In this episode of Real Good Denver, Ryan Estes sits down with Melissa Jenner, founder and CEO of Actvo.ai, a New Zealand company now thriving in Denver’s startup scene. Melissa shares how Denver’s global outreach brought her across the world, why she believes work should be a place people love, and how her AI-driven platform helps companies retain top talent by mapping out employee career pathways before burnout takes hold.

The conversation dives into the unique culture of Denver’s business ecosystem, the power of serendipity in founder connections, the craft beer influence on collaboration, and why collective intelligence makes this city special.

Key Takeaways

• Denver’s Global Magnetism: Economic development teams are actively recruiting international startups, making Denver a true global landing pad.

• Culture of Serendipity: Denver’s tight-knit founder ecosystem creates constant collisions of opportunity through dinners, meetups, and a give-first mindset.

• Beer as a Business Model: Collaboration in Denver mirrors its craft beer scene—newcomers and legacy players help each other scale.

• The Future of Work: Actvo.ai helps employees see 12 possible work pathways, close skill gaps, and create proactive career conversations before they leave a company.

• Equity over Equality: Melissa argues for tailored support to unlock overlooked talent, ensuring people find meaningful work.

• Collective Intelligence: Denver’s culture of shared ideas and generosity accelerates innovation beyond the traditional Silicon Valley model.

Frameworks Mentioned

1. The 12 Pathways of Work – Actvo.ai’s model to help employees explore new roles.

2. Exit Lounge Effect – why companies lose 40% of employees after 2–5 years and how to prevent it.

3. Equity vs Equality – supporting employees differently to reach the same starting point.

4. Flywheel Effect of Collective Intelligence – how networks of generous founders compound innovation.

Resources & Links

• Actvo.ai: https://www.actvo.ai

• Denver Economic Development and Opportunity (DEDO): https://www.denvergov.org/economicdevelopment

• Denver Startup Week: https://www.denverstartupweek.org

• Ratio Beerworks: https://www.ratiobeerworks.com

• Reverence Brewing: https://www.reverencebrewingco.com

• Golden, CO breweries: https://visitgolden.com

• Kitcaster: https://www.kitcaster.com