Over 131 applicants were considered before the judges narrowed it down to the top 25 semifinalists in the Fall 2015 Arizona Innovation Challenge. Led by the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), the Challenge is a bi-annual business plan competition for promising early-stage companies in high-growth industries where early-stage startups vie for a slice of the $1.5 … Read more
The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) announced today their 25 semifinalists in its Spring 2014 Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC), a competition where recipients could win up to $250,000 in grant funding capital to grow their business. Twice a year, the ACA awards $1.5 million to innovative, early-stage AZ startups from industries such as IT, bio and … Read more
The first Demo Day from ASU Furnace kicked off at SkySong, Wednesday June 5, packed with Arizona investors, incubators, mentors and visionaries ready to learn more about the companies vying for funding and resources. Startup companies covered a wide-range of products-from biotech and software to theft-reducing technologies. What is Furnace? It’s a first-of-its-kind startup accelerator … Read more
On Friday, at the Arizona Commerce Authority’s offices, the Furnace Accelerator unveiled its first batch of ten startups. With the level of startup activities and tech company launch events in recent months, I am starting to wonder if we are finally on the verge of a mini silicon valley taking off in the Phoenix area. … Read more