Use your local SBDC.
The Colorado SBDC was one of our earliest supporters as we entered the government space, and it is by far the most underutilized small business resource I'm aware of to date.
The program is designed to help Colorado-based startups gain initial traction through services like one-on-one advising from seasoned experts, networking opportunities, grant writing support, and direct connections to relevant stakeholders. And the best part is that it's all free.
Our assigned advisor, Roy Griggs, has been absolutely incredible and remains actively involved with our team as we continue to grow some two years later. Through him and the Colorado SBDC serving Boulder County, we've been introduced to executives at CDOT, connected with decision-makers across multiple city agencies, received support on our Advanced Industries grant application, and much more.
I highly suggest that anyone at the idea-to-MVP stage take advantage of this resource. Getting into the first few rooms to validate your idea and secure an initial pilot is by far the hardest part, and they were critical in those early steps for Arterial.
For those outside of Colorado, you'll have an SBDC as well, but ours is better.