Congratulations to the winners of our Technology Innovation Grants!
We had almost 200 requests for funding with applications from all over the state. Businesses were judged on criteria such as how they would use the grant money to help their business and the impact businesses have on their communities. Our grants committee closely reviewed all applications, and this was a very competitive process.
We awarded 16 grants from $2,500 to $12,500, totaling $150,000.
Anchor Feeds
Rocky Ford, Colorado
The grant funding will be used to pay for website and social media development. We also know that this will require some maintenance expenses. We have a need to get our product details and our company name out to the public, so that they can go to stores and recognize our feed.
BAR-U-EAT
Hayden, Colorado
The grant funds will be used to support content creation and social media. We feel we have a great website, but struggle to find the time and funding to truly create and share enough quality content to drive engagement and traffic to our website to promote sales. We’d like to lean into our brand and founding story to highlight who we are and how our granola bars stand out to the competition. With some additional support we believe we can make a huge impact through our social media channels with some fresh content and improved consistency.
Cactus Hill Farm
La Jara, Colorado
The grant will be used to work with a tech company to create a cohesive marketing strategy to generate more social media followers and more website traffic, and purchase ads to create followers and drive traffic to the site.
Gently Loved Community Thrift Shop
Del Norte, Colorado
The grant funding will be used for a point of sale system, card reader, printer, tagging gun, washer and dryer, computer, tech support, marketing through digital media support and security cameras.
Good Vibes River Gear
Craig, Colorado
The grant funds will be used to work with a technology company to develop better website content, better social media content, and become more knowledgable about online marketing strategies and driving more traffic to our website. We will use the funds from this grant to enhance our online presence through video development and a strong social media strategy. We would continue our online sales growth by driving more traffic to our website with professional videos and content via online marketing and social media outlets.
Jacqueline Hess Designs
Durango, Colorado
The grant funding will be used to invest in a website first and the remainder will then go to a plasma cutter for further technical innovation.
Momentum Aerial Arts
Alamosa, Colorado
The grant will be used for videography, photography, website design, social media management.
Podunk’s Ranch
Cortez, Colorado
The grant funding will pay for the education and/or expert to assist with the technology for my web-site design, email marketing campaigns with a (drip) communication software, and adding beef subscriptions to the web site.
Sirena Picoza Chili Shaker/Tierra Sana Organic Produce
Alamosa, Colorado
The grant will be utilized to establish an online presence by creating a dedicated website, social media pages, and will be used to purchase and install technological infrastructure for the headquarters of both Sirena Picoza Chili Shaker/Tierra Sana Organic Produce.
SLV Apothecary
Alamosa, Colorado
The grant will be used to purchase a SQUARE register & hardware accessories and for technical support for the new barcode system. Funds will also go toward an upgrade to our website to create an online market for Community Supported Agriculture where people could order CSA boxes online to be picked up at our shop. This online market will allow customers to order a box of the week that will include local produce, herbs, soap, and other natural medicines that are in season.
Stephanie Buechler, Photographer
Saguache, Colorado
The grant funding will be used for new photographic equipment and an updated computer geared to handling the large number of photographic files that a school picture day renders to help speed up my editing times.
Up Top Cafe
Del Norte, Colorado
The grant funds will be used to upgrade the technology in the cafe as well as marketing via social media efforts, website development and fine tuning our online ordering systems.
We Are Coconuts, LLC
Durango, Colorado
The grant funds will be used to update my website. My goal is to create an online retail experience with my customers to keep them engaged and increase sales. I want to help them understand my brand and company using video content and marketing strategies.
Wild Forest
Durango, Colorado
The grant funding request will be used to develop an integrated marketing and sales framework, as we learn how to effectively manage our website, online sales platform and social media tools to effectively reach our target customers and make sales. We are in the process of launching a certified food manufacturing facility in La Plata County, in order to process, store and distribute high quality, equitable and sustainable superfoods throughout various niche markets. This year, we worked with a farming cooperative in Peru to process, certify, and export single origin cacao to Durango. The success of our business will depend on our ability to reach our customers through multiple avenues, including retail, online sales, and wholesale distribution. The proposed project will provide us with vital support to develop our marketing and sales platform.
Wild Roots Kava Company LLC
La Junta, Colorado
The grant will be used to purchase a point of sale system so that we can track our inventory, sales and accounting. We would also use the funding to build a website and online marketplace for our business so that we can increase our online presence and gain passive sales. Part of the Kava bar concept is to be a wireless internet hub so I would use a portion of the grant to improve our Wi-Fi and internet services in the Kava bar and switch to high speed fiber optics to insure no service interruptions for the patrons or business. We would also like to upgrade our menu boards to digital menu screens that can be easily changed and themed.
Wolf Creek Anglers
South Fork, Colorado
The grant funding will be used to build a new website, professional photography and video footage, and marketing. Our current website has errors that cannot be rectified and also not suitable for mobile devices. The site has an embedded booking software for on line booking which also has errors that cannot be corrected. We’ve been limping along for quite awhile now.
