When I walk through Denver’s neighborhoods, I’m always struck by how many small signs of ingenuity surround me: the independent coffee roaster experimenting with a new cold-brew process, the pop-up art gallery taking over an empty storefront for a weekend, the construction crew testing greener insulation methods on a 1920s bungalow. Those moments remind me why I believe so deeply in the city’s entrepreneurial spirit—and why we need to nurture it with care and foresight.

Dr Connor Robertson Denver

In my earlier article, Green Infrastructure as an Engine for Local Prosperity, I argued that resilient cities require more than smart buildings and energy-efficient streets; they need an equally resilient human infrastructure. This piece is about that human side: how we build a talent pipeline that gives every future founder in Denver a clear, supported path from first spark of curiosity to thriving business owner.

Why a True Pipeline Matters to Me

I’ve launched companies, advised others, and watched many promising ventures stall—not because the ideas were weak, but because the people behind them didn’t have access to the right skills, mentors, or early customers. Programs help for a season, but a pipeline is different. It’s a continuous system that meets people where they are—grade school, trade school, university, mid-career—and gives them the tools and relationships to keep moving.

A strong pipeline keeps talent local, reduces “brain drain,” and shows young people that they don’t have to leave Denver to build something meaningful. It also creates a culture where entrepreneurship feels normal, not exceptional.

Planting Seeds Early

My own interest in business started before high school, when I was selling small items at neighborhood yard sales. Looking back, I realize how transformative it would have been to have structured opportunities at that age: maker labs rolling from classroom to classroom, mentors showing us how to price a product or talk to our first customers.

Elementary and middle school are the perfect times to plant those seeds. Simple projects—like designing a better lunch-line system or running a one-day pop-up market—can teach kids to identify problems, run quick experiments, and experience real ownership.

By ninth grade, students should be solving authentic community challenges: improving a bike path’s safety, reducing cafeteria food waste, or running a small online shop for local artisans. When these projects are paired with neighborhood entrepreneurs who volunteer as judges or advisors, the lessons stick.

Multiple Paths to Skill

Denver needs many routes to entrepreneurship, not just the four-year degree. I’ve seen trade apprenticeships, community-college programs, and short, focused bootcamps turn out some of the city’s most capable founders.

Imagine a young carpenter learning energy-efficient construction methods while earning a living wage, or a digital-marketing apprentice who understands the nuances of blue-collar industries because they’ve spent months side by side with contractors. These experiences create a bank of skills that can be recombined into a business when the time is right.

Community colleges can be the beating heart of this system, offering stackable certificates in everything from CAD design to sustainable HVAC retrofits. Add in coding bootcamps, design sprints, and business-fundamentals workshops, and you have a landscape where anyone with the drive can gain practical, revenue-ready skills.

Universities as Bridge Builders

Our universities are talent magnets already, but they can do more to connect students directly to real-world problems. I envision semester-long projects where business students, engineers, and urban-planning majors partner with local businesses to renovate a block, improve digital storefronts, or test a green-roof system.

Co-op models—where students alternate between academic terms and paid industry work—could also expand dramatically. Those experiences give graduates not only a diploma but also a portfolio of tangible accomplishments and a network of future collaborators.

Mentorship with Structure

Good advice changes lives, but only if it’s accessible and consistent. I’d like to see a mentorship “architecture” in Denver: rotating office hours in libraries and maker spaces, a simple public calendar, and a one-page intake form so mentors can prepare in advance.

This isn’t about a single inspiring meeting; it’s about dependable guidance month after month. When founders know they can get feedback every Wednesday evening, they start to build the habit of seeking input early—before small issues become expensive mistakes.