POWDER MOUNTAIN: COULD BECOME THE ENTREPRENEURIAL MECCA OF UTAH.

• Author: Whale, Kassi Cox

Powder Mountain never achieved the fame of Park City or Deer Valley, nevertheless, it's this mountain that will soon become a household name for entrepreneurs, techies, artists, researchers, scientists, and everyone else who has a desire to engage, impact, and innovate a sustainable and cutting-edge future.

SAVE POWDER MOUNTAIN

It all began with Greg Mauro, a venture capitalist and managing partner of Learn Capital, who had the desire to save Powder Mountain from becoming another overdeveloped, overcrowded, and over-the-top ski resort. But he figured out how to do it after an event put on by a company called Summit.

Summit is an organization that hosts conferences and events for young entrepreneurs, activists, artists, and others who are top of their field. They feature speakers such as Richard Branson and Bill Clinton, who discuss the latest in tech, innovation, best business practices, and philanthropy.

Since Summit's foundation, the organization has invested in startups, such as Uber, and have raised millions for different nonprofits and charities. However, this esteemed organization never truly had a place to call home. They jumped from location to location, until they met Mr. Mauro.

CROWDFUNDING FROM BILLIONAIRES

The event was Summit at Sea and the year was 2011. After the boat was docked, and the excitement had calmed, Mr. Mauro scheduled a quick coffee with the founders of Summit. This, however, turned into an epic three-day meeting, in which Mr. Mauro and the founders of Summit wound up standing on the top of Powder Mountain agreeing they must do everything they could to buy the very mountain they were standing on.

May it be due to the stunning vistas, the breathtaking views, or perhaps just an ambitious whim, this small group of men decided to purchase the mountain and give the Summit community a permanent home, one sitting at 8600 feet. Now they just had to figure out how they were going to find the money to buy it.

Mr. Mauro and the founders of Summit turned to crowdsourcing. Over the course of 15 weekends, Summit hosted roughly 2,000 people at Powder Mountain where they talked business, vision, and goals. By April 2013 they closed on Powder Mountain for roughly $40 million, securing its future as the entrepreneurial mecca of Utah.

A NEW KIND OF GATED COMMUNITY

Inspired by the mountain towns of Switzerland, Powder Mountain is now set to become a year-round community of innovators coming together to solve the world's most pressing...