It’s All About the People

Origins

StartupAZ was formed in 2015 by Mario Martinez II and Brandon Clarke as a component fund of the Arizona Community Foundation.  Seeded with $100,000 the organization set out to identify and support the next generation of Arizona tech entrepreneurs, helping them grow and give back. StartupAZ’s Founder’s Collective and the Generosity Pledge became the bedrock of the organization’s work building a community of early stage company-builders through its performance and generosity flywheel framework.

StartupAZ is proud of have supported over 120 early-stage founders since 2015 – some of whom have gone on to be among the most successful, and generous, tech founders in the region.

96

Founders in StartupAZ Collective

$300M+

Million Capital Raised

1700

 Jobs created by SC founders

Learning from those who’ve paved the way.

StartupAZ engages with the most impactful business leaders in Arizona to support the early stage founders through mentoring. These investors, founders and community partners share the wisdom

they’ve gained and lessons learned to propel the growth of Arizona’s newest companies. The combination of generosity and learning from those who have paved the way provides the foundation of StartupAZ.

 

Founders Stories

Meet Our Team

Brandon Clarke

Executive Director

Annette Zinky

Director of Venture Development

Jennifer Wong

Experience Manager

Daniela Santangelo

Director of Community

Brandon Clarke

Executive Director

Annette Zinky

Director of Venture Development

Jennifer Wong

Experience Manager

Daniela Santangelo

Director of Community

Our Board of Directors

MRTNZ Ventures

Mario Martinez II

Co-Founder / Chairman Emeritus

StartupAZ / Catalyst R&D

Brandon Clarke

Co-Founder / Vice-Chairman

PHX Ventures

Gregg Scoresby

Chairman

Osborn Maledon

Tom Curzon

Board Member

Arizona State University

Ji Mi Choi

Board Member

Savvy Trader

Hamid Shojaee

Board Member

Partners

StartupAZ is made possible by these generous organizations.

Venture Partners

Community Partners

Founding Partners

Get Involved

Are you a founder, investor or just someone who is passionate about supporting our local startups? Let's get you plugged in.