Arizona’s first decentralized, statewide conference highlighted the startup and investment community’s notable growth, alongside a strong sense of eagerness among founders, startups, and venture capitalists. The week also generated buzz beyond state lines, drawing national attention and reinforcing Arizona’s rising presence in the tech ecosystem. Communities across Arizona, including rural regions, were energized to participate, underscoring a shared momentum.
This level of engagement reflected an inclusive effort that brought together diverse voices and perspectives, showcasing innovation from every corner of Arizona.
The Phoenix Bioscience Core (PBC) hosted a wide range of events throughout Tech Week, showcasing its academic and clinical partnerships in Downtown Phoenix. 850 PBC served as the XLR8 Investor Corner @ 850 PBC, where guests were able to connect, converse, and collaborate, and welcomed many guests through events hosted by the ASU J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute (E+I space @ 850PBC, Downtown Phoenix). Programming throughout the week reflected momentum, with offerings such as:
Advancing Founder Insight & Ecosystem Dialogue
A Patent-Pending Party:
A founder-focused experience that featured candid conversations on the entrepreneurial journey—covered the highs, lows, and lessons learned—alongside an “Ask the Examiner” AMA on patents and IP strategy with a former U.S. Patent Office insider, and a live patent hackathon where three selected founders left officially patent-pending.
Why Most Startup Ecosystems Fail (& What Phoenix Is Doing About It):
Brian Ellerman and Paul O’Brien discussed Arizona’s future as a startup state and addressed the eventual challenges and how everyone can overcome them. They also focused on what it takes to scale, and why so many places get it wrong.
Left to Right: Brian Ellerman and Paul O’Brien. Photo courtesy of Brian Ellerman.
From Underserved to Undeniable:
Emmeline Ventures invited founders, investors, operators, ecosystem builders, and the venture-curious—alongside leaders across healthcare, technology, and capital- to convene and explore one of the most compelling market opportunities in healthcare today. The conversation highlighted firsthand founder perspectives, market insight, and meaningful connections across Arizona’s growing venture community.
Left to Right: Aaron Velky and Azin Radsan van Alebeek. Photo courtesy of Tiffany Rickard.
Driving Innovation in Healthcare & Personalized Medicine
Inside the Evolution of Mayo Clinic Arizona:
Mayo Clinic in Arizona CEO, Richard Gray, M.D., and Discovery Oasis Medical Director, Steven Lester MD, joinedJames Bates, Founder and CEO of AdviNOW Medical, and Leah B., Principal Consultant at DataBiologics, to share a glimpse “Inside the Evolution of Mayo Clinic in Arizona.” They looked back at the start of Mayo Clinic, and looked forward to advancing healthcare in Arizona. They also highlighted the important and impactful research, innovation, and venture initiatives at Mayo Clinic, including the Discovery Oasis and the Mayo Clinic and ASU Health Care Accelerator.
Guests of the Inside the Evolution of Mayo Clinic in Arizona Event at 850 PBC.
Are you going to the Digital DNA Event?:
UGenome, focused on The Future of Personalized Healing, From Silicon to Sequence, From Data to Decisions. The Future of High-Tech Personalized Healing focused on how individuals and organizations in Arizona can advance through genomic and personalized medicine.
Left-to-right: Marco Schito, Emily E. Effner, Susan Trapp, PhD, Marisela Rodriguez, PhD, Zachary S. Brooks, PhD, EMBA. Photo courtesy of UGenome.
Supporting Startup Growth & Venture Development
Venture Start (Session 1):
Collaboration sparked by the ACA and ASU J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, this is a six-session accelerator that helps early-stage startups validate their idea and target market, define and refine their go-to-market strategy, and acquire early customers through an interactive, live curriculum. In Session One, participants learned the entrepreneurial mindset and tools, such as the Business Model Canvas, to test and refine their ideas, and walked away with frameworks that connect them to Arizona’s innovation ecosystem.
Q&A with Mark Stewart and Kristin Slice. Photo courtesy of Khandle Hedrick.
Hosted by ASU J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, this event provided a platform for entrepreneurs to share their ventures, receive real-time feedback, and connect with Arizona’s innovation community. Each session features short founder presentations followed by interactive Q&A to foster insights, resources, and meaningful connections.
Founders Essential Go to Market Playbook for the Age of AI Noise:
Hosted by ASU J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, founders, mentors, and supporters joined for an open, welcoming networking event. This event built off of having no agenda and no pitches. Everyone had genuine conversations with the people building and backing great ideas in our local startup scene.
Cultivating Community, Collaboration & Global Exchange
FemTech Hackathon:
Partnered with The Fierce Foundry, teams made up of 5 women built a new FemTech product or feature, and developed a business strategy and plan.
FemHack AZ participants. Photo courtesy of Sahithi Bobbu.
The beginning of the night highlighted the teams from the FemHack AZ, who presented their final pitches on the main stage. Then, Matthew Schuster of Picard Medical, Inc, followed with a talk on next-generation, fully implantable artificial heart systems and what they could mean for the roughly half of heart failure patients who are women but account for only a quarter of those receiving durable mechanical support today. Also, the International Startup Mixer brought together founders from around the world, powered by the Arizona Commerce Authority’s International Trade & Investment Office.
Building the Future of Health Innovation Infrastructure
ASU Health Headquarters Groudbreaking:
This 175,000-square-foot building will now be the center of Arizona State’s efforts to strengthen health outcomes for Arizona residents. ASU’s two new schools will be located here: the John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering and the School of Technology for Public Health. Along with the new ASU Health Observatory and programs in the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, the College of Health Solutions will also be a part of this building.
(Source: ‘At the edge of the future’: ASU breaks ground for better health outcomes for Arizona)
Helmets and shovels ready to break ground on ASU Health. Photo courtesy of Sharon Rose Ducati.
We are excited to see what the future holds and cannot wait to continue to collaborate and spark innovation. “Together, we’re all driven by a shared goal: to elevate Arizona’s profile as a leading state in the tech industry.”(ACA)
By: Madisson Simental | April 16, 2026