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Cake day: June 14th, 2023

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  • ARTICLE CONTINUED

    Into action

    Three buckets.

    That’s how Walton Penner thinks about people in the organization’s orbit: Those who play for the Broncos, those who work for the Broncos and those who cheer for the Broncos.

    “Anything can fit into those three buckets,” she said.

    Those buckets are starting to fill with the steady drip of change.

    “She’s really got to know people across the organization,” Greg Penner told The Post. “Huge impact on how we think about player health and wellness, interaction with our former players, community impact and a bunch of other areas she’s having a meaningful impact on. Her and I working together on some of our longer-term initiatives, whether it’s touring stadiums and practice facilities, it’s been great.”

    The Broncos this spring revamped their strategy and approach to their community foundation and are pushing toward – and eventually beyond – $5 million per year in commitments, sources have told The Post.

    One example of a new initiative: The Broncos support girls flag football leagues across the state are partnering with the University of Colorado Children’s Hospital to study the mental health benefits of participation.

    “Most research has been in boys sports, so really focusing on understanding the benefits to girls who are participating in those programs,” Walton Penner said. “We always think, how do we continue to do more? How do we really lean into some of these areas?”

    During training camp, the Broncos are rolling out a new alumni program focused on all former players rather than emphasizing Ring of Fame members. They’re adding a director of alumni and expanding communication and outreach, including a roundtable with Walton Penner.

    She said she wants to build out a personal finance program for players and former players that adds to what the NFL Players Association provides across the league.

    She’s set about trying to impact workplace culture and is in a unique position to do so as one of the most prominent women in the NFL and a member of the league’s committee for diversity, equity and inclusion.

    “How do we make sure that in our building we’re reflecting our community and not just our community of Denver and Colorado, but of the country? And how are we making sure we have different perspectives and different experiences?” she said.

    “… If you walk through those doors, regardless of what department you’re going to, if you bring excellence into the building it helps with producing excellence on the field.”

    “Wait, this is the owner”

    Of course, excellence on the field ultimately falls to coaches and, most importantly, players.

    They are Ray Jackson’s entire job as Denver’s vice president of player development.

    He was intrigued when Walton Penner first approached him late last summer, but unsure of what to expect.

    “It’s interesting when you first meet her, you’re like, ‘Wait, this is the owner,’” he told The Post. “It’s just like you and I talking or you and one of your buddies. You see, wow, she’s really about the players.

    “Think about it, most people, we assume people, when they have money, are wealthy, that they assume they have all the answers. She comes at it wide open. She’s taking notes and wants to learn. She cares about people, mental health, total health, total wellness of the whole body and what that encompasses. When she first got here that’s what she asked me: I want to know about our players. I want to know about them.”

    Jackson said he and Walton Penner are in some form of contact virtually every day. Walton Penner meets with football operations staff each week to discuss player wellness. They talk through issues big and small about the stress social media puts on players or what it’s like to be drafted as a 21-year-old or the unforgiving nature of the league, which Walton Penner said, “has been eye-opening.”

    “To want to know what’s it like when a guy gets released? What do we do? Do we reach back out to him and his family? That’s just rare,” Jackson said. “A lot of people, fans included, we all look at it like he’s just a player and doesn’t have any feelings. ‘Next.’ She cares.

    “She wants to know how we can support them – are there jobs, are there mental health resources, are there internships? What can we do? The Rolodex they have, there’s nothing they can’t get for our players and that’s exciting.”

    This is perhaps the most direct link to Walton Penner’s experience in the mental health world. Broncos players, especially young ones like Skinner, aren’t that different in age from the people she’s spent years advocating for. They aren’t that different – spotlight aside – from Walton Penner’s four kids, three of whom played college sports.

    “It makes it easier to have that conversation with players as you get to know them a little bit and you’re able to ask,” Walton Penner said, nodding to the lunch she had with Broncos rookies and limited shareholder Condoleezza Rice last month. “They’re a lot more open to talking about some of the challenges and how hard it is to be in college and have the experience of having to deal with the social media negativity that can be directed at you as a player.

    “We’re trying to do a better job of continuing to meet our players with what they need and what they’d like to have more of.”

    That sounds like music to the ears to Jackson, a former NFL player himself.

    “The average career is 3.4 years,” Jackson said. “I always tell my players, ‘If I give you 10 years, that puts you at 31 or 32 years old. You’ve got 50 more years you’ve got to live without football.

    “To have this resource of ownership that’s willing to help and commit those resources to them, that’s going to be beautiful to see where we can go and be on the frontier.”

    “I pinch myself”

    If the Broncos are on the practice field, there’s a decent chance one or both of the Penners are there, too, watching.

    If they’re playing on the road, you’ll find them, Rob Walton and sometimes the limited shareholders on the pregame sideline.

    If it’s just another day, you’ll probably find Walton Penner in her office or working her way around the building with her notepad, following up or starting something new.

    There’s a lot to do and winning’s important, but this, she assures, is an absolute blast, too.

    “I feel really fortunate to be here and it really is an honor to have a chance to work across this ownership group,” she said. “From a family experience, it’s really fun to do this with my dad. It’s special to have a chance to do that.”

    She looked up from a small seating area flanking her desk at the Broncos logo adorning her office wall.

    “I pinch myself. I still do,” she said. “In 10 or 20 years, I hope I’m still doing that, because it should always feel like a thrill to be arriving here and be part of something that really is exciting. People in the building are passionate. People outside the building are passionate.

    “And, you know, the responsibility to be the best that we can be, I definitely feel that on a daily basis.”



  • ARTICLE TEXT

    Google for Startups Black Founders Fund announced the recipients of its fourth fund on Thursday, granting funds to one Colorado startup.

    Denver-based InterviewIA received a $150,000 non-equity cash award from the fund to develop a new SaaS tool geared toward the health care industry.

    InterviewIA created a SaaS interview collaboration platform for hiring teams intended to reduce biases along the interview process. The leaders of the startup said the platform allows recruiters, interviewers and others to consistently conduct equitable and data-driven interviews.

    The award from Google will help InterviewIA continue developing its health care-focused interview platform, IIA Healthcare, which launched earlier this year.

    “We are extremely grateful to receive funding from Google and it will help expand our mission to use combined pathways of experience to help organizations create equal opportunities for all individuals seeking purpose, a sense of belonging and meaningful work in their lives and society,” Joe Thurman, the founder of InterviewIA, said in a statement. “This funding will enable us to deepen our involvement in the health care market and will support the continued development of our technology and engineering teams.”

    InterviewIA launched in July 2020, debuting its platform in January 2021. Its IIA Healthcare tool aims to help address hiring challenges and shortages in the health care space and is already being used by DispatchHealth, Children’s Hospital of Oakland and others, Thurman told Colorado Inno in an email.

    “We are excited about this sector because of the deep and meaningful impact that our product can have on how healthcare is delivered,” he said in the email. “Health care systems are struggling to build teams to service the communities that they serve and our product is a key part of this solution. Bias mitigation, hiring process efficiency and data supported talent selection reduce early employee turn by 25% or more and build diverse teams capable of providing culturally competent and quality care to any community.”

    InterviewIA’s current team of 16 people is expected to grow over the next 12 months. Thurman said he plans to make additional hires in sales, engineering and account management.

    This cash award from Google comes two years after InterviewIA raised a $2 million seed round from several local investors, including The Colorado Impact Fund and Rockies Venture Club. Thurman said InterviewIA also recently secured an additional $500,000 in funding from Colorado-based New Community Transformation Fund.

    The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund began in 2020 to help even the playing field for Black entrepreneurs when it comes to raising capital. The fund has since expanded to Latino founders in the U.S. and Black founders in Europe, Brazil and Asia.

    InterviewIA is one of 46companies in the U.S. receiving money from Google for Startups Black Founders’ fourth fund, as well as the Latino Founders Fund, according to a Google blog post.

    In addition to the cash award, InterviewIA and other recipients will receive hands-on support and mentorship from Google employees and up to $100,000 in Google Cloud credits. These businesses will also have free access to mental health coaching, sales training and other resources.