Go Code Colorado 2016 app contest kicks off with Galvanize-Platte event

Friday February 19, 2016 Tags: Go Code Colorado, Denver, Galvanize-Platte, Wayne Williams, Erik Mitisek

DENVER --  Go Code Colorado,  the award-winning app and business challenge that brings together a community of entrepreneurs, business partners and developers to make better use of public data through a series of events, hosted an evening at Galvanize-Platte to kick off the third annual competition. 

Attendees had an opportunity to mingle, listen to a panel of successful tech entrepreneurs and find out what participants can expect during the 2016 business app challenge.

More than 200 tech enthusiasts attended the Feb. 3 event, with more tuning in via live streaming from various locations throughout Colorado. 

“Go Code Colorado continues to successfully bring together a community around data, technology and entrepreneurship,” said Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams. “We want to make government data accessible to all Colorado citizens, and Go Code Colorado is the vehicle to move that vision forward."

In previous years, Go Code Colorado announced business challenge statements just before the challenge weekend. This year, Go Code Colorado announced the single challenge statement during the kick off event, a whole two months earlier. They also changed the rules to allow teams to start working on their apps right after the kick off, a full two months before the official challenge weekend in April. 

Here are the need-to-know details for teams to get started: 

• Challenge Statement: Create an app and business concept that helps businesses build a competitive strategy.
• Don’t have a team yet? Check out CollabFinder to input your area of expertise and let the platform match you with teammates.
• Register for an April 1st-3rd Challenge Weekend location right now and gain full access to the necessary tools needed to start building an app.
  • Fort Collins - Galvanize
  • Denver - The Commons on Champa
  • Colorado Springs - Epicentral Coworking
  • Durango - Durango Space
  • Grand Junction - The Business Incubator Center 

“When Colorado residents look back at what Go Code Colorado did for open data, it will carry the reputation as being one of the most important government initiatives to the advancement of innovation through open data,” said Erik Mitisek, CEO of Colorado Technology Association.