StartupAZ Collective Welcomes Diverse Cohort of Startup Leaders
Arizona’s startup community is bursting at the seams with talent, innovation and investment potential. And StartupAZ Collective, a local initiative dedicated to growing, connecting, and refining the success of the state’s most promising companies, is on a mission to share that with the world. We are delighted to welcome the newest cohort of business leaders to the Collective, as they are excellent representations of StartupAZ’s cornerstone values of leadership, connectivity and generosity, and we’re excited to see them bring CO+HOOTS Foundation’s vision of Equity through Entrepreneurship to life in the Valley.
“We’re really proud of the quality and diversity of the two new cohorts joining the Collective” says StartupAZ Co-Founder Brandon Clarke, “Going into our fourth year, we’re witnessing a natural raising of the bar as these emerging leaders drive performance and establish generosity as a core value within their companies.”
The diversity of this group is a significant business advantage–according to most national and state-wide studies, ethnic, racial and gender diversification within individual companies and communities at large is a not-so-secret ingredient to success. For example, companies with diverse management generate 19% higher revenue than those without, and businesses that prioritize inclusion are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their respective markets. With Greater Phoenix’s rising status as the next big #TechHub, a title earned through a combination of affordability and rapid industrial growth, it’s no surprise that this diverse array of ChangeMakers have joined forces to further boost business growth in the Valley of the Sun.
Congratulations to the following leaders for being selected as members of the StartupAZ Collective! We look forward to supporting and growing this team as they continue to make a lasting impact on the community.
SC Growth I: Monthly Morning Session
Marshall Greenwald, CEO of Cray Pay
Colin Turner, C0-Founder & COO of Postscript
Jamie Baxter, Co-Founder & CEO of Qwick
Andrew Steele, CEO of Breezing
Michelle Tinsley, CEO of Remitter International
Jason Saunders, CEO of WeedWare
Bhargavi Balusani, Co-Founder & COO of ShiftX
Jennifer Thronson, President at BayIQ
SC Growth II: Monthly Afternoon Session
Gregory Lim, Co-Founder & CEO of Persosa
Michelle Eichner, CEO of Digitile
Barbara Timm-Brock, CEO of eTrack Tech, Inc.
Sarah Bevier, Co-Founder of SLP Toolkit
Tim Duncan, Co-Founder of ICT Tracker
Rachel Mertensmeyer, C0-Founder & CEO of RexPay Inc.
Antonio Olander, Founder & CEO of Fit Pro Tracker, Inc
Michael R. Hunter, Founder of Spiffy
To get more involved, visit StartupAZ Collective to learn more about how to join a future cohort or support your startup community. See members of this cohort on stage at this year’s OFFPITCH: a lip sync battle September 4th at Crescent Ballroom and help us to spread diversity in Arizona entrepreneurship!
