2015 Governor’s Celebration of Innovation announces winners

The Arizona Technology Council and the Arizona Commerce Authority announced the winners for the 2015 Governor’s Celebration of Innovation awards Tuesday. The awards honors members of Arizona’s technology ecosystem who impact the state’s growing technology community. “Each year we set aside a day to gather and recognize the tremendous contributions innovators make to strengthen Arizona’s … Read more

Brackets, startups and a champion – Venture Madness 2015 wrap up- video

In a room filled with investors, startups, educators and more, two software founders stood center stage under the spotlight and pitched their company for a chance to win $30,000 and become the 2015 Venture Madness champion. CampusLogic, a software company aiming to reduce the arduous process of applying for college financial aid, and EndoVantage, a med tech … Read more

CampusLogic wins 2015 Venture Madness, takes home $30K

Sixty four startups down to one winner at the 2015 Venture Madness. This year ed tech and med tech went head-to-head in the final round. In the end, CampusLogic, a software service that simplifies the process for college students to apply for financial aid, took home $30,000 and bragging rights as the Venture Madness champion. EndoVantage placed second … Read more

Final 4 startups advance in Venture Madness 2015

Day two of Venture Madness began with the Top 8 going head-to-head in the hopes of advancing onto the Final 4 and ultimately win a share of the $50,000 prize. Afterward, the participants and startups headed over to Salt River Fields to watch Diamondbacks versus the Rockies, and patiently wait for the Final 4 announcement. … Read more

Top 8 startups advance in Venture Madness

The madness came earlier than expected this March as 16 startups tipped off in the 3-day Venture Madness competition all vying to win cash to build their business- first place winners take home $30,000, 2nd place receives $10,000, and $5,000 each for 3rd and 4th place. Day 1 ended with the announcement of the Top … Read more

Raising capital is more like a marriage – TIE AZ Roundtable wrap up

Photo contribution from Thomas Hawthorne, co-written with Tishin Donkersley The Tempe Center for the Arts was buzzing as investors, entrepreneurs and TiE AZ members networked and threw back a few cold ones at the TiE AZ Venture Capital Roundtable. The event included a panel of venture capitalists (VCs) from Silicon Valley and the Southwest who shared … Read more

Venture Madness announces its sweet 16 – updated

The next round of Venture Madness brackets leaves only 16 startups who will move on to the final, live-demo portion of the competition for a chance to win their share of $50,000. Jonathan Ariano, chairman of Invest Southwest comments on the startups, “[They] are shining examples of the entrepreneurship and innovation happening in the Southwest … Read more

Silicon Valley and Southwest venture capitalists to speak at TiE VC Funding Roundtable event

Prominent venture capitalists will be coming to Arizona February 17th for TiE AZ 13th Annual Venture Capital Funding Roundtable to network, meet local entrepreneurs and critique local startup’s pitches. Aside from all the networking and panel discussions, local startups Force Impact Technologies, Endovantage and Primo IAS will present their product to a panel of visiting venture … Read more

32 startups advance in Venture Madness

This round of brackets have closed leaving 32 of the original 64 startups from around the Southwest to compete head-to-head to win their share of $50,000 in 2015 Venture Madness. From here, it’s down to the final 16 companies who will compete in a live-demo event held between March 4-6, 2015. Jonathan Ariano, chairman of … Read more

Crowd Mics wins Startup Connect AZ with a simple Q&A

Photography contribution by Travis Arbon  At the Arizona Technology Council Startup Connect AZ event, five startups from around the state pitched against each other for cash, bragging rights and some good face time with investors, CEOs, educators and influencers. In the end, the audience chose Crowd Mics, an app that turns your smartphone into a … Read more