A Grand Junction-based company offering technology to help manage streaming video on mobile devices continues to grow thanks in part to incentives, grants and private investments.

“It is truly amazing to build a new tech venture in the state of Colorado and even more so to do it in Grand Junction. Once we moved Sky Peak Technologies to the Western Slope, we had more access to things like capital, grants, mentoring and support than we did on the Front Range,” said Cat Coughran-McIntosh, chief executive officer and co-founder of Sky Peak Technologies.

Sky Peak Technologies offers an on-device smart content shaping solution that provides mobile network operators and mobile virtual network operators a way to manage streaming video on mobile devices. The solution offers an up to 88 percent reduction in the resources needed to deliver data-intensive content.

Demand has increased worldwide for data-intensive content, Coughran-McIntosh said. By one estimate, there are 8.3 billion smart devices, each capable of connecting to data-intensive content at the push of a button.

“We have a value proposition for operators all over the world whether they are on a new 5G network or an older legacy network,” she said. “We have been building a pipeline of customers on every continent.”

The firm added two engineers during the second quarter — including one from Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction — bringing the total staff to eight.

“I am very excited to announce not only the growth of our product development team, but also the hiring of our first CMU engineering student, Blake Rhyner,” Coughran-McIntosh said. “What makes Blake’s hire so special are the state programs that made this possible, including the Rural Jump-Start Program and the CMU/CU Boulder engineering partnership.”

Sky Peak Technologies was accepted into the Rural Jump-Start Program in 2021. The program offers participating companies a 100 percent credit on income and sales taxes for four years with an opportunity to extend that for an additional four years. Participants are also eligible for special cash grants.

Businesses must add a minimum of three net new jobs in high-paying, highly skilled fields. In Mesa County, businesses also must form partnerships with CMU through mentorship and internship opportunities as well as community involvement.

Steve Jozefczyk, deputy director of the Grand Junction Economic Partnership, helped Sky Peak Technologies apply for the program. “In addition to the lucrative tax credits and grant benefits, the RJS program establishes a pipeline between CMU students and our local businesses, providing the support needed for their workforce needs,” Jozefczyk said. “With Sky Peak Technologies’ inclusion into the RJS program, CMU students now have a direct connection to an innovative tech company with great potential for scaling. We are excited to witness their growth and the impact they will have on Mesa County’s economy.”

Don McIntosh, chief operating officer and co-founder of Sky Peak Technologies, agreed. “As our engineering needs grew, we networked with the CMU placement office and attended university sponsored events to meet graduating students. We discovered a lot of talent.”

Sky Peak Technologies also received a grant through the State Trade Expansion Program. The program helps small businesses learn the basics of exporting, participate in foreign trade missions and trade shows and develop international marketing campaigns.

Coughran-McIntosh said her firm used funds to attend the MNVO World Congress in Amsterdam. “Being able to attend this show put us face-to-face with current and new customers, resulting in several new contracts and proof of concept studies. It also allowed us to join international conservations about mobile communications policies and opportunities for our technology to help solve them.”

Sky Peak Technologies also was among the winners of seed funding in the 2021 Greater Colorado Pitch Series. The annual event involves providers offering capital for companies in various stages of startup and development.