Telluride reaches out to budding businesses: Six-month 'venture accelerator' exposes entrepreneurs to mentors, angel investors.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

In Telluride, there is more natural beauty than the eve can see. Economic diversity, not so much. The local economy is based on tourism and real estate. and more tourism.

People don't usually come here to start a company. They are much more likely to move to town alter selling one.

But that means there is no shortage of residents and second-home owners with C-level experience at Fortune 500 companies. And those who don't live here can't argue with an extended vacation in Telluride.

Under the umbrella of the nonprofit Telluride Foundation, the Telluride Venture Accelerator is looking to pair this deep pool of experience and the remarkable location and other natural resources to see what kind of new businesses might take root in Telluride. The locus is on companies other than the tech startups often associated with other accelerators.

"We Felt we had to create a niche for ourselves." says TVA Director Jesse, Johnson. "We chose outdoor products, natural products, and tourism and travel, as well as et travel, education and water.

Johnson first pitched the concept to the Telluride Foundation last year. The foundation's officials liked the concept, leading to a September launch for the TVA. The application process forth first class of companies began in October. About WO applications came in from all Over the U.S. as well as 10 countries. The winners--Denver-based Globa.li, Telluridebased Hoggle Goggle, Dolores-based High Desert Foods and Maine-based Hyperlite Mountain 11 Gear--arrived in Telluride in early February and are in town through July with office space at e Peaks Resort in Mountain Village and $30,000 in seed funding. as well as in-kind services from local businesses.

The six-month program culminates with Demo Day on July 15. "They'll stand up in front of a room of angel investors, an maybe sonic institutional ones, and make their quick pitch for funding," says Johnson or the grand finale.

Most important is the mentoring, says Johnson. "We have this incredibly rich pool or people," he says or TVA's 55 mall had never plugged into something like this in Telluride."

Among the TVA mentors are Cheryl Rosner, former president of Hotels.com, and Jerry Colonna, founder of Flatiron Partners, one of the most successful earlystage VC funds oft: dot-com boom.

Hoggle Goggle has developed the cponymous strap-mounted, scratch-preventing sheath for ski goggles. "They've been doing a spectacular job of connecting us with people," says Lara Young, GEE)...