6 Denver Startups You Should Start Relying On

So, you always go to the same brewery where you always blow your extra cash that you should have saved for bills but… we get it. Old habits are notoriously hard to break. Thankfully, Denver is home base for lots of startup companies that have a common goal of making it easier for you to live your best life. Maybe it’s the Mile High air, but there’s a lot of innovation happening in this town and you get to reap the benefits. Ready to start improving your day-to-day, one app at a time? Here’s the rundown on the Denver-based startups that should become your new go-tos for everything from shopping to dating to your dog’s well-being.

There’s a lot to discover in Denver, but if you’ve lived here for years, it can be easy to fall into continuously returning to your same old haunts. Enter Let’s Roam, an app that turns a day out into a scavenger hunt adventure. To start, buy an $11 ticket for your preferred hunt (there are even themed options for dates, birthdays, and bachelorette parties), then let the app guide you from landmark to landmark. Not only will you see some iconic Denver sites, you’ll also learn some things along the route and give your outing a fun competitive edge as you answer trivia questions, solve riddles, and complete photo challenges. Bonus: Though the company is Denver-based, they offer scavenger hunts in more than 400 cities around the world, so you can take a bit of the Mile High adventuring spirit with you on your next vacation.

Dating apps have a bad rap for good reason. It’s a whole lot of swiping and bios filled with generic phrases like “looking for someone to share new adventures with.” Enough. You’re more than a few bullet points, right? Meet Mindful is the dating app for those who are ready to stop swiping and go all-in on something deeper. Since Denver is a hub for people that like to live an active, healthy, “mindful” lifestyle, this online matchmaker is designed for that type of person (you?) specifically. So whether you’re looking for your perfect yoga partner, or a sweetie who composts and carries a reusable water bottle and also like to volunteer on Sundays, you’re much more likely to find them here than on those other dating apps.

Denver is a great place to be a dog. From brewery hangs to mountain hikes, your four-legged friend can accompany you to a lot of places in the Mile High. But you can’t take them everywhere, and leaving them behind can be tough. PuppTech knows that, which is why they developed some high-tech ways to make sure your pooch is safe and happy, even when you’re away from them. Their PuppComm portable environment monitor ($199) can be placed wherever your dog happens to be and sends real-time data to the app that can alert you of temperature and humidity so you know if your furry friend is uncomfortable. PuppTech also offers K9 Weather Vane, a dog-specific weather app that helps you plan the best time of day to play outside with your pup. The company is pretty new to the market (the PuppComm starts shipping in November), so expect more dog-friendly tech advancements to come. Now, who’s doing this for cats?

Adulting is a constant balance of cool perks (like buying your first house!) and super annoying responsibilities (now you need home insurance). Enter Covered, a free-to-use online service that helps you sort through insurance options for your home, car, and/or pet in a way that even you -- yes, you! -- can handle. And not only do they deal with that tedious quote-seeking conundrum for you, they’ll also help put together a custom plan that fits your specific needs. It’s like a make-your-own pizza, except instead of getting to eat your perfect creation you get to sleep well at night knowing you nailed that adulting thing, at least when it comes to your insurance coverage.  

You spend a whole lot of time in your bed, but probably not much time thinking about your bedding. And there’s no need to, because this punny-named startup is taking care of that for you. Their super-soft, designed-in-Denver sheets are made from an environmentally friendly eucalyptus-based material that will satisfy your “going green” intentions. But they’re also relatively low cost (sheet sets are $138 and include a flat & fitted sheet plus two pillowcases) and designed to be breathable and moisture-wicking for ultimate comfort. Since Denver’s weather is tempermental at best, these sheets will help you stay cool on the hot nights and cozy on the cold ones. Plus, you don’t even need to leave your house to buy them. This is sleeping done right. 

We don’t have to tell you that life is expensive. Along with just, you know, paying your bills and keeping gas in your car, there’s always a new concert to go to or hot new restaurant to try. If you’re always scrambling for extra cash, why not turn those must-buys into easy rebates? Ibotta has gained a whole lot of popularity for its ability to do just that. The process is pretty simple: sign up for the app, check out the offers from retailers you’re definitely already shopping at (like Amazon, Walmart, and Target), then take a quick photo of your receipt after you buy the items in the offers and get cash back within 24 hours. Done. And these offers aren’t on obscure stuff, either, these are things you’re already buying, like groceries and even booze. A little planning and soon you’ll be rolling in extra cash on the regular.