President NACET Russ Yelton departs for CEO of Pinnacle Transplant Technologies

President and CEO of Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology’s (NACET) Russ Yelton is stepping down and transitioning into his next role as CEO for Pinnacle Transplant Technologies (PTT) – a Phoenix-based biologics company known for making allograft tissue. Yelton has been an icon of entrepreneurship in Northern Arizona as he and the NACET … Read more

Pinnacle Transplant wins Venture Madness, $30K

Pinnacle Transplant Technologies, a Phoenix-based biotech company, and client company at the Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation (CEI), was named the Venture Madness champion and took home the grand prize of $30K. The competition began with 64 startups and drilled down to one winner. “It’s been a fun experience,” said Gabriel Hyams, Pinnacle Transplant CEO. “This opens my eyes … Read more

Michael Wolf Appointed CEO of Pinnacle Cart

Pinnacle Cart, Inc. announced the appointment of Michael Wolf to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Pinnacle Cart, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, is an eCommerce software leader that helps small-to-enterprise businesses design, develop and manage their webstores and facilitate growth. Some of their enterprise customers include HBO, CBS Sports, Corona, Discovery Channel and Pawn … Read more

Tips on building an investor-worthy prototype

You’ve got an idea, you’ve found a need, you’re solving a problem and now you want to build a prototype. What most startups don’t realize is the amount of time and funding needed to build out an MVP. Phoenix Analysis and Design Technologies (PADT) is known as the leading prototype engineering company in Arizona and have built everything … Read more

$50K on the line, Venture Madness now open for applications

As the University of Arizona and Arizona State University prepare for this weekend’s territorial match, startups across the southwest are gearing up for their own battle with $50,000 on the line. [youtube]http://youtu.be/XjdVM26O_PQ[/youtube] Presented by Invest Southwest in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority, Venture Madness is a competition that pits 64 startups in a head-to-head bracket … Read more

Shovels, hearts and ebooks among finalists for Governor's Innovation award

Every year, the Governor’s Celebration of Innovation awards recognize people and organizations that drive technology forward in Arizona. This year, the collection of winners and finalists includes everything from shovels and mining, to cloud software and biotechnology. “Every year, the buzz and the crowd grows and I have to say the food couldn’t get much … Read more

Who will win $250K? Top 10 Finalists AZ Innovation Challenge announced

The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) announced today their 10 finalists for 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

AZ companies raising and spending the lettuce – 2014

The year is just about halfway over (how did that happen?), and tech companies around the Valley keep locking down funding and spending the benjis. Take a look at our list of Arizona’s startups and acquisitions from the beginning of 2014.   FUNDING Arizona State University Money raised: $1 million Awarded by the Department of Defense (DOD) … Read more

Top 4 startups battle for $50K at Venture Madness

Eight startups pitched their ideas this morning at Venture Madness, only four will will move on to the final rounds this afternoon. The advancing companies are Contatta, Pinnacle Transplant Tech, ReplyBuy and Clear Demand. The final four in the Venture Madness competition will compete for a portion of that $50,000 prize this afternoon at Talking … Read more