Why would a highly successful young entrepreneur want to enter politics? Just ask Jared Polis, the 33-year-old CEO and Inc. 500 alum who is running for Congress in Colorado's Second District, which includes Boulder, Vail, and Beaver Creek. "Congress lacks creativity and innovation and entrepreneurs excel at introducing new ideas," he says. On this score, Polis has bona fides: He successfully took his family's greeting card company, Blue Mountain Arts, to the Web and then launched another company, Proflowers (No. 7 on the 2003 Inc. 500), which he took public and later sold to Liberty Media for $477 million. His latest business endeavor is TechStars.org, a program that brings 10 business owners to Boulder for a summer-long boot camp. The entrepreneurs are given a $5,000 stipend, office space, legal council, mentorship, and networking opportunities in exchange for giving TechStars a small equity stake in their company. During the convention, Polis will be out-and-about, co-hosting receptions, and meeting with movers-and-shakers as well as grassroots organizations. So what's Jared's prediction for November? "Barack Obama will win Colorado and be the next president of the United States."