any aesthetic pleasure for that reason, just was not enough to hold me in one place. I thought about leaving time and time again, and then one day, I gave myself a reason to stay. I stayed because of the... Read More

Boulder is an interesting paradox with its culture. It is both black and white at the same time yet none of those fifty shades of grey in between. You have the opposing ends of the spectrum co-existing in a unique balance while not veering a whole lot towards the middle. Extreme is the name of the game. This concept can be found in Boulder’s politics, income levels, fitness, diets and plenty of other lifestyle elements. We want to connect with each other yet we want to stay true to our environmentally conscious roots and unplug. We want to think and act globally yet local community and economy... Read More