Liam Gebauer, 15, is preparing to begin his sophomore year at Steamboat Springs High School while also building a vision for his startup watch company. “I think I’ve always had that in the back of my head,” Gebauer said. “Being an entrepreneur, and creating my ideas, doing my own thing.” He said the inspiration for his watch brand — an elegant line of analog watches with a classic look — came during a family trip to Milan in northern Italy last year.
Driven by his interest in both watches and entrepreneurship, Gebauer set out to create a brand of his own. After contacting several manufacturers, he chose a Japanese company that is now preparing samples expected to arrive later this summer. He plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign this fall to raise enough funding for an initial production run of 300 watches in late November or December, with delivery expected in early 2027.
Gebauer also became the youngest person ever accepted into the Routt County Economic Development Partnership’s High Country Accelerator program. He completed the program by presenting at the Boat Launch Celebration on June 12 at the Steamboat Social Club. Twenty-four startups applied for this year’s spring session, which was hosted by RCEDP and ran from April through June. RCEDP Executive Director John Bristol said the application process was competitive and that Gebauer ranked among the top applicants.