2014 startup events.

• Position: Calendar

BOULDER STARTUP WEEK

YEAR 5, MAY 12-16

Boulder Startup Week debuted its five-day showcase back in 2010, sprinkling a series of free meet-ups, socials, panels and more on subjects from social impact to development to design. One highlight is the fly-in program.

"Fly-ins or potential recruits apply to travel from around the country to Boulder Startup Week and are introduced to all the companies around town," said Matthew Sisson, former creative director of PivotDesk, who participated in the fly-in program in 2011 and has since co-founded Pixel Space, a venture that seeks to connect out-of-town entrepreneurs to local businesses year-round.

FORT COLLINS STARTUP WEEK

YEAR 1, MAY 20-25

Last summer, a study by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation put Fort Collins-Loveland in the No. 2 slot on its list of Top 10 Metro Areas for high-tech startup density. Attracting more than 3,200 people from 16 states and Puerto Rico, Fort Collins' first-ever Startup Week was structured similarly to Boulder and Denver's multi-day events. It culminated with the finals of the Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenges and Venture Fest, a collaboration between Blue Ocean and Colorado State University's Institute for Entrepreneurship. The business pitch competition winner, Loveland-based Decibullz, walked away with a $250,000 prize.

Blue Ocean will also be teaming up with Denver-based Galvanize to recreate the co-working, incubator and tech-school trifecta in Northern Colorado, set to open next year.

DENVER STARTUP WEEK

YEAR 3, SEPT. 15-20 Mark your calendars

Denver Startup Week has sought community feedback in planning each year's event, and this year roughly 9,500 votes were cast to determine the week's worth of scheduling in four areas: business, technology, design and manufacturing--140 events, all free.

"We are the largest free entrepreneurial event in...