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

Raising capital is more like a marriage – TIE AZ Roundtable wrap up

Photo contribution from Thomas Hawthorne, co-written with Tishin Donkersley The Tempe Center for the Arts was buzzing as investors, entrepreneurs and TiE AZ members networked and threw back a few cold ones at the TiE AZ Venture Capital Roundtable. The event included a panel of venture capitalists (VCs) from Silicon Valley and the Southwest who shared … Read more

Silicon Valley and Southwest venture capitalists to speak at TiE VC Funding Roundtable event

Prominent venture capitalists will be coming to Arizona February 17th for TiE AZ 13th Annual Venture Capital Funding Roundtable to network, meet local entrepreneurs and critique local startup’s pitches. Aside from all the networking and panel discussions, local startups Force Impact Technologies, Endovantage and Primo IAS will present their product to a panel of visiting venture … Read more

64 startups chosen for Venture Madness

Startups from around the Southwest have been chosen to compete for $50,000. Invest Southwest, in partnership with Arizona Commerce Authority, is geared up for Venture Madness and have chosen their 64 startups to compete. Venture Madness is a competition that pits 64 startups in a head-to-head bracket for the chance to win a share a pot … Read more

2014 in Review: AZ Tech Beat’s Top Stories

It’s almost time to say goodbye to 2014, so take some time to look back on all the awesome things that happened this year. As a tribute to the year, we’ve collected some of AZTechBeat.com’s most popular and exciting stories. Enjoy! News GOOGLE FIBER is coming to the Valley– Quite possibly the biggest announcement of the … 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

Allbound secures $200K bringing jobs to AZ

Founder and CEO Scott Salkin of Allbound, a cloud-based marketing and sales automation tool for companies with indirect sales channels and reseller network, is no stranger to startups and the AZ tech community. While he built IDS Marketing, he’s also delved into the AZ Tech Council and launched Startup Connect AZ, an all day educational session … Read more

ACA announces 25 semifinalists in the race for $250K

Today the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) announced the 25 AZ-based semifinalists in the Arizona Innovation Challenge all vying for a shot at the big prize money. The AZ Innovation Challenge is a semi-annual business plan competition awarding $1.5M in the Spring and $1.5M in the Fall, giving startups a shot at winning up to $250,000. … Read more

$50K on the line, Venture Madness now open for applications

As the University of Arizona and Arizona State University prepare for this weekend’s territorial match, startups across the southwest are gearing up for their own battle with $50,000 on the line. [youtube]http://youtu.be/XjdVM26O_PQ[/youtube] Presented by Invest Southwest in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority, Venture Madness is a competition that pits 64 startups in a head-to-head bracket … Read more