Cory Finney

Cory is a sixth generation Coloradan who was born and raised in Durango.  He graduated from the University of Colorado with a BS in Finance and an emphasis in Entrepreneurship in 2012.  

While in college, Cory co-founded and served as CEO of SnowGate, an automated outdoor ski rack and locker system.  The company developed technology that allowed lockers to be controlled via smart phone, which led to several patents that he is a co-author on.  The company was acquired in 2015. 

After SnowGate, Cory consulted for a number of startups in the IoT and physical good spaces, before joining Boomtown Accelerator as their Entrepreneur in Residence.  During his three years at Boomtown he built and refined internal operations within the company, developed and taught the finance and fundraising curriculum, and was responsible for crafting fundraising strategies for the companies who participated in the accelerator.

In 2017, Cory co-founded Kokopelli Capital, one of the first pre-seed venture funds in Colorado.  Over a four-year period, Cory and his two partners invested in 34 companies.  They continue to support those founders and Kokopelli remains active with an angel syndicate that makes four to six investments per year.

In 2018, Cory co-founded the Greater Colorado Venture Fund alongside Marc Nager and Jamie Finney.  The fund invests exclusively in companies headquartered in rural Colorado.  Through 2021, the fund had made 26 investments (as of April 2022), of which five companies had exited.

Cory returned home to Durango in 2020 and resides there when he is not traveling around the state supporting entrepreneurs and building community.