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
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
OAISYS, a Tempe-based call center software company was acquired by business communications giant Mitel Monday. “Mitel is a natural fit for OAISYS as we look to expand and grow our product range and reach,” said Brian Spencer, OAISYS CEO. Mitel, which is based in Ottawa, has a large regional operation in Mesa. Spencer, now the … Read more
The first ever Southwest Maker Fest will take place on March 22 in downtown Mesa and the organizers are taking the “maker” movement to heart as they prepare for the event. “There is a strong group of organizations and individuals in the Valley involved in the maker movement,” said Cindy Ornstein, executive director of the … Read more
The AZTB gadget review team is back! This time we have the Nokia Lumia 2520 tablet up for review. With so many tablets out on the market, we know it’s hard to find the perfect one. So read on and see if this tablet is the one. The Nokia Lumia 2520 is a Windows tablet … Read more
After head-to-head live pitches Thursday morning, the eight companies that moved to the next round of Venture Madness, were announced Thursday afternoon at the Arizona Diamondbacks spring training game. Venture Madness is a competition presented by Invest Southwest and the Arizona Commerce Authority that started with 64 startups pitching their ideas against each other. After … Read more
SyCara Local, a digital presence and SEO company in Scottsdale, has named Bryan Ehrenfreund as their new Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development. Ehrenfreund’s new role on the executive management team will be to focus on driving SyCara Local’s customer acquisition and revenue objectives. “Bryan’s passion and track record of designing and implementing … Read more
House of Genius is an international organization that brings together a collection of industry leaders and entrepreneurs to discuss innovative ideas for startups, products, and other ventures. There are over 20 locations around the world and Phoenix is opening its doors April 15. The team, led by Nima Nojoumi as City Director, is excited to … Read more
eMoneyPool (EMP), a digital microfinance provider that helps the underserved access capital through their social networks, recently raised an undisclosed amount of capital from Accion’s Venture Lab, a $10 million initiative dedicated to providing seed capital and management to disruptive and established early-stage startups with demonstrated revenue traction. The Accion U.S. Network is the largest … Read more
Applications are now being accepted for the Spring 2014 Arizona Innovation Challenge. The competition, which is put on by the Arizona Commerce Authority, awards qualified startups and early stage companies with up to $250,000 in grant funding capital to grow their business. The Arizona Commerce Authority holds the competition twice a year and gives out … Read more