In all the craziness of Denver Startup Week, which hit a record number of attendees, the Denver Office of Economic Development announced six new "Denver Gazelles."
Denver Gazelles is the city's list of the fastest growing firms who have already proven themselves as successful, profitable companies who have created jobs and have the potential to continue doing so long-term.
This year, six technology companies were added to the list: Blinker, Cloud Elements, Parkifi, SendGrid, Havenly, and MindAptiv. These six companies along represent $124M raised through venture capital, private investment, and angel/seed investors.
OED Executive Director Paul Washington stated that this year there was an especially strong field of candidates to review and "selecting just a few firms to designate as Denver Gazelles was actually more challenging than ever this year."
While there is no reward for being named a Denver Gazelle, these companies report that being part of the roster has helped open doors and led to more opportunities. Which is the ultimate goal of the list: to showcase Denver's entrepreneurial talent and support its rapid growth.
Washington said,
"We commend these companies for their successful track record at demonstrating innovation while raising significant investment capital in today's business environment. Named after the swift four-legged gazelle, these are fast-moving companies with unlimited futures. Each is poised to continue to do great things in the year ahead, and we are proud to help them grow and prosper in the city."
Denver Gazelles was started by the Denver Office of Economic Development in 2012, and now lists 25 companies including Trackvia, Ibotta (2012), FullContact (2013), Galvanize, Layer 3 TV (2014), and Four Winds Interactive (2015).