Plans are already in motion for the 2025 Founded in FoCo event, scheduled for March 10-14 at the Fort Collins Senior Center. An initial kick-off and open house was held on May 22 at the Lyric, sparking community engagement and gathering suggestions for the event. Top priorities from the community included fostering new relationships and deepening community involvement. Suggestions for the 2025 event emphasized the inclusion of youth entrepreneurs, suitable arrangements for working parents, exploring community-economy intersections, sustainability efforts, and enhanced networking opportunities. The organizers are seeking additional partners, sponsors, team members, and volunteers to enrich the event, encouraging the community to share ideas and participate actively.
After Founded in FoCo 2024, we’re left feeling incredibly thankful for the community that made the event what it was this year.
We saw an amazing display of collaboration, learning, and networking that truly highlighted the strength and diversity of our local ecosystem.
5 Days, New Venue, New Partners
100+ Events & Speakers
700+ Community Members
Here’s a brief reflection on the week, and a big thank you to everyone involved.
Community at Its Best
This event shone because of you – the 700+ entrepreneurs, small business owners, nonprofits, solopreneurs, and community members who came together to share, learn, and connect. The range of sessions and workshops on offer was a direct reflection of our community’s broad interests and its commitment to growth, innovation, and mutual support.
And we had a blast at our Community Celebration featuring music by The FoCo Motown Revue, presented by the Bohemian Foundation. Thank you for showing up and having fun with us.
Learning Together
We’re proud to have nearly doubled the number of events this year to include over 100+ session with 100+ speakers. The opportunities for learning at Founded in FoCo for 2024 were both valuable and varied. From insights that will drive businesses and nonprofits forward to strategies that spark new ideas, it was a week rich with takeaways and inspiration.
The Power of Connection
Building relationships is at the heart of Founded in FoCo, and this year was no exception. The connections made this week, the conversations had, and the collaborative spirit felt throughout the event underscore what makes our community special. It’s these interactions that fuel the collaborative energy and drive meaningful initiatives within and beyond our ecosystem.
Highlights from 2024 participants include:
“It was a truly awesome event. The sessions I attended were first rate. The atmosphere was electric and truly collaborative.”
“Founded in FoCo is an opportunity to learn from the best in their key areas of expertise that live and work in Northern Colorado. It is motivating to feel a part of such a vibrant community of business owners and non-profits.”
“This was a delightfully intense week of meeting fellow business people (networking), learning things, and getting hype to move forward with my business!”
“I was amazed at the extensive knowledge that the instructors and business owners shared. I learned more than I could have imagined and met many individuals who shared their stories as well. Also, I have several meetings set up to pursue further help in some of the areas that I am lacking in my business.”
“So much value for the price and so many opportunities to network with locals.”
“The Founded in FOCO Conference was one of the best, well-organized conferences I have attended. The caliber of the speakers was outstanding, the volunteers were positive and helpful, the venues were clean, AV worked well (easy to see and hear,) schedule and room changes were easy to access through the app, plus well communicated via email, and the networking opportunities were well done with great food and snacks. Thank you for a great experience, I am already looking forward to next year!”
“This was worth WAY more than the $20 ticket price – AND I’m glad that at $20 everyone was able to attend no matter their economic status! Also the variety of presenters was fantastic!!”
“I’ve found the sessions that I’ve attended to be really helpful in thinking things through that I need to keep in mind for running our non-profit. I’ve also gotten some good ideas and found out about resources that I didn’t even know were out there.”
Thank You
To every attendee, speaker and volunteer – your energy and dedication are what make Founded in FoCo more than just an event. To every exhibitor, community partner, and sponsor – your financial and in-kind contributions helped make the week possible and provide meaningful resources to strengthen the entrepreneurial fabric of our economy.
A special shout-out to those of you who shared your stories and experiences, adding depth and real-world insights to our sessions and programming. Your willingness to engage and share has not only contributed to the success of this year’s event but has also set the stage for an even more impactful Founded in FoCo 2025.
As we look forward to next year, we’re inspired by the stories of growth, learning, and connection that have emerged from this week. Founded in FoCo is a testament to the vibrant, supportive community we have here in Northern Colorado, and we can’t wait to see what we’ll achieve together in the future.
Thank you, once again, for being an essential part of this journey. Your involvement is what shapes our community and makes events like Founded in FoCo a cornerstone for learning and collaboration. See you next year!
Want to get more involved?
Stay tuned for information about our May open house where we’ll look ahead to the 2025 event.
Thank you again for an amazing event. We can’t wait to see you next year!
Happy Hour at Intersect Brewing with Ally Edens, Fort Collins Poet Laureate
Jamaal Page presented a session called, “Facts tell, Stories Sell – learn how to use creative storytelling to engage your audience”The FoCo Motown Revue performed at our Community Celebration, Wednesday, March 6th, 2024.Nonprofit Day featured 16 sessions including a panel on DEI; Claudia Mendez and Cori Wong (pictured)Volunteers had fun and made everything flow smoothly; Greg Soffe (Volunteer Coordinator) and Beth Bostwick (pictured)Thursday & Friday featured workshops throughout the community; BBB of Northern Colorado (pictured)
If you’re a builder and hope to grow a business you can sell someday, Wednesday, March 6th at Founded in FoCo is your day!
We’ve got several sessions geared toward helping you increase the value and profitability of your business.
Highlights on the schedule include:
9am: Join Jill Simonds to learn about creating extreme ownership and accountability in your business and team.
10:00am: Justin Boling will talk about the Entrepreneur Operating System and how it can help your business be more successful. (This is based on the book TRACTION).
Also at 10:00am, Mark Weaver will teach you how to build a team culture to improve your organization’s ability to deliver on its mission.
11:00am: Hope Hartman will help you start thinking about your exit strategy. This is something you need to start working on several years before it’s time to actually exit.
2:30pm: Charles Fred will talk about how to increase the value of your business, so when it comes time to sell, you’re in the driver’s seat rather than being at the mercy of the buyer.
Our closing keynote is at 3:30. Kyle Kirkpatrick will share his amazing story of building his business. He’s got some really helpful insights and creative ways to turn obstacles into opportunities for innovation and growth.
Then after the closing keynote, we’ll have open networking for about 45 minutes before the Motown Revue band kicks off our closing party. They’re a 10-piece band and will give us a fun musical history of Motown. We’ll also have free finger food from Get Plattered and beverages from Herbal Mocktails and Gruvi. It promises to be a very fun evening.
