Heat Warning: Phoenix Startup Scene on Fire

phoenix startup week

I had a great time speaking at (get the slides here) and attending Phoenix Startup Week (PSW). As always I learned a lot. This is the first of several articles I will share with you on what I found insightful. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from PSW:

  • “You live every day, not just once. You only die once. What do you want to do on your journey?” – Olenka Cullinan of Rising Tycoons
  • “A career grows out of who we are. Who we are doesn’t grow out of a career.” – Marianne Williamson
  • “Don’t worry about people stealing your idea, 99% of people won’t even do their own stuff.” – Kolby Kolibas

Having lived in both Phoenix and Silicon Valley, I have been impressed with the growth of the startup scene in Phoenix. Kent Dicks provided some great stats on why Phoenix is rising in the startup ranks.

  • 84% less expensive than San Francisco
  • 69% of ASU and UofA grads stay in Arizona
  • 5th largest city
  • #4 in tech jobs
  • #9 happiest city
  • #1 in Entrepreneurial activity
  • 75% of starts are self or angel funded
  • 20+ in startup capital
  • 33 accelerators
  • 42 coworking spaces
  • $595M of VC in 11-13

If you want a great list of software companies rising out of the startup scene checkout: http://greghead.com/gregslist-arizona-software-companies/

Tim Crown, founder of Insight (a local Phoenix Company), gave a great talk and some gold nuggets of advice.

  • No business he started was success where he thought it would be. You figure it out as you go.
  • Culture is huge. You need metrics that align strategy to actions. People want to be on the success train.
  • When interviewing, he acknowledged that the relationship was temporary, and asked what help them further their career.
  • Three boxes: keep, start and stop

Until next time, cheers!

Gratefully,

Guy
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