UArizona joins Colorado startup showcase, disruptive companies should apply

The University of Arizona has been invited to participate in Destination Startup, an annual startup showcase held in Colorado designed to highlight some of the best companies in the Intermountain West.  The showcase brings together several of the leading research universities and federal laboratories across the Intermountain West region. Standout startups from these institutions will … Read more

Tucson Electric Power, Hawaiian startup use machine learning to prioritize renewable energy

machine learning

Arizona utility Tucson Electric Power (TEP) and Honolulu-based Shifted Energy are collaborating to evaluate machine learning-based load control. Shifted Energy was selected as one of 20 startups for the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) Incubatenergy Labs program. As a part of this program, Shifted Energy will conduct accelerated demonstrations of its technology with utilities and … Read more

EdTech startup Promineo Tech raises $900,000 in seed funding

Promineo Tech, a startup that partners with community colleges to provide affordable, low-risk coding bootcamps, has raised $900,000 in seed funding. The Peoria-based company will use the money to expand its Education as a Service (EaaS) program offerings and reach more students. Promineo Tech was founded in 2018 by Nick Suwyn as a technology school … Read more

So you want more diversity in your startup. Here’s how you can get it

tech

Conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion are happening everywhere — on social media, in our communities and in our businesses. These are important discussions to have, especially in Arizona, where there’s a clear lack of diversity in the tech ecosystem here. Thankfully, companies and people around the Valley are working to prioritize diversity, equity and … Read more

Mesa startup Desert Valley Tech awarded NSF SBIR grant for mobile blood banking system

SBIR grant

Mesa-based Desert Valley Tech was awarded a competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to fund research and development of a smart container for use in cold blood storage and transport in extreme environments. The company, founded in 2018, began after a chance meeting between co-founders Travis Witzke and Burt Skiba. … Read more

How to improve company culture — and minimize drama — in your growing startup

As your company grows, you may notice a change in the air around your physical — or virtual — office. You might hear of petty drama, rumors or disgruntled employees through the grapevine. “When did this happen?” you might think. How did attitudes change so much on your watch? According to Chris Cardinal, it’s likely … Read more

ASU boasts two 2021 grads with blossoming tech startups

‘Tis the season for graduation. Hats will fly, tears will fall and oh, so many photos will be taken. Even during a pandemic, more than 19,000 students are on track to graduate this year from Arizona State University alone. This includes both undergraduate and graduate students. ASU’s Spring 2021 graduation ceremonies were held Monday, May … Read more

Phoenix startup YellowBird receives $25K grant

Co-founders of YellowBird, a Phoenix-based gig economy marketplace YellowBird

YellowBird, a Phoenix-based startup, has been awarded a $25,000 EMERGEAZ Fast Grant which was created to provide financial support for startups that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. InvisionAZ and StartupAZ partnered with the Arizona Governor’s Office to create the EMERGEAZ Fast Grant — a $1 million fund to be distributed on a rolling basis until … Read more

Founders of Axosoft plan $10 Million investment in Arizona startups

Axosoft founders Hamid & Lawdan Shojaee have announced plans to make a $10 million investment in Arizona startups, especially in their early stages of development. Hamid has also announced a revamp of the AZ TechBeat website and the launch of his new podcast, AZ Tech Podcast. AZ Tech Beat is committed to being a trustworthy … Read more