January 31, 2019

We're celebrating the creativity and hustle that make Colorado's outdoor industry great.

We're looking for product-based companies ready to pitch their ideas to a community of supporters, investors, and fellow entrepreneurs.

Join Us for a night of innovation and celebration.

EVENT DETAILS

THE PROCESS

APPLY

Five finalists will present their 5-minute pitch at the January 31st event.

Please read the application criteria below and contact us with any questions regarding eligibility.

PITCH

Five finalists will be selected to present their product at January 31st pitch event presented by Gear Junkie at Wayfinder Co-op. A panel of judges representing investors, advisers, and fellow entrepreneurs will select a winner that best represents innovation and creativity in the outdoor industry.

LAUNCH

Winners will be awarded 2 months' membership at Wayfinder Co-op and more than $10,000 in marketing, PR, legal, and consulting services provided by sponsors. Join a few hundred of your newest fans for an epic after party at Wayfinder.

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sam edwards

Sam Edwards concentrates his practice in corporate and securities law, with a strong focus on the outdoor recreation, technology, and green energy industries.

Sam works with emerging growth clients from pre-formation through exit, assisting with choice of entity and initial formation, angel and venture capital financings, and sales to strategic and financial buyers. He enjoys working with entrepreneurs young and old for the energy and passion they bring every day. Sam also assists companies with a range of strategic transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, equity and debt financings, restructurings and recapitalizations, project development and financing, and joint ventures. Clients value his experience, industry knowledge, and the solutions-oriented approach he brings to business-critical transactions.

Erik Fialho

Erik Fialho is a Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of LeftLane Sports. After starting the company in his college dorm room, Erik helped propel the business into one of the fastest growing companies in the outdoor industry with over 14 million members. His focus is crafting world-class customer experiences across the company’s various brands, including The Clymb and Seshday. He has been instrumental in expanding the company’s breadth to include adventure travel, direct-to-consumer clothing and gear brands, and media.

As an outdoor enthusiast, adventure traveler, and entrepreneur, Erik always finds time to be outdoors, hiking local peaks, running and cycling with friends, or skiing his favorite slopes in Lake Tahoe.

MONA WEST

Mona West is a marketing, sales, and product management executive with over 20 years’ experience driving growth for small to midsize consumer product brands. Since joining the outdoor industry nearly 10 years ago she has run the Emerging Brands business unit at Cascade Designs and held executive and advisory roles with over 15 outdoor industry start-ups including Cairn and Heroclip (a finalist at Gear Junkie’s ‘The Pitch’ last summer). Mona is also actively involved with Bend Outdoor Worx, the first business accelerator to focus exclusively on outdoor products.

SEAN MCCOY

Editor-in-Chief Sean McCoy is a life-long outdoorsman who grew up hunting and fishing in central Wisconsin forests and lakes. He joined GearJunkie after a 10-year stint as a newspaperman in the Caribbean, where he learned sailing and wooden-boat repair. Based in GearJunkie's Denver office, McCoy is an avid trail runner, camper, hunter, angler, mountain biker, and beer tester.

TODD STOCKBAUER

Todd Stockbauer started Stockbauer & Associates in late 2008 to provide financial, operational and administrative guidance and expertise to start-up, early stage and less mature brands. He operates as a CFO, COO, mentor, advisor, strategist and partner to brands in the sports (apparel and hard goods), retail, alcohol beverage and food industries.

Prior to commencing Stockbauer & Associates, he served as a financial executive to a number of brands including Airwalk, Spyder Active Sports, brandbase Holdings and PL360 Beverage Partners among others.

When he is not working, you can find him cycling, skiing, mentoring, as a Board of Advisor and Board of Director to numerous brands and being a dad to two CU Buffs. He is also an active investor in a fast-casual restaurant, a ski binding accessory company and two wearable technology companies.

we're looking for outdoor products and companies that showcase innovation and great design.

prototyped

Your product should be prototyped and able to be demonstrated for the pitch event. Early stage concepts or service-based ideas are not eligible.

ORIGINAL

Your product must be original and your own. Applicants must attest to ownerships of all intellectual property related to their product.

READY TO BE SHARED

This is a public event and you must be able to share your product at the event on January 31st.

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SPONSORED BY

Wayfinder Co-op

Wayfinder Co-op is coworking for the outdoor-inspired.

At Wayfinder, you're not just another tenant. You're a member. Not only do you guide the direction and culture of the co-op, but you also get ownership through annual dividends which are shared with all members, creating a uniquely collaborative atmosphere for people inspired by the outdoors.

Moun10 Partners

We work with organizations to evaluate current policies and key metrics, then create tools for informed decision making and analysis. We believe that strategic alignment and financial metrics should build on each other, rather than exist in opposition. Our foundation in finance, accounting, and operations enable Moun10 Partners to thoroughly evaluate organizational strategy and design in order to effectively implement financial solutions for your unique business.

OneSeed Expeditions

OneSeed Expeditions is a community of active travelers who know that there’s more to adventure than just reaching the next summit. When you travel with OneSeed, you invest in local communities through the OneSeed Microfinance Fund. Take an amazing trip, and a local entrepreneur launches or expands their small business.

Bend Outdoor Worx

We're an independent organization with independent spirit - and we love the outdoors. We embrace the unpredictable nature and the grit it takes to navigate the hurdles and obstacles in our industry. In fact, we enjoy it. We're fearless, but we value vulnerability. We encourage risk, but we support solid strategy. We're not even remotely interested in the status quo.

Berendes Media

From walking Darwin's footprints in the Galapagos Islands to backpacking the depths of the Grand Canyon, Berendes Media is able to capture stories in real time.

With an emphasis on travel video and photography Berendes Media is passionate about telling your story.

Holland & Hart LLP

Joe Holland and Steve Hart were highly trained lawyers who just so happened to also be Rocky Mountain climbers. In 1947 they came together to build a firm. Their philosophy was simple: keep going up, and if you get stuck, there is always another route to the top. This is where the spirit of the firm’s pioneering and innovation began.

APPLY TODAY

Since 2006, GearJunkie.com has been a top source for news and product reviews in the outdoors and active-lifestyle world. With offices in Denver and Minneapolis, the publication’s journalists, writers, and video producers break stories and lead the conversation online and beyond. Millions of readers tune in to follow GearJunkie.com and our social properties. GearJunkie partners with sister company Monopoint Media on custom content, advertising, video, and design projects. We also produce events and publish a weekly syndicated column distributed in print newspapers around the U.S.