Efforts to build a formal Colorado–Israel business bridge did not begin with CO-IL. Over the years, various individuals, companies, and community organizations had attempted to connect Colorado and Israel through sponsored delegations, one-off trade visits, academic exchanges, and sector-specific partnerships. These initiatives demonstrated clear interest and opportunity, but they were typically fragmented, dependent on individual champions, and lacked a sustained institutional home.

Recognizing both the potential and the gap, Jeremiah Baronberg and Jordan Kastrinsky established the Colorado–Israel Chamber of Commerce (CO-IL) as a binational, practitioner-driven organization. From the outset, CO-IL was designed to be different from traditional chambers or purely community-based groups. Rather than focusing primarily on cultural programming or symbolic diplomacy, CO-IL positioned itself as a working bridge between two innovation ecosystems, prioritizing deal flow, tech scouting, pilots, partnerships, and market entry pathways.

In its first two years, CO-IL formalized what had previously been informal by creating structured programs, hosting delegations, convening policymakers and industry leaders, supporting BIRD Foundation collaboration in Colorado, and building a growing network of companies, investors, universities, and public agencies across both regions.

Building on earlier, scattered attempts, CO-IL has evolved into the first sustained, business-centered institution dedicated to deepening the Colorado–Israel economic relationship, with an emerging nonprofit arm designed to expand its educational and philanthropic impact going forward.