Not your typical tech startup

Inside the offices of one of the faster growing tech startups in Denver, there are no nap pods, indoor scooters or free lunches. The refrigerator isn’t stocked with free caffeine. There is no kombucha on tap.

But reservation-tech company Fareharbor offers what may be a more important attraction: The company makes money and is becoming the biggest name in its niche. Another perk comes later this month, when employees move downtown into an office that is five times larger than their existing space.

In its four years, Fareharbor, which builds tech to help outdoor-activity operators, has watched competitors rise, raise millions from investors, and then crash and burn. Fareharbor has ignored “easily above 25” unsolicited offers from venture and private equity firms, said president Max Valverde. Fareharbor has no interest in them because it’s already making money.

“As part of our interview process, we show a slide show of who we are and where we came from and why we do things this way. We have (investors) singing north of $100 million term sheets. You have to understand why we push those away,” Valverde said. “Owning our own destiny is very important.”

Fareharbor, founded by brothers Lawrence and Zachary Hester in Hawaii, considers itself more like a traditional boot-strap, garage startup, like