Startup Birdytell helps you overcome generic gift giving

Admittedly I’m a notorious gift card giver. It’s not that I don’t want to give an actual physical, meaningful item, I just don’t know what to buy. To combat generic giving, gift registry sites such as CheckedTwice and Thankful have popped up to help shoppers pinpoint what a person wants for their special occasion. CEO … Read more

Startup SimpleWan launches affordable cyber defense system for small businesses

Christmas Day. People are at home, businesses are closed and all is quiet on the streets. However, tucked away, hiding behind a computer, a hacker is busy at work finding weak points in a company’s system and capturing information to sell. CEO Erik Knight of SimpleWan said that December 25th is one of the biggest … Read more

Zenefits $500 million raise means growth in Arizona

After launching in April 2013, Zenefits, the leading cloud HR platform, has raised a jaw-dropping amount of $500 million in a Series C round of funding led by Fidelity Management and Research Company and TPG-putting their valuation at $4.5 billion. This round is considered the largest private or public (IPO) financing round of any SaaS … Read more

eCommerce startup RevolutionParts hits $100 million milestone

RevolutionParts, an automotive eCommerce platform that simplifies the online selling process of automotive parts by dealerships, has reached a huge company milestone. Since its inception, the startup has processed $100 million in online parts sales, which validates the consumer demand for a streamlined method to buy auto parts that are guaranteed to fit their car. Due … Read more

Get to the front of the nightclub line with Tipsy

Nightlife goers won’t need to be on “the list” to avoid long lines at their favorite club. Tipsy, a nightlife app, gives users a VIP experience by offering vouchers to clubs redeemable for a free drink, no cover charge or getting to the front of the line. Co-founder Eli Chmouni, and a team of ASU alumni … Read more

Tips to hiring SaaS firms with local and offshore talent – Fred von Graf, Web3Mavens

Staying lean is a priority for startups and cutting costs while maintaining quality is key-especially during the development phase. With the challenge of finding low-cost, quality engineers, startups might turn to SaaS firms that use a blend of local and offshore talent to build out their product or website. Fred von Graf, founder and managing partner … Read more

Pure Chat closed $1.5M seed round, plans expansion to global markets

Pure Chat, a live support and sales software company, has raised $1.5 million dollars in a seed round to continue moving up the hockey stick and help small businesses around the world connect with their customers on-the-go. With their $250,000 winnings from the Arizona Commerce Authority Innovation Challenge, Pure Chat’s total funding to date is … Read more

Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference to draw 500 geek girls to Phoenix – April 26-28

Women engineers, startups, entrepreneurs, scientists, venture capitalists, academics and more will descend on Downtown Phoenix for the Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference held on April 26 -28 at the Hotel Palomar. This premier female-focused event, will draw close to 500 participants and feature over 50 influential women in the tech industry. Keynote speakers include Heidi … Read more

The Startup Journal – Building an Audience

For our fourth entry of the AZ Tech Beat Startup Journal, we spoke to Stephen Campbell and Dan Roberts, the co-founders of Tip.ly, a payment application that allows you to pay anyone, anywhere, without the exchange of personal information. The two founders touched on customer acquisition as well as challenges faced for startups in their early phases. … Read more

Google acquires Athena Wireless Communications – interview with CEO Eduardo Tinoco

Google confirmed they have acquired telecommunications company Athena Wireless Communications based in Surprise, Arizona. Google declined to comment further on the terms of the deal. Athena Wireless is known for their affordable and compact digital radios that have the capability of performing at fiber-like speeds. Athena’s technology could essentially help bring high-speed Internet wirelessly to a … Read more