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
Last week, Arizona state legislators passed SB 1124, which includes an extension of the Small Business Capital Investment Incentive. The incentive, more commonly known as the angel investor tax credit, encourages investment in early-stage companies and tech startups in Arizona. The tax credit has made a $1.38 billion economic impact over the last six years. … Read more
Thinkzilla, a brand, marketing and PR agency based in Atlanta, announced plans to open a new office at SkySong, the Arizona State University Scottsdale Innovation Center. The consulting firm said it will hire 25 employees in the first six months. Female and minority-owned Thinkzilla chose Scottsdale because of the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem here. Company leaders … Read more
LiveRamp, a B2B data connectivity platform based in San Francisco, announced it will build an office in the Phoenix Metropolitan area. They plan to hire at least 100 new employees. The company is looking for full-time, highly skilled workers, including executive leaders. LiveRamp will initially focus on hiring positions in Customer Support, Customer Success and … Read more
HUUB, a software platform developed by CO+HOOTS, won a $10,000 grant as part of a competition initiated by a collaboration between the U.S. Small Business Administration and the National Science and Technology Council’s Lab-to-market subcommittee. The Lab-to-Market (L2M) Inclusive Innovation Ecosystem Prize Competition awarded $330,000 in prizes to companies across the country. More than 160 … Read more
Time to break out the brackets for Venture Madness 2016! This event, brought to the Valley by Invest Southwest and Arizona Commerce Authority, is where the top 64 startups go head-to-head in a pitch competition and vie for a portion of the $100,000 prize and the chance to be crowned champion. The first elimination round begins tomorrow … Read more
Co-written with Chloe Nordquist For those parents that aren’t able to make their child’s sport game, there’s a new app to help bring the game to them. Urepp gives parents the option to watch customized live highlights of their child’s game or live stream the complete game via smartphone. “Instead of live streaming an … Read more
Jeff Hoffman traveled the world for three years mentoring startups; he also started a music company, produced and authored an independent film, built airline boarding pass kiosks, won a Grammy, and co-founded Priceline. While he has walked down many yellow brick roads to success, he attributed his achievement to a simple approach, “entrepreneurship is not about making … Read more
Tucson technology startup AudioEye today announced the appointment of Todd Bankofier as Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Carr Bettis will remain as Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Todd is a strong principled leader who cares deeply about making the web and digital content fully accessible, not only for the 5% -10% of the population … Read more
Tucson-based SynCardia Systems, a total artificial heart development, manufacturing and commercializing company, filed for IPO under the proposed symbol TAHT (total artificial heart temporary) and looking to raise $34.5 million according to NASDAQ. The company plans to issue 2.5 million shares with an over allotment option of $375,000 at $10-12 per share. The lead underwriter is Roth Capital … Read more