OpenSnow.

• Position: SMALL BIZ: TECH STARTUP

INITIAL LIGHTBULB: OpenSnow CEO Joel Gratz started skiing when he was 4 years old and avidly watched The Weather Channel throughout childhood. So, it's no wonder he became a meteorologist.

He started the Colorado Powder Forecast blog and newsletter in 2007 after a ski trip to Breckenridge in 2005, during which 6 inches at Breck was dwarfed by a storm up north.

"As I was driving home, I heard there was 2 feet at Steamboat and 4 feet from the storm," says Gratz. "I understand forecasts on big mountains are incredibly difficult, but they shouldn't be off by 2 feet."

Gratz started forecasting for Colorado's ski areas and joined forces with forecasters in Tahoe, Utah, New England and the Mid-Atlantic to launch OpenSnow in 2011 with co-founder and CTO Andrew Murray.

IN A NUTSHELL: OpenSnow outdoes traditional snow forecasts with a narrow focus. "I'm only predicting snow in the mountains and ski areas," says Gratz.

He calls most traditional snow reports "old news," covering snowfall over 24 hours.

The value-add stems from skiing insights, he says, calling it "more than a forecast ... We're providing commentary on how to have the best time in the mountains."

The business model is a hybrid of advertising and...