StartupAZ Newsletter: Issue 18
Ever say a word so many times in a row that it starts to lose meaning?
In the startup world, “Innovative” can end up being one of those words, but it also happens to be an incredibly meaningful term when used intentionally.
Not all companies are innovative, and we’re so proud to have members in StartupAZ that exemplify the qualities of truly innovative companies.
With the Arizona Innovation Challenge in full swing and the winners nearing announcement, we decided to ask the question: What does innovation mean to you?
“Innovation is taking existing infrastructure, whether that is technology, processes, or concepts — and deciding how to improve upon them to take them further,” said Will Shaw, CEO & Co-Founder of Better Agency and a winner of the 2021 Innovation Challenge.
Another company who took an existing infrastructure and made it better is this month’s Collective Conversations interview, Josh Lau. Josh co-founded Nymbl Systems as a solution to his own professional need, and apparently a lot of people in the industry were needing it as well! Keep scrolling to read Josh’s full story.
If the past few years haven’t given you whiplash when it comes to funding, the economy, and job growth, nothing will!
Just months after experiencing an extremely competitive market for tech talent, hiring in Phoenix is slowing down and seems to be on track to correct itself back to pre-COVID days.
“We’re just back to pre-COVID levels of open jobs at Phoenix software companies.” commented Greg Head, founder at Gregslist.com. “So it’s still a very active but not crazy time for hiring. It won’t be as easy for job seekers compared to a year ago.”
Even in challenging markets, the most innovative companies attract top talent. Companies in StartupAZ Collective currently have 160 positions available on the SC job board.
We couldn’t be more thrilled to share our new website with you! StartupAZ Collective companies have seen enormous growth over the years, and have incredible stories to share.
Special thanks to the team at Little Taller, they went above and beyond to bring this to life!
Check out our new website here.
This month Steve Case, Co-Founder of AOL, chairman and CEO of Revolution, and bestselling author, made his way back to Phoenix to share his book, The Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream. The book highlights a range of growing startup ecosystems and founders, including Qwick’s story and the Phoenix community.
To date, Revolution has invested in 5 AZ startups, all of which are members of StartupAZ Collective! Those startups are Qwick, Schola, Equipifi, Chassi, and NeoLight.
Josh had the seedlings for Nymbl while he was working on the IT side of healthcare operations in Kentucky.
While working in an orthotics and prosthetics clinic, he was tasked with finding a practice management software solution, but after six months of searching, he kept coming up short. Half joking, he suggested he build the software for the clinic. The owner liked the idea and that kickstarted Josh’s journey as a tech startup founder.
Watch the full interview (or check out the Q&A).
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