founder Resources
Welcome to the CEI Entrepreneurs Resource Network! Discover a diverse network of partners who support entrepreneurs in Arizona with the right resources for your entrepreneurial journey.
 | Arizona Commerce Authority The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) is the state’s top economic development organization, focused on growing and strengthening Arizona’s economy. They recruit out-of-state companies, help existing companies expand, and partner with entrepreneurs to create jobs and businesses in targeted industries. Highlights: – Small Business Checklist (azcommerce.com/small-business/small-business- checklist/) – Small Business Boot Camp – Small Business Digital Academy azcommerce.com |
 | AZPTAC The Arizona Procurement Technical Assistance Center (AZPTAC) works with small business owners to help them realize the opportunities in government contracting. We do this by providing confidential, no-cost, one-on-one counseling to small businesses throughout the State of Arizona. azptac.com |
 | AZPTAC The Arizona Procurement Technical Assistance Center (AZPTAC) works with small business owners to help them realize the opportunities in government contracting. We do this by providing confidential, no cost, one-on-one counseling to small businesses throughout the State of Arizona. azptac.com |
 | AZ TechCelerator An Innovation Hub providing entrepreneurial resources and space to launch your technology venture. aztechcelerator.com |
 | AZ Tech Council Premier trade association for science and technology companies. Highlights: – Events – Public Policy Advocacy – Resources- Health Care Plan – Multiple Employee 401(k) Plan – Discounted tuition at certain in-state education institutions Aztechcouncil.org |
 | Better Business Bureau The organization offers a library of webinars, events, an accelerator, and co-working spaces to ignite businesses. With innovative benefits and a focus on adaptability, the BBB is a progressive entity. Their tools facilitate learning about ethical behavior and building stronger, trustworthy customer relationships. Highlights: – Ignite- coworking space designed for small business owners – Business & Community Center- host meetings and events – Accelerator program – Blueprint small business incubator – Kiva Hub- micro-lending platform – Educational events for women, immigrants, military and veterans – BBB Accreditation for businesses bbb.org |
 | Chandler Innovation Center – ASU Located in the heart of Downtown Chandler, the Chandler Innovation Center pairs startup-centric programming and resourced with a one-of-a-kind workspace. entrepreneurship.asu.edu |
 | Chicanos Por La Causa Provides small business loans and high-quality technical support services to business owners in underserved communities. cplc.org/econ/lending.php |
 | CO+HOOTS Phoenix’s premier coworking community and has always been more than a space. With wrap-around services and a passion for driving success for the most unexpected entrepreneurs. https://cohoots.com/ |
 | Compass CBS Foundation Founded by LatinX small business owners. Highlights: – Entrepreneurship & business readiness sessions in English and Spanish – A2C Program prep for business loans – Going Green Program – Small Business Advisory Group – Resource Navigator – an organization in AZ that support small businesses in English and Spanish – Bilingual Business Conference of Arizona ccbsfoundation.org |
 | Flinn Foundation Grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations to advance interests in the biosciences, Flinn Scholars, and arts and culture. In civic leadership, the Foundation supports and administers the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership and its Flinn-Brown Fellowship in partnership with the Thomas R. Brown Foundations of Tucson. These philanthropic activities intersect wherever possible, a recognition of the importance of ecosystem thinking. Highlight: – Entrepreneurship Program (flinn.org/bioscience) flinn.org |
 | Grand Canyon University – Center for Innovation The Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching (CIRT) at Grand Canyon University was founded in 2010 to enhance research and teaching excellence. Through faculty-driven initiatives, CIRT supports diverse faculty by promoting reflection, dialogue, and best practices in higher education. Their programming and services foster an integrated faculty community that produces, practices, and critiques innovative approaches to teaching and research. Highlight: – Funding Your Startup: A Guide for Aspiring Entrepreneurs (funding-your-startup-guide) research.gcu.edu |
 | Greater Phoenix Economic Council Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) is committed to advocating for emerging and established companies and industries, empowering them to strategically adapt, thrive, and grow in an ever-evolving marketplace. gpec.org |
 | House of Genius Bringing entrepreneurs and a diverse mix of collaborators from the community for an evening of disruptive thinking, supportive input, and creative new ideas. Highlight: – House of Genius 2023 (house of genius form) houseofgenius.org/phoenix |
 | HUUB Built to leverage the power of a community of entrepreneurs to grow entrepreneurial communities together. Access hundreds of free local business resources from a learning library to funding opportunities. myhuub.com |
| J. Orin Edison Entrepreneurial + Innovation at ASU Serving as the connecting and collaborating resource across ASU and the greater Phoenix community. Highlights: – Student outreach and engagement – Venture development – Venture Devils Demo Day – Collaborative workspace, event space, flex space – Training and development resources – English and Spanish – Community events entrepreneurship.asu.edu |
 | Moonshot (Flagstaff) Moonshot at NACET helps subject matter experts bring products to market and help other cities develop entrepreneurial ecosystems. moonshotaz.com |
 | PHX Ventures Created by former software founders. Most of their investors are current or former software entrepreneurs and operators who have successfully scaled venture-backed software companies. B2B software is all we do. They understand the struggles of starting and scaling high-growth software ventures. But they also understand how sustainable growth companies can transform communities for good, and they’re here for it. phxventures.com |
 | Point Financial, Inc. A mission to provide flexible, entrepreneurial financing for emerging market companies to reach their financial goals, achieve positive liquidity with less equity funding and devise a strategy that will ultimately extend their business runway while providing them with the financial staying power necessary to accomplish their end objective, often an IPO or M&A. pointfin.com |
 | ScaleU An accelerator with the mission to accelerate EdTech solutions. asurealmspark.org |
 | Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Maricopa SBDC equips entrepreneurs in Maricopa County with tools and resources to build successful businesses. They offer programs teaching essential business skills and critical strategies for competitiveness in the global market. Their goal is to empower businesses to thrive locally and globally. Highlights: – No-fee, confidential business counseling – International Trade-Export & technology commercialization support – Training programs – Tools & resources maricopa-sbdc.com |
 | SCORE Greater Phoenix Offers over 65 experienced business mentors all over the Phoenix Valley to guide you no matter what stage your business is in — pre-startup, just starting, growing, or established — for FREE! score.org/greaterphoenix |
 | SEED SPOT We support ecosystem builders in communities nationwide to create a robust pipeline of impact-driven entrepreneurs. Our programs surround adult and youth entrepreneurs with the access to resources, mentors, business fundamentals, capital sources, and community partners they need to succeed. Highlights: – 2-Day Launch Camp – Impact Accelerator – Start-Up Spring Training seedspot.org |
 | Startup Grind Phoenix Startup Grind is the world’s largest community of startups, founders, innovators and creators. We bring like-minded yet diverse individuals together to connect, learn, teach, help, build and belong. We do this daily through our local events, flagship conferences, startup program, partnerships, and online media + content – collectively reaching over 3.5 million individuals worldwide. startupgrind.com |
 | Startup AZ Connecting founders, partners and resources to drive performance and generosity of Arizona’s strongest startups. startupaz.org |
 | University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) Tech Parks Tech Parks Arizona creates the place, environment and interactive ground that generates, attracts and retains technology companies and talent in alignment with the research, mission and goals of the University of Arizona (UA). techparks.arizona.edu Center for Innovation The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) is a startup incubator network with locations across the Southern Arizona region. The UACI offers leaders of science and technology startups the expertise, connections to the University of Arizona, incubation programs and office and lab space needed to turn ideas and inventions into strong, scalable and sustainable businesses. uaci.com |
 | Yoo and Co. Accelerators Helping founders navigate their unique entrepreneurial journeys to move forward together. yooandcoaccelerators.com |
 | WearTech Center Accelerating breakthrough wearable health and performance technology to the market. azweartech.org |
 | Yoo and Co. Accelerators Helping founders navigate their unique entrepreneurial journeys to move forward, together. yooandcoaccelerators.com |
 | Arizona Founders Fund To start and scale enterprises, founders need capital. But just as importantly, founders need other founders to join alongside and follow through the process of building those companies. Counsel, referrals, and dig-deep, hands-on support from successful past and present founders is a key part of the strategic value Arizona Founders Fund delivers. In other words, they are more than a seed stage venture capital fund — they are a network of locally-minded founders committed to building world-changing companies. azff.co |
 | Arizona Tech Investors High-quality, high-growth seed and early stage Information Technology and Life Science startups in Arizona, the southwest US, and beyond. arizonatechinvestors.com |
 | AZ – VC Built out of necessity to fill the void that existed in terms of capital sources for post-revenue companies looking to expand beyond seed-level financing. Without local financing options, these companies relied on venture capitalists outside of Arizona in places like Silicon Valley, Salt Lake City, Denver and elsewhere. azvc.com |
 | AZ Venture Invests in early-stage technology startups across enterprise, software, consumer, climate-tech and bio-health tech—all while helping catalyze access to equity capital for underserved founders and communities in Arizona. azventurecap.com |
 | Brookstone Venture Capital Invests in a variety of Internet and Software as a Service businesses – with focuses ranging from Consumer Services, Human Resources, Financial Services, Health Care Technology, Professional & Business Services, Information Technology, and Location Based Services. Typical Portfolio Companies will have a minimum of $1.0 million in annual revenue, limited debt, scalable business model, and a proven management team. Brookstone Venture Capitals relies on management for daily operations of our portfolio companies, while actively participating in board, advisory, strategic, and support roles to build market-leading companies. They are a professional investment firm that works with entrepreneurs and founders to help manage increasing scalability, create financial stability, and maximize shareholder value. brookstoneventurecapital.com |
 | Canyon Angels A thriving community of entrepreneurs looking to help build industry-leading companies. canyonangels.org |
 | Cave Creek Capital A growth investor with the flexibility of a family office, the talent of a major firm and a much wider range of capital solutions than traditional Private Equity funds. They don’t require control and can invest in both equity and debt. With no structural deadlines, they can be patient investors and focus on long term goals. This enables their management partners to achieve leadership in their markets and generate exceptional growth and returns. cavecreekcapital.com |
 | Desert Angels Ideal investment opportunities will include realistic aggressive revenue growth, unique competitive advantages in the business model, reasonable valuations, clear exit strategies, and excellent management teams. desertangels.org |
 | Flagstaff Ventures Early-stage consumer venture fund. Looking for visionary entrepreneurs and their drive to challenge the status quo. From consumer tech to CPG, they invest in pre-seed and seed-stage companies with a clear vision and the determination to succeed. flagstaffventures.com |
 | Invision AZ Local support, local investment, and local management are important key factors for venture capitalists when evaluating the decision to invest significant resources and capital. invisionAZ will create an Arizona “mothership” investment fund to establish a local connection for investment communities. invisionaz.org |
 | Arizona Investors Target proven, post-revenue local companies, cherry-pick the best and brightest, and help ensure that these companies grow, thrive and flourish in Arizona. azvc.com |
 | Xcellerant Ventures Invests in technologies in Healthtech that improve quality, access, and delivery of care at lowered costs. xcellerantventures.com |