A community听event听in Denver on Thursday, Nov. 17 brought together advocates of cooperative ownership and members of Denver鈥檚 tech community to discuss how the cooperative movement can continue to grow, especially online.
鈥淭he internet is becoming the basis of our economy. If we want an economy where workers and communities retain the value they contribute, then we need to build that into the ownership structures of the internet,鈥� said Nathan Schneider, a faculty member at the University of Colorado Boulder. The event celebrated听the release of his new book, .
Representatives from several local companies presented their stories at the event:
- 鈥� a cooperative initiative to build open-source web publishing platforms and tools for grassroots groups and small businesses.
- 鈥� the Denver area鈥檚 newest taxi company, an 800-member, app-driven, driver-owned co-op.
- 鈥� a peer consignment platform for small businesses and self-governing groups.
- 鈥� an equity-free investment platform.
The event then provided a space for members of Denver鈥檚 tech community and activists for economic justice to share ideas. Schneider, a movement for Twitter users to buy the platform for themselves, said the event brought together communities in new ways. 鈥淚n Denver, we have a vibrant community of people interested in economic cooperativism and a strong tech industry with a lot of creativity and good will,鈥� said Schneider. 鈥淭ogether, these two groups could be incredibly powerful, but they haven鈥檛 really come together yet.鈥�
The event was听sponsored by , and the University of Colorado Boulder鈥檚 College of Media, Communication, and Information.
Learn more about the event at .