Four area companies have been selected to receive business incubator and accelerator assistance through SCAPE, the Southwest Colorado Accelerator Program for Entrepreneurs.
They are EPIC Magazine, CattleFit, Elder Friends Network, and Zaparataz Enterprises. A meet the entrepreneurs reception will be held on Thursday, March 10, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the SCAPE office, 1211 Main Ave. #1 in Durango.
EPIC stands for Empowering People, Inspiring Community. The bi-monthly magazine was started several years ago by Lisa Byrne and Laurie Gambacorta. It's available free at many businesses. It promotes conscious decisions about living a healthy, sustainable, and spiritual lifestyle.
CattleFit is a wearable monitor to track the health of beef cattle. It uses wireless technology to transmit an animal's vital signs to a computer or other device. It is designed to significantly reduce feedlot deaths in cattle through early detection of illness, and to reduce the need for blanket use of antibiotics in feedlot animals. David Poussard is the founder and CEO.
Elder Friends Network connects paid social/ emotional caregivers with lonely seniors, using technology to connect and facilitate in-person visits. The service deals only with social/ emotional needs, not medical or personal care needs. It creates an easy entry point for individuals to become Friends (caregivers) and to earn income. EFN builds a sharing economy network, connecting those with time to those with an urgent need, and creating new earning potential for individuals. Jan Phillips and Holly Shure are the founders.
Zaparataz Products is a Durango-based product development company. The company is starting with an ergonomic trimmer to make trimming of greenhouse plants faster and less labor intensive, and to help prevent repetetive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome. The company plans to create innovative products that help resolve industrial and social challenges. The founder is Terry Sandefur.
The SCAPE program started two and a half years ago and has helped launch 10 companies and create 26 jobs. The SCAPE mission is to help create more high growth, job creating companies in Southwest Colorado by providing education, mentoring, and access to funding for start-ups and early stage companies. Information is at www.goscape.org.
