Scottsdale-based Defendry hopes to use AI and drones to stop active shooters

Scottsdale-based Defendry is using technology to identify and reduce the number of mass shootings across the country. These kinds of tragedies were once fairly rare, but now there’s a news alert much too often about a gunman shooting up a school, church, movie theater or grocery store.  This year, at least 104 mass shootings have … Read more

2nd annual AZTB Startup Bus Tour is ready to roll Nov. 5th – tickets on sale

Az Tech Beat is ready to roll with the 2nd Startup Bus Tour! We take 40 of the top tech startups/founders around the Valley on a tour at cool tech companies and give them 1:1 time with top executives, investors and influencers in the Arizona tech community.   This year we have a tour at … Read more

Ryver takes aim at Slack, launches free team communication platform

Ryver, a team communication software platform, is looking to make their mark in the team collaboration tool market and have their crosshairs on Slack. Ryver came out of beta last week and released their product for all to use for free. While the company plans to convert Slack users, they are also targeting small businesses that use … Read more

Communication platform Ryver launches public beta to help teams find their flow

After scrolling through multiple collaborative channels and reading through hundreds of emails, the endless time suck leaves little room for actual work. Ryver, a new cloud-based, team collaboration, communication platform launched its public beta to compete in the enterprise tech market and bring some sense of sanity to our overloaded inboxes. The company formerly known as Contatta, … Read more

Shelvspace raises $1M seed round to help consumer product reps ditch spreadsheets

One startup is helping sales representatives make sure your favorite chips, gum and bottled water are ready to go at the local convenient store. Shelvspace, a SaaS solution for the consumer packaging goods industry, today announced they closed on a $1 million seed round of funding led by Tallwave Capital with participation from high-profile* California- and … Read more

Cardiac health, batteries and big data win at AZ Tech Council Governor Celebration of Innovation

Hearts, data collection and rechargeable batteries stole the stage at the Arizona Technology Council 2014 Governor Celebration of Innovation. It is here that the AZ tech community comes together to honor science and technology innovators that create leading-edge solutions. INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS Startup winner – Clairvoyant The Chandler-based Clairvoyant is known for data … Read more

AZ Tech Beat free Lunch and Learn – How to become a top influencer and build your brand

Entrepreneurial energy filled the room as a panel of startups who ran successful Kickstarter campaigns, some raising $600K, shared their secrets and advice on how you could raise money on this crowd funding platform at the August AZTB Lunch and Learn. This month we have marketing ninja Matthew O’Brien, CEO Mint Social sharing Top 5 Secrets to … 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

Contatta completes $1.5M convertible round to take product to market

Contatta, the world’s first collaborative email, has completed a $1.5 million convertible round led by Kickstart Seed Fund II and Grayhawk Capital. In addition, all of Contatta’s current board members, including CEO and co-founder Pat Sullivan, and outside investors Desert Angels and Arizona Technology Investors Forum (ATIF) participated in this latest round of investment. “Desert … Read more

Weekend reads: entrepreneurial success, trimming messages, conquering procrastination

Local entrepreneur Pat Sullivan has just released a free ebook titled “10 Keys to Entrepreneurial Success from a Two-time Entrepreneur of the Year.” The 10-chapter book showcases personal anecdotes and tips and tricks for an individual to become a successful entrepreneur. Get it free here. With endless knowledge and skills in his field, Sullivan has co-founded several companies including … Read more