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
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
For the third entry of the AZ Tech Beat Startup Journal, we spoke to Gregg Scoresby, CEO of CampusLogic, an education technology company delivering transformative software solutions across the student life cycle and the winners of the recent Venture Madness competition, about pitching with confidence. The AZ Tech Beat Startup Journal features a variety of founders … Read more
Photo contribution Thomas Hawthorne Greg McKeown, New York Times best selling author of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, packed a punch a ICON 15 with his powerful message about how having one priority is the key to success. Entrepreneurs can typically be the type of person who will take on everything and make it all … Read more
Federal grant money is headed for Phoenix to help fuel the startup scene. Today, the U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker announced that BioAccel and the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) were two of the first 26 recipients to receive a portion of the $10 million grant from the 2014 Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) program. According to … Read more
Last month’s AZ Tech Beat Lunch and Learn was all using video to boost your business. The Director of Strategy at WireBuzz Marcus Krieg emphasized to not skimp on quality and said the benefits of a well-produced, strategic video could out-weigh the risk of customers clicking off if the video is just bad. The musts of a … Read more
Launching this week, AZ Tech Beat has a new web-series offering business advice and work experiences, from the startup world to the startup world. The AZ Tech Beat Startup Journal will feature a variety of founders who are in different stages in their startup. Each episode will be a short, two to three minute video … Read more
Co-written with Tishin Donkersley, M.A. and photo and video contributions by Thomas Hawthorne Starry eyed entrepreneurs flocked to events across the Valley during Phoenix Startup Week- a weeklong event which consisted of over 130 events, several happy hours and a plethora of speakers giving vital information about how to run a successful startup. [youtube]http://youtu.be/07IhjxwC2e4[/youtube] The … Read more
Sixty four startups down to one winner at the 2015 Venture Madness. This year ed tech and med tech went head-to-head in the final round. In the end, CampusLogic, a software service that simplifies the process for college students to apply for financial aid, took home $30,000 and bragging rights as the Venture Madness champion. EndoVantage placed second … Read more
As an ongoing effort to provide tools and resources to the vibrant AZ startup ecosystem, the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) released its new Start Up portal at azcommerce.com. Based on insights and feedback gathered from AZ’s ecosystem leaders and partners, the portal was designed with an edgy vibe and to be used as a centralized source for … Read more