Born at the confluence of rivers and ideas.
It started with a conversation over coffee at West Slope Startup Week in Durango, Colorado. Rob Ringle and Katrina Engelsted — both based in Glenwood Springs — found themselves in a packed session about rural resilience. The talk was about how small towns across the Western Slope were grappling with aging infrastructure, shrinking budgets, and a knowledge gap that no spreadsheet could bridge. Both leaned in. Both took notes. And when the session ended, neither left.
They talked through the afternoon and into the evening, trading stories from their own backyard. Rob had spent years watching small Colorado communities struggle to stay ahead of water system failures and utility bottlenecks. Katrina, drawing on her background in geospatial technology and data-driven systems, saw the same problems through a different lens: every pipe, every pump, every treatment plant had a story hidden in the data — if only someone could read it.
By the time they drove back through Glenwood Canyon, the idea for Upstream AI had crystallized. What if artificial intelligence could make the invisible visible and the overwhelming manageable? What if a public works director in a mountain town could see exactly which assets need attention, when, and why?
They spent the next several months building prototypes, testing early models with local utilities and municipal teams who were generous enough to share their data and their frustrations. The feedback was unanimous: this wasn't just useful — it was overdue.
The name "Upstream" is a nod to where they live — above the headwaters, at the start of the river system — and to their philosophy. Fix problems upstream, before they cascade. Think ahead. Invest early. That's how rural communities don't just survive, but thrive.