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