Buy your gameday tickets on-demand with a text

Football fans around the country will now have the ability to purchase game tickets through a text  using ReplyBuy. ReplyBuy is a mobile commerce platform that allows customers to purchase items through a text message. In October 2014, the company launched their sports and entertainment platform focused on ticket sales for professional and collegiate sports teams and have … Read more

POTUS Demo Day promotes diversity, AZ companies recognized

Co-written with Tishin Donkersley Only 1% of America’s venture capital-backed startups are led by African Americans, and only 3% are led by women. This has to change. Today, President Obama is hosting the first White House Demo Day, promoting diversity across all industries for women and minorities. The event is giving 30 entrepreneurs and startups … Read more

CampusLogic raises $4.1 Million to expand financial aid platform

Ed tech startup CampusLogic raised $4.1 million from notable education technology investors and will use the money to increase sales, marketing and product development. The investment was led by NY-based venture fund University Ventures with participation from Continental Investors, Desert Angels, and Arizona Technology Investors-among other private investors. The ed tech startup creates SaaS solutions for … 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

New CrunchBase report shows female founders on the rise

Anyone that has been paying attention to the challenge women face in the tech industry knows there is a gap in the representation of female founders and engineers. While local CEOs such as Blake Irving, GoDaddy, are pushing for change by placing more females in C-suite positions and leading girls in tech efforts, there is … Read more

Babies and skin care win at BioAccel Solutions Challenge

The Scorpion Pit sounds like a place that came out of a summer blockbuster movie, but for upcoming startups in the biotechnology field, it’s just the right amount of venom they need to help move their business forward. At the BioAccel Solutions Challenge, seven startups competed for a cut of $100,000 in funding and pitched … Read more

Recoleta Digital Media raises Series A-2 funding led by ATI and Desert Angels – updated

How often do the grocery checkout coupons and weekly circulars end up in the trash? To combat this challenge, one Tucson-based startup is helping grocers target price-conscious shoppers through their mobile devices. Recoleta Digital Media, a personalized grocery circular system, has raised an undisclosed sum of Series A-2 funding. Their platform creates digitally driven personalized circulars with … 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

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

64 startups to battle it out for $50K at Venture Madness

Venture Madness, presented by Invest Southwest in partnership with Arizona Commerce Authority, announced it’s 64 startups from around the southwest who will compete head-to-head for a portion of the $50,000 prize. How Venture Madness works: Think of it as the “Battle of the Brackets” where startups duel it out bracket-style for the top slot. After … Read more