University of Colorado Denver MBA student Derek Safko noticed that simply saying “car wash business” is like tossing a wet blanket over potential investors. They often zone out before he can reveal the breadth of his plan to revolutionize the industry. So, Safko took the extreme step of conducting a moonshot – quite literally. After weeks of watching weather patterns, he launched a copy of his business plan to the edge of space.  Read more

The winds of change sweeping the nation on Wednesday, Nov. 9, are nothing new to Josh Pollack. He’s seen plenty of shifts in the past year. His bagel store in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, which proved an immediate success upon opening two years ago, sustained a major setback last May when an early morning fire broke out in one of the apartments above the business. The blaze damaged the back two-thirds of Rosenberg’s Bagels & Delicatessen, forcing a lengthy closure for repairs.  Read more

An innovative app that connects bars to customers with special discount offerings won the collegiate first prize at this year’s THE CLIMB | Jake Jabs Business Plan Competition, an annual business plan challenge sponsored by the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. Patrick Brown, Elliot Bath, and Devin Hougard, founders of the BARVENTURE app, took home $10,000 and a selection of in-kind prizes to support their technology-based business.  Read more

Each year, CU Denver’s Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship hosts its Business Plan Competition, in which young entrepreneurs are given the opportunity to pitch their ideas to established business leaders, with the winner receiving the financial support needed to start or grow their business. Recently, the Jake Jabs Center hosted a “Shark Tank” style pitch night, the quarter-final portion of this year’s competition, where participants were given two minutes to present their elevator pitch to a panel of esteemed judges, who then asked participants follow-up questions for up to three minutes.  Read more

The room was buzzing with excitement as ten startup teams prepared to pitch their businesses for the chance to win cash prizes and advance in THE CLIMB | Jake Jabs Business Plan Competition. At THE CLIMB Collegiate and Community Pitch Night on Oct. 13, 2016, six collegiate and four community start-up teams presented their elevator pitches to a panel of distinguished local judges and a live audience at Galvanize’s Platte campus in Denver, Colo.  Read more

Submissions for THE CLIMB | Jake Jabs Business Plan Competition are in and it is time for the next step in the competition – live pitches. All CU Denver students and the entire Denver startup community are invited to attend THE CLIMB Collegiate & Community Pitch Night at Galvanize Platte Campus (1644 Platte St.) on Thurs. Oct. 13, 6-9 p.m.  This free “Shark Tank” style pitch event will feature the top finalists of THE CLIMB | Jake Jabs Business Plan Competition as they pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges and a live audience.  Read more

$50,000 Cash and Prizes. Do you have a business idea, or a startup in need of professional or financial support? THE CLIMB | Jake Jabs Business Plan Competition is an annual business challenge for collegiate and community students looking to succeed as entrepreneurs. With up to $50,000 in cash and prizes available and valuable networking and mentorship opportunities throughout the competition, this is a remarkable opportunity to bring your business ideas to life.  Read more