New app takes top honors at 2023 Community Business Pitch competition

A new app designed to help skiers and snowboarders get around better on the mountain has won the 2023 Community Business Pitch competition put on by the Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center.

“This competition was really effective at providing the sort of encouragement and motivation to put the rigorous thought into what I want the business to be, how it would work, how to go to market and what all the stages of going from a casual idea to a real business would be,” said Sam Bobb, creator of Corduroy Systems, which placed first in the competition. “The competition provided the framework, a deadline, and access to some great judges who provided really good feedback.”

Last winter, Bobb introduced http://www.corduroy.app, which is available in app stores right now and is an interactive, easy-to-use grooming report that he designed for a group of retired friends he knows in Steamboat Springs. He is currently working on and is planning to release an update of that app that will have added mapping features and will provide information and navigation for ski resorts. He hopes that release date will be soon.

“It will have a 3D interactive map that lets you see lifts and runs at a ski resort,” Bobb said. “It’s going to support multiple resorts in one app so you’ve got a unified, consistent and easy to use experience as you go from one resort to another. I’m also building navigation, so just like Google Maps it gives you turn-by-turn directions. It will give the series of runs and lifts that you need to take to get from one place to another on the mountain, and you can add filters based on your skiing ability and preferences.”

Other winners included runner-up Mike Nelson and his business New West Fly Co., which makes quality fly-fishing rods, and third-place finisher Daniella Place and her software-based business Steamboat.kids, which focuses on events and activity planning for kids and families.

The business pitch competition provided a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs to create a plan and present it to experienced business professionals for evaluation and feedback. Scoring recognized the importance of a valued product or service, understanding customers, building realistic financial forecasts and business operations that support the process of running a new business.

Nine individuals submitted plans for this year’s competition and final presentations were showcased Sept. 27 in the Community Room at the new the County Health and Human Services Building.

Randy Rudasics, manager of the Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center, said the format of this year’s competition was changed to a business model canvas that required less writing and a shorter narrative than in the past. The changes seemingly did help to increase interest — Rudasics said the nine entries this year was up from five entries last year and seven entries two years ago.

“I had 20 people attend the seminar on the business model canvas this year, so there was some decent interest, and I’m very pleased there is still robust entrepreneurship occurring in our community,” Rudasics said. “A couple of this year’s entries are outdoor products type companies as well, which is a niche that the Routt County Economic Development Partnership is really trying to nurture, so the sponsors seem happy and if the sponsors are happy and are willing, maybe we do it again next year.”

The business pitch competition also went with three price packages instead of two, and offered $18,000 in prize money compared to $11,000 last year. First place was awarded $9,000 with second taking home $6,000 and third getting $3,000.

The prize packages came through support from the city, county, Alpine Bank, Emerald Mountain Tax and Consulting, Yampa Valley Bank, Mountain Valley Bank, the Northwest Loan Fund, Routt County Economic Development Partnership, David and Marion Dennis and the Business for Isness Foundation. But Rudasics said this event is about a lot more than just the prizes.

All participants received free, confidential counseling and support for their efforts to create a business plan and build a financial forecast.  The Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center provides this service at no fee for individuals seeking to create new businesses or buy or sell a business in the community. This competition, initiated in 2010, has motivated many dozens of businesses to move forward with their ideas. The Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center is part of the Routt County Economic Development Partnership. 

“We never know what’s going to happen with these companies,” Rudasics said. “But the talent level is pretty high, so if they continue to finish their software, get past any obstacles and I think many of them — including several that did not win — will have good futures as entrepreneurs in Steamboat Springs.”