The Wizards behind the Curtain of PHX Startup Week

It’s 5:47 AM the morning after Phoenix Startup Week, February 28, 2015. That’s the latest I’ve slept in all week. My body has been waking up on pure adrenaline every morning. But today, it’s not that which has me wide-eyed and sitting at my computer the morning after five 16-hour days in a row. Today, gratitude has awakened me.

But before that…

What happened this week? How do I recap such an overwhelmingly positive five days? Honestly, it’s a bit of a blur. There’s not just one thing I walked away with that’s quantifiable. Sure, we have numbers — encouraging numbers — to share. Just a few of the numbers we have to share from Phoenix Startup Week include:

• Five full days of events held across three cities in 44 rooms of 31 different venues
• Over 100 organizers and volunteers who contributed their blood, sweat, and tears
• 152 presenters, panelists, and moderators who helped speak at 161 different events
• 2,265 registered attendees and at least another 50 drop-ins for a total of over 2,300 year-one attendees (that we know of)
• Thousands of tweets and RTs representing millions of social impressions

But these numbers don’t express what really happened this week. These are just ways we try to form a narrative around what’s already happening in the greater Phoenix entrepreneurial community. By only focusing on numbers, though, we lose sight of the true stories that construct this larger narrative we’re all trying to help tell. Personally, I don’t care about the greater Phoenix story as much as the micro stories that make a larger (and longer) narrative possible.

As you might suspect, there are lots of stories to tell from this week.

Stories

A number of college students came up to me over the week, very enthusiastic by the event as a whole. One said that he didn’t know what he wanted to do yet, only that he wanted to “eventually do something in startups.” He was learning and networking beyond his expectations, marked by thankfulness in all he shared.

I met two employees used their hard-earned vacation time to take five days off of work and immerse themselves in the week’s events. One of them has a startup that he has built on nights and weekends while working for a large local enterprise company. He’s bootstrapped, and now, after years of passionate work on his idea, he’s nearly ready to make the leap of faith and quit his nine-to-five. He is married with five kids and confessed his trepidation about the plunge. But Startup Week proved to him the community that awaits him with open arms, ready to help.

Two young Hispanic women looked excited, but uncertain about who to speak with at one of the week’s happy hours. They heard about Phoenix Startup Week during some of the week’s television coverage and knew they needed to come out and meet others. I asked them to pitch me their idea, but said, “We don’t know how.” They rambled for a little bit and I rephrased it in a more succinct phrase (whether right or wrong): a Beauty Concierge for Busy Professional Women. Their eyes went wide, exclaiming, “That’s why we need to be here!” I introduced them to some other busy professionals and executives — their target customers — and they spoke for the rest of the happy hour. They also walked away with contacts and others to help them as they start on the path to starting their business together.

Still others stood as cheerleaders for the event throughout the entire week, faces we looked to in the stands for support throughout the week. While many of the planners (including myself) thought that we would only see people attend single days given our rotation throughout the valley before the week, we saw many of the same faces nearly every day. Some of the faces we knew — the familiar, friendly, and encouraging faces of people like Bob La Loggia, Francine Hardaway, Michael Hool, Don Pierson, Ed Nusbaum, Sidnee Peck, Zach Ferres, Christie Kerner, Christine Jones, Tishin Donkersley, Dan Tyre, Jeff Abbot, Gregg Ghelfi. But there were newer faces there all week, too. TK Keugler, Keith Richards, Gordon Pardy, Shaydon Armstrong, Stephanie Liebold, Carine Dieude, Chris Valentine, Raoul Encinas were among them, as well as those whose I came to know only on a first name basis: Chris, Mo, Andy, Jeff, Richard, Greg, Stephanie, Jim, et al.

One of the several Chase volunteers that were present during the week said that this so invigorated and inspired her that she almost felt ready to “do something.” I told her she should. (Sorry if you lose an employee, Chase, but I’m sure they’ll be a loyal new business customer!)

Finally, the overwhelming consensus I heard from those who have been active in the local startup scene for years, even decades, was:

“80% of the people we’ve seen here are new faces, people we don’t know. It’s so refreshing to not just see the regular crew.”

The same goes for me, having personally met hundreds of new people.

These stories just scratch the surface of all those that emerged out of Phoenix Startup Week.

So, how did this all come about? How did Phoenix enjoy the fortune of hearing and witnessing so many inspiring stories between Monday, February 23 and Friday, February 27, 2015?

Gratitude

We’re back to the culprit that woke me up this morning. Tishin Donkersley and Francine Hardaway asked me how I felt early Monday morning about the event’s kickoff and I exclaim now what I told them then:

“I am awed and humbled by how our community came together to make this week happen.”

You see, maybe you’ve heard my name a lot this week and leading up to this event. But I’m just one small part of this big, beautiful puzzle that was formed before all of our eyes. I received so many thanks and congratulations this week, and while I appreciate all the kind words, that’s not what this is about.

I shared some of the numbers earlier, but now, allow me to pull back the curtain of this spectacle to reveal the humble wizards that made this entire thing possible. Their names deserve writing, honoring, and knowing.

We can do a lot in 3 months.

Phoenix Startup Week happened because of less than three months of unpaid volunteer planning. Yes, we had corporate sponsors … and without them, this would not have been possible. I will get to profusely thanking them in writing very soon. But first, let me tell you about the people who made this not just possible, but awesome (in the order of our week, as much as possible).

Evo Terra kicked off this whole thing. Without him, Startup Week would not have had Phoenix proceeding its name. I wish him well wherever in the world he is today, and a more vibrant startup community welcomes him home should he ever return from his nomadic travels with his wonderful wife, ShEvo.

Matt Simpson was more than a right-hand man, he was a right and a left, as well as some solid footing. Without him, we would not have had nearly 200 people submit to speak. There would have been a lot less events for everyone to enjoy, that is certain. More importantly, I found a friend.

Kim Higdon managed to breathe life into our first year of social media. She was @PHXstartupweek, and there would have been far less hashtag activity without her.

Kristin Romaine helped with so many things it’s hard to put a label on it. She’s a connector, through-and-through, without ego. People want to be where she is because, in a word, she is delightful. List me in the ranks of so many others who are grateful for her part in this growing startup community we call Phoenix.

Jenny Poon and Odeen Domingo get stuff done! Despite juggling startups of their own, a councilman’s campaign, a coworking facility, and a (beautiful!) baby, they offered time to not only help organize our downtown day, but to design the signage, prints, and more. Wow.

Phil Bradstock has been a constant cheerleader for the startup scene within the city of Phoenix. He jumped at the opportunity to help and spared nothing. Hank Marshall was a cheerleader as well, availing his staff and city efforts to help make this all possible.

Dorina Bustamante connected us into our first downtown Chase Basecamp at 111 W. Monroe. She’s been an advocate for the event since she heard of it, and we were better for it.

Andrew Knochel was a rock. Unphased by difficult situations, he maintained composure during the event, as well as providing major help in scheduling downtown events. We couldn’t have done it without him.

Aaron Call and Kelvin Ning jumped aboard early to focus in on the medtech vertical, providing great content and supporting everything from soup-to-nuts t make that afternoon happen. The event was better for it and rave reviews followed.

Mike Alonzo is not only a long-time business partner and colleague, he’s a friend. Along with what he’s already doing daily, he took on a huge load, again with limited support. I’m thankful for his part not just in our community, but in my life.

Kunal Laroia jumped in near the end to help as much as possible, with scheduling and just being present to help in whatever ways we needed. His smile alone is worth having him involved.

Gabe Gasca pitched in day-of support, dealing with difficult landlords and helping coordinate mentor hours in the final weeks leading up to the week. He is all about community, and it shows.

The City of Scottsdale should be proud of Danielle Casey and Mark Paratore, but moreover, the startup community is proud of them. Good people, plain and simple, they consistently demonstrate their support and the city’s support not just with words, but action.

Enough cannot be said about Paige Soucie. Everyone felt it. With few volunteers in the Tempe area, she managed a load as heavy as anyone, navigating a lot of plot twists that popped up in the weeks leading up to her day. But no one would know that. Phoenix is lucky to have her.

After mentioning Paige, I must also thank Zach Ferres, who is a constant ally for the local startup scene. I heard him say it first: “We need to act like a metropolitan.” By offering up his own staff (like Paige), deferring client dollars in favor of helping the city, mentoring entrepreneurs, and offering up his own venue this week, he continues to walk the walk.

After learning that job fairs had been successful parts of other markets’ Startup Weeks, Ryan Naylor was our first call. He jumped at the opportunity to help the scene and also provided great content with his Shark Tank story. Not only is Ryan helping the scene, he has the noble task of changing individuals’ lives through new work.

Becky DeStigter and Joanne Flynn jumped in to help support our light-on-volunteers Tempe Day, providing a stable and calming presence and quality emceeing throughout the day.

Matt Gottesman, Kirk Morales, and Dan Roberts made north Scottsdale a complete success, as smooth a day as any. While I hadn’t had much time to know them prior to this effort, they showed me and everybody what they were made of, tending to every detail before and after the event. I’m glad to now call them all friends.

Scott Salkin absolutely rocked scheduling north Scottsdale events even amid running two businesses, managing infant twins, and preparing his own (highly demanded) presentation for Phoenix Startup Week.

Christie Kerner is an absolute gem. She was one of the first to raise her hand and offer support, and support she does. Consistently. I’m grateful for her very presence in any room.

Dabi Adeyemi and Lad Makinde came through early on to help us make our last day happen in the Biltmore area. On a side note, Lad and his wife got stuck on a stairwell while the closing party was going on at the Ritz as a direct result of helping Phoenix Startup Week. (Ask him.)

Jonathan Coury has been a long-time supporter of the startup ecosystem, with many thanks to Michael Hool. Hool Coury Law supports nearly every startup event in town, often with money, but at least with their presence. What you may not know is that Connor Hubach is a newer attorney with the firm and he has proven himself of the same caliber. He made much happen for the event, and I’m grateful to him.

Christina Noble came alongside the Arcadia Biltmore team and made things happen to schedule great content there, but went even further, working closely with them as the day happened.

Everyone in Phoenix startups knows Tim and Sean Holladay by now, and the Phoenix Startup Week crew was thankful to have them around with audio and visual planning despite their heads-down focus on CrowdMics.

Clay Olsen is a friend, and he proved himself more than that, willing to pitch in however he could at the very last minute, not only on support at the event, but in making sure all our presentations were ready to go — with 105 decks, that’s saying a ton.

JP Taxman was a lifesaver for me, personally. The day before the event, he took on the taxing job of renting a U-haul to move signage around from venue to venue. It resulted in him missing a lot of content during the week, but he was there to help however he could.

The list goes on. Adam Mann designed killer posters for the event, bringing his style to the look of the week. Tina Lumbis helped us with PR despite a demanding new job. John Johnson made our events more friendly and focused on face-to-face interaction through his startup, Feel Free. Nick Dan-Bergman helped schedule Downtown Scottsdale events. Alex Schultz helped in Tempe and on ASU campus. I’m grateful to have met Colin Turner, who offered up himself even over the weekend leading up to the event to help setup, a collected presence who was willing to do anything. Veronica Goldweber saw things were happening just a couple weeks before the event and jumped in the mix happily to help wherever she could — and we needed her. Tim O’Neil graciously opened up his space and went above and beyond to make sure we were accommodated at 111 W. Monroe.

Then there was the wonderful news coverage of locals like Jesse Millard and Thomas Hawthorne under the continued leadership of Tishin Donkersley at AZ Tech Beat, without whom, Arizona news — and spirits — would be lesser.

Taylor Soper was new to Phoenix, traveling here from Seattle on a GeekWire mission, but what an incredible person! The guy gets it, and represented our ecosystem in writing better than most natives could.

While I can’t thank our sponsors at the corporate level enough (truly, truly, thank you!), let’s recognize the people who made that possible. Lisl Stanton of Chase has been there the whole way through, as kind as gracious as anyone I’ve ever met. And her colleagues are all wonderful, including people like Seth Mones, Maura Cordova, MJ Rogers, Meghan Brady, Noreen Bishop, Curtis Reed, and the dozens of other employees who attended to volunteer however they could. Similarly, I can’t thank our generous local supporters enough, including Greg Ensell of Cox Communications, Darren Wilson of bluemedia and Blind Society, David Cogan of Eliances, and Jenny Poon (again!) of eeko studio.

I’m also proud and thankful to have spent time with the entire UP Global crew these past few months in preparing this event. But it’s not what they just provide as a platform, it’s who they provide in supporting this community-building event. Matt Helt is as solid as they come. Calm, helpful, candid, and encouraging throughout the entirety of this event, he has been my patient go-to. Andrew Hyde is legend, and deservingly so. Not only is he a National Sportsball League fan like myself, he has the beard and hug of a bear. And then there are people like David Betz, among the sweetest of men, and Luz Bratcher, who has a knack for getting to the heart of an issue and warming up a room. I am honored to now call all of these wonderful people friends.

To Mayor Greg Stanton, it was such an honor and wonderful way to kick things off having his energy present, there to show his personal support of what’s happening in Phoenix. We are fortunate to have such leadership in our city.

To Councilman Daniel Valenzuela, such a constant support of the local entrepreneurial community, his 5K in 5Y campaign resonates and we look forward to helping make that happen as one community.

To Jeff DeWit, we thank him for making a special trip to Tempe and spent all of his morning with entrepreneurs, inspiring us and speaking to the crowdfunding bills he has helped push through legislation for our local startup ecosystem.

I haven’t even yet named other mentors, venue hosts, promoters, volunteers, and content providers like Bob Krakauer, Bob Laudner, Brad Robertson, Brandon Clarke, Brian Sherman, Chris Camacho, Chris Petroff, Corinn Perry, Courtney Klein, Dan Tyre, Dirk Karsten Beth, Eric Diaz, Fred Von Graf, Hamid Shojaee, Hayley Ringle, Jay Chernikoff, Jeff Pruitt, Jim Goulka, JT Vandegriff, Kate Rogers, Kevin Kovaleski, Maggie Zehring, Mario Martinez II, Mike Chadwick, Mitzi Montoya, Robert Wallace, Sarah Koebel, everyone at Fennemore Craig, and so many others (that I will regret not naming, I’m sure).

And oh yeah, I haven’t even named all of the 152 presenters or 31 venue providers. Can you believe this?

Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my own amazing family for giving up time with me the past couple months. I could not do half of the things I do without Nicole Cottrell by my side. As you may have heard in her own Friday presentation of Love & Startups, she is a partner in every sense of the word. And to my kids, Riley, Tolan, and Beckett, who went the last week without seeing me, I thank them all…and look forward to our vacation in two short weeks. Family time beckons.

Heart, Wizards, and Stars

This barely scratches the surface. There were other volunteers at other venues that I didn’t even have the chance to personally meet. There were other presenters, panelists, and moderators I didn’t get to hear. This massive list of people just serves as yet one more example of how broad the support of our ecosystem reaches.

Do you see what’s happening?

I just listed over 7-dozen names. Some of them you’ve heard before, surely. But many of them, you probably haven’t. There are some big names in our community, and no doubt, such recognizable names are people who have helped lead others to get things done and had their own histories of doing things for our community. But in my mind, the people I have listed here represent the very heart of our community, the wizards behind the curtain, pulling levers and making things happen. These are the stars that you may not necessarily know by name, but shine brightly upon our city, willing to roll up their sleeves and dig in to make things happen. They don’t just talk about building the community, they walk it out. They have guts and grit, willing to do good for others every chance they get, whatever the cost.

I am better for knowing each and every one of them.

More names will emerge next year, I am convinced. They will be people drawn in by the success of this first year and with the best of intentions. But let it be said now: the years of Phoenix Startup Week successes and stories that follow this inaugural event will be built upon the shoulders of these humble and hardworking servants of the city I have just named. Remember them. Honor them.

So, what’s next?

I’m sure you’re asking: what’s next? We’ll get to that soon enough (but for starters, don’t stop using the #yesphx hashtag). It’s not lost on all of us that we should build upon the momentum created this week.

But for now, let’s just be grateful. This tome of a letter that I began to write this morning doesn’t do justice to all that I feel right now, but I’m sure you get the point. In the simplest and sincerest of words:

“Thank you.”

Share Your Thanks, Too

Please share this with whomever you know that was impacted by or interested in our inaugural event. And sure, you can spread the word now: Phoenix Startup Week will return in 2016.