On April 27, more than 100 attendees gathered in the CU Denver Business School’s Jake Jabs Event Center for the 22nd year of THE CLIMB | Jake Jabs Startup Pitch Competition. The evening event featured live pitch presentations, a distinguished panel of judges, Jake Jabs returning as the keynote speaker, and networking for Colorado’s entrepreneurial community. As the competition’s grand finale, it celebrated the hard work of student teams from across the state that have been developing and validating their ideas since February.  Read more

Think of several successful entrepreneurs you admire. Chances are that most of those brilliant figures did not complete a college degree, at least not in entrepreneurship. It is often said, rightfully, that entrepreneurship is one of those things that is best learned in practice. Albert Einstein even stated that “in theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.”  Read more

Warm, rich, and aromatic. Globally, so many people wake up to the sensory experience of coffee. This little cup of zen can start a morning off on the right foot and ready us for the day. It can even inspire big ideas in small moments, bright ideas that inspire big change. Meet Jake Stechmeyer, ’13, CU Denver alum, CEO of Native Coffee Club, and digital marketing manager at CU Denver Business School.  Read more

One of CU Denver Business School’s biggest sources of gratitude is the opportunity to meet amazing scholars. Every day, the school is honored to connect with brilliant individuals and help them achieve their goals by setting the stage for extraordinary possibilities. Recently, the Business School caught up with CU Denver alumna Shivali Arora, MS in Business Analytics, director at RayzeBio, and founder and director at Knowledge Isotopes.  Read more

On Thursday, Sept. 22, a small group of students, community members, faculty, and staff gathered at the Jake Jabs Events Center for one draw: Rosenberg’s Bagels and Delicatessen. Its founder and owner, Joshua Pollack, was there to share his insights from surviving the pandemic and how it has changed the strategic vision for his Bridge & Tunnel Restaurant Group.  Read more

College students from across Colorado competed in the first all-virtual series for CU Denver’s business plan competition after last year’s COVID-19 hiatus. On Thursday, April 29, more than 150 attendees joined the online event platform Socio to witness aspiring collegiate entrepreneurs compete for cash prizes. Hosted by the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) Business School, THE CLIMB | Virtual Pitch Night showcased six finalists, four People’s Choice Award contenders, and their business ideas as they pitched to audience members and a live panel of judges.  Read more

Kamiya Willoughby is a current CU Denver Business School student majoring in Business Administration with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship. She built a strong catering business, SoulNia, while utilizing her networks that were established at the Business School and the Commons on Champa. Inspired by her grandmother and father, Kamiya strives to carry on her family legacy.  Read more