Elevating Community: A Year in Review of Elevar’s Impact

In 2025, Elevar continued to strengthen Eagle County’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by supporting BIPOC and Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs through culturally responsive training, mentorship, and leadership development. As we close out the year, we are proud to reflect on the growth, reach, and impact of this work.

Since launching in 2023, Elevar – our leadership and capacity-building program – has grown significantly. With the start of its second cohort in 2025, Elevar entrepreneurs have launched eight new businesses and one nonprofit (in addition to the seven businesses launched in our inaugural cohort), while members of the Elevar Steering Committee also launched two new businesses. Together, these ventures have created local impact, employing four additional Eagle County residents in 2025.

At the heart of Elevar is a robust, culturally responsive curriculum. In 2025, 15 entrepreneurs received more than 146 hours of training through workshops, mentorship, and structured coursework. In addition, BIPOC Steering Committee members and Elevar Leadership participated in more than 345 hours of training to strengthen program leadership and community accountability. When surveyed, Elevar entrepreneurs reported increased business knowledge and confidence in key areas such as financial management and accounting, human resources and labor laws, permits and compliance, food handling, marketing, pricing, and business planning. Many also report increased owner income, business revenue growth, and greater personal and professional stability. By providing bilingual, culturally responsive training and one-on-one mentorship, Elevar supports responsible hiring and sustainable job creation across the valley.

In 2025, Elevar expanded its reach beyond cohort participants with the launch of the Elevar Workshop Series in partnership with Colorado Mountain College (CMC), a free, 12-part bilingual entrepreneurship workshop series running over nine months. To date, 151 community members have participated in these workshops. Open to all early-stage entrepreneurs, this pilot program focuses on building core business skills. We are thrilled to expand the power of Elevar beyond our cohorts and deeply grateful to Colorado Mountain College for their partnership in bringing this initiative to life.

Learn more about why Elevar matters for local entrepreneurs here.

Learn more about our second Elevar cohort here.