Entrepreneurs of the Denver Startup Network’s Inaugural Fall Cohort
The Denver ScaleUp Network (DenSUN) is a unique program designed by the Denver Office of Economic Development & Opportunity, in partnership with BEN Colorado and the Colorado Thought Leaders Forum. It specifically supports a small, diverse group of emerging and traditionally underserved Denver small businesses by offering advisorship, key connections, and resources needed to address strategic growth challenges. This initiative provides entrepreneurs with access to expert guidance, enabling them to overcome common scaling obstacles and build a sustainable foundation for long-term success.
This year, the program celebrates an exciting new chapter with the introduction of its first-ever fall cohort. Historically, the DenSUN program has been offered annually in the spring, but the growing need for entrepreneurial support has led to this expansion. The Fall cohort will continue the program’s tradition of offering personalized mentorship and high-level strategic advice while fostering peer-to-peer learning among participants.
With the support of key partners, DenSUN continues to empower local businesses, reinforcing Denver’s status as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurial growth.
Meet the Fall 2024 DenSUN Entrepreneurs and Their Companies:
Henry is the Founder and CEO of Farmshare, where he’s revolutionizing the meat supply chain by empowering decentralized and distributed networks. With a background in fintech and e-commerce, he most recently worked at Square in San Francisco. During the pandemic, Henry moved to a cattle ranch in Montana and worked as a ranch hand. There, he discovered inefficiencies in the traditional meat supply chain and decided to leverage his tech expertise to create Farmshare, a platform aimed at streamlining processes and supporting agricultural producers.
Farmshare is a platform that empowers independent meat supply chains to streamline operations, sell meat directly to consumers, and bypass corporate middlemen. The platform provides tools for logistics, sales, and online store management, helping family-owned ranches retain more profit while offering high-quality meats to consumers. By creating shared infrastructure, Farmshare enables independents to compete effectively with consolidated industrial players.
Bryn is a next-gen consumer social founder who is passionate about helping women and non-binary find welcoming communities and grow their equity. Bryn is a product and sales-centric expert who, for the past 7+ years, has worked on small to medium scales to do this, and now wants to grow on a larger scale through building a community referral platform. When she isn’t building for the babes you can find Bryn spending time in the mountains or at the lake with her husband, son, and pup.
What She Said Inc. is a referral network focused on connecting women and non-binary individuals with trusted professionals in various industries. Their platform emphasizes providing recommendations that are reliable, with referrals vetted through real testimonials and experiences, allowing users to confidently find service providers or professionals.
Shirley Crites of Sarben Health/GutBar
Sarben Health LLC / Gut Bar was founded by Shirley Crites, a certified health and wellness coach with a degree in Business Administration and recent certification in Integrative Medicine and Nutrition. Shirley brings extensive experience from the pharmaceutical industry, having worked with some of the sector’s leading companies before launching her own venture – Sarben Health LLC / Gut Bar.
GutBar is a health-focused company offering nutrition bars, powders, and wellness shots specifically formulated to support gut health. Their products are made with prebiotics, fiber, and clean ingredients designed to aid digestion and improve overall wellness. GutBar aims to make maintaining a healthy gut easier for busy individuals looking for wholesome snack options.
Winston Manley is the co-founder and CEO of The Local Drive. Since founding the company in 2021, he has grown the company to 2 operating locations and a third set to open in Q4 2024 in Colorado as well as launching franchising across North America in Q4 2024. Prior to that, he worked in the offshore Oil & Gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico, China, Singapore, the North Sea, and West Africa. He holds a degree in International Commerce and Chinese Language from Texas A&M University and Petroleum Engineering from The University of Houston.
The Local Drive is a cocktail bar and indoor golf lounge that offers a blend of crafted cocktails and advanced golf simulators. With several locations in Colorado (and soon franchising across the rest of North America), it provides a year-round golfing experience and multiple event spaces for private gatherings. The venue also features golf lessons, leagues, and membership options and showcases 70% or more locally sourced products, makers, artisans, and companies.
As the owner of Corvus Technologies, LLC, Coryn has extensive experience in Subcontract Management, Supply Chain Management and Procurement.
In her career Coryn has focused on serving the Federal Government for the past 25 years, leveraging her skills from 11 years of active-duty U.S. Air Force and 14 years of Defense Subcontracting services.
Coryn established Corvus Technologies, LLC with her husband Eric to combine their talents and provide subject matter expertise in the fields of Information Assurance, Cybersecurity and Compliance services.
As the co-owner of Corvus Technologies, LLC, Eric has honed his Cybersecurity career and is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) with over 20 years of combined experience in systems administration, enterprise computing optimization, systems certification, and accreditation systems hardening, vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, and information assurance. His diverse background helps to uniquely position Corvus Technologies, LLC for projects that bridge the gap between Compliance and Cybersecurity.
Eric leverages experience and best practices from multiple industries while adhering to customer-specific rules and regulations.
Corvus Technologies, LLC is a trusted partner in IT management solutions, specializing in Information Assurance, Cybersecurity, and Compliance services. With over 30 years of experience serving both commercial and government sectors, Corvus tailors industry best-practice solutions to meet the specific needs of each organization. By leveraging their extensive expertise, they help clients navigate the complexities of IT security and compliance while ensuring robust protection and efficiency across their operations.
Charlyn is the Founder & CEO of Working Within, a community consulting firm committed to driving organizations' purpose and profit through expert analysis, strategic insights, and unwavering excellence. Charlyn has experience in the C-Suite and in management consulting. Previously, she worked as Chief of Staff and Analyst at management consulting organizations. Her most notable project involved managing the strategy refresh for a client’s $300 million portfolio of national K-12 education investments. Last year, the Denver Business Journal named Charlyn an Inno Under 25 honoree, an award reserved for Colorado's rising entrepreneurs and innovators 25 and under.
Working Within is a community consultancy dedicated to advancing economic mobility and social impact. They specialize in helping leaders across sectors such as education, employment, wealth-building, social support, and racial equity to access new revenue markets. Their work focuses on creating pathways to greater economic opportunities and enhancing social support systems for long-term, sustainable success in marginalized communities.
Meghan Oliver of SIR
Meghan Oliver has over 14 years of leadership experience in healthcare product and operations. She has worked at prominent healthcare companies such as UnitedHealth Group and digital health startups, including BrightHealth and Curai Health. Meghan is motivated by making an impact and addressing the most complicated challenges in healthcare, particularly those that prevent access to high-quality, affordable healthcare for those who need it most. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and serves on the board of a digital fall prevention company Nymbl Science.
SIR is a tech-enabled platform designed for men transitioning from their careers into later stages of life. It offers a blend of physical and digital activities to support men's health, happiness, and purpose. The platform focuses on cognitive wellness, personal growth, and fostering meaningful connections with loved ones through interactive and research-backed activities.
Rafael Small has always been drawn to entrepreneurship. Even as a child, he found innovative ways to solve problems, such as selling snacks to classmates after gym class—until the principal intervened. With over a decade of experience as a technology consultant, Rafael spent significant time traveling, during which he identified inefficiencies in the rental car industry. This sparked the idea for CarGari, a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform designed to provide more value and efficiency, reflecting his passion for creating impactful solutions.
CarGari is a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform that allows vehicle owners to turn their cars into a revenue stream by renting them directly to other individuals. They provide a convenient marketplace that increases affordable and convenient vehicle access and allows users to bypass traditional rental car companies.
Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Anna ventured to Colorado in 2014 to study Hospitality Management at the University of Denver. She had been working in corporate events for 2 years after graduation when the pandemic hit - events were quickly untenable, and of course her job too. In March of 2020, the mayor of Denver declared liquor stores non-essential businesses and ordered them closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It was like prohibition all over again - people were scared, they were socializing in different ways and drinking in the privacy of their own homes. Anna couldn’t get “Hooch” and “Booch” out of her head - Hooch referring to what alcohol was often called in the 1920s, and Booch referring to kombucha. Daydreams turned into business plans, and Hooch Booch was born. Just two years later, Corpse Reviver emerged, combining expertise in consumer behavior with a fresh take on the hydration and electrolyte space for health-conscious consumers seeking to stay part of the "buzz."
Hooch Booch is a hard kombucha brand, inspired by the spirit of the Roaring '20s. Created during the COVID-19 pandemic, the brand combines a nostalgic prohibition-era feel with the modern-day benefits of kombucha with their kombucha-based alcoholic beverages. Brewed with Rocky Mountain spring water and real ingredients, Hooch Booch offers a fresh twist on hard beverages.