At Defy Colorado we are grateful that the conversation about racial injustice has shifted to the forefront of our nation’s consciousness. It is long overdue and the delay has been devastating to our country and its Black and Brown citizens. Our hope is that this...

As I write this, Denver’s streets are filled with people protesting for the 12th day in a row. I am proud to see so many in our community making their voices heard and speaking out against systemic racism and police brutality while honoring countless lives of black...

EXCLUSIVE: Defy Colorado Alum Abe Arrington Tells Us About His Commutation from Governor Polis Sentenced to life imprisonment in 1993, Abron “Abe” Arrington had been locked up since 1989. Learn how this Defy Colorado alumnus and patent owner of a flood mitigation...

Listen to the interview America jails more of its citizens than any other country in the world. More than 2 million citizens are behind bars. High incarceration rates deprive the nation of potentially productive talent and it drains the life force from people in...

The Board of Directors at Defy Colorado (www.defycolorado.org), an independent nonprofit organization helping individuals with criminal histories create legal business ventures, today announced it has unanimously chosen Stacey Putka, a licensed social worker, as the...

Governor Jared Polis, Daniel Yanisse, CEO of Checkr, and Jeff Wasden, President of the Colorado Business Roundtable, interview graduates of the Defy Colorado program. Credit: Drew Carlson PhotographyPrison visit reviews in-prison entrepreneurship training programs and...

Gov. Jared Polis and business leaders visited the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility this week in support of an education program that helps people who have recently been released from prison. Defy Colorado’s goal is to provide a better chance at success in the...

Confronting one of the biggest barriers to effective reintegration back into society, formerly incarcerated individuals will pitch their business ideas to a sold-out audience at the Crawford Hill Mansion later this evening. The pitch competition is being organized by...

Earlier this month, the Denver City Council made a highly unexpected decision to end contracts with CoreCivic and GEO Group. These companies also run several Colorado-based community correction facilities, sometimes called halfway houses, that help formerly...

Another day, another startup pitch event in Boulder, with all the usual trappings: the city’s business and tech elite, inspiring speeches, power point presentations, and a panel of experts passing along judgement and advice to would-be entrepreneurs. The...