Business & Entrepreneurship

The Colorado economy continues to outperform the U.S. economy and grow at a magnitude that slightly exceeds previous expectations, according to the midyear economic outlook released today by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. Colorado’s employment is up by 3 percent year-over-year from May 2013 to May 2014. A total gain of 68,000 jobs in Colorado is expected for 2014 -- an upward revision to a December estimate of 61,300 jobs for the year.

The confidence of Colorado business leaders remains positive and has slightly increased going into the third quarter of 2014, according to the most recent Leeds Business Confidence Index, or LBCI, released today by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. The third quarter LBCI posted a reading of 61.2, an increase from 61 last quarter.

The University of Colorado Boulder will offer an intensive certificate course in entrepreneurship, taught by MBA faculty and open to the public, Aug. 17-22. The course will expose students to the principles of entrepreneurship -- including techniques of market analysis, networking and funding -- through class discussions. It also will provide real-world experience through mentorship with entrepreneurs and work on individual projects.

The University of Colorado Board of Regents today voted 8-0 with one Regent absent to approve the new College of Media, Communication and Information at the Regents’ monthly meeting, held at the Tivoli Center at the University of Colorado Denver. The college will open in fall 2015.

Consumers perceive a brand to be cooler when it suggests it’s true to itself and follows its own motives regardless of individual or societal norms and expectations, according to a University of Colorado Boulder study involving Texas A&M University. However, the autonomous behavior of the brand needs to be contextually appropriate -- not over the top -- in order to be seen as cool as opposed to weird or rude, according to the paper published last week online and slated for the August edition of the Journal of Consumer Research.

Lauren E. Cross graduates May 9 from CU-Boulder with a degree in political science and minor in economics, leaving her legacy with CU Student Government and the campus comedy improv group, Left Right Tim. A Colorado native, Cross sees herself sticking around Boulder for a little while before venturing to a place that offers a scene for politics as well as comedy.

A $500,000 gift from Phillips 66 will go toward the Leeds School’s Career Development Office , which supports undergraduates by providing professional skills, career exploration and preparation, industry experiences and access to employer and alumni connections throughout the student experience.

Chicago is the funniest city in the United States, according to a University of Colorado Boulder study. Boston is the No. 2 wise guy, followed by Atlanta in third place. Denver made the top 10 list at No. 8.

Continued employment expansion in Colorado in the first half of 2014 is signaled in a quarterly report released today by Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler and prepared by the University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business. “Coloradans continue to persevere and show their can-do spirit by pursuing the American dream,” said Gessler. “As these business leaders create jobs, hopefully our employment continues to tick upwards.”

A team of University of Colorado Boulder graduate students has qualified for the final round of an international venture capital competition April 10-12 thanks in part to what it dubs its secret sauce: the local startup community.