For decades, venture capital chased the next tech innovation or disruptive platform. Today, a new wellness sector is garnering attention: the intersection of food and medicine. This “food-as-medicine” movement is reimagining what it means to be “healthy,” and venture investors’ palates are lathering at the prospect of savory returns. However, deploying venture capital to … [More]
Food as Medicine: Venture Capital’s Appetite for a Healthier Future
Startups in the nutritional food space are gaining increased traction
New Year, New … Privacy Program?
Businesses are invited to celebrate this year’s Data Privacy Day in style, with a refresh of their privacy program
January is a time of renewal, providing an opportunity for new focus. With Data Privacy Day almost upon us, and the expansion of data privacy legislation in the United States, now is the ideal time for businesses to update their data privacy program with best practices and plan for the next stage. How? Go back to the basics. For the skeptics, Data Privacy Day is an actual … [More]
If You Build It, They Will Give
Creating an effective employee engagement program
An effective employee engagement program is a vital component of any company’s corporate social responsibility strategy. According to re:Charity, 71% of employees believe it’s important to work at companies that choose to give back to the community. With competitive advantage in the marketplace top of mind, now may be a good time for organizations to establish or evaluate their … [More]
Global Conversations
Students get chance to make their case with leaders
When it comes to having conversations about important topics including sustainability, tech for good, aerospace engineering and artificial intelligence, the appropriate forum that quickly comes to mind is the United Nations. That might seem too limiting to the SciTech Institute, a nonprofit whose parent is the Arizona Technology Council. Instead, the Institute envisions … [More]
Council Adds 2 New Professionals to Team
Two new team members have joined the staff of the Arizona Technology Council. Chris O’Neal serves as chief of staff, responsible for partnering with the president and CEO to represent the Council with external constituency groups and the board of directors. As a member of the executive team, he provides resources and support with an emphasis on strategy, operations and … [More]
Awards Recognize Efforts to Make a Difference
The Arizona Technology Council recently was named the I-Squared Ecosystem Impact Award winner by Tech Launch Arizona at The University of Arizona (UArizona). The award is reserved for a person or entity outside UArizona whose contributions have generated maximum success for university inventions and startups during the past year, as well as an extended period of time. The … [More]
Dynamic Duo
VPs from PayPal and ASU join board of directors
Experts in finance and higher education are the latest additions to the Arizona Technology Council board of directors. The new board members are Art Taylor, PayPal’s vice president of Global Compliance Investigations, and Grace O’Sullivan, vice president of corporate engagement and partnerships at Arizona State University. Both were elected unanimously to serve three-year … [More]
New Year, New Members for CEO Networks
The Arizona Technology Council is committed to equipping technology company CEOs with the resources, network and support they need to lead with purpose and confidence. To help, the Council’s CEO Networks in Phoenix and Tucson were created to help grow members’ leadership, recognize their big wins, share their most frustrating obstacles, and problem solve with other CEOs … [More]
Public Policy Guide
Recommendations to lawmakers shared in annual publication
When it comes to helping shape public policy, Arizona Technology Council staff and members of its Public Policy Committee are no strangers to walking the halls of the Arizona Capitol and even Congress. While securing legislation that supports the technology community is cause for celebration, building upon those successes is even longer lasting. Examples of what lies ahead … [More]
Keeping Connected
Podcasts help spread Council’s message to widespread audience
With Arizona’s size measuring just under 114,000 square miles, it’s a massive task for the Arizona Technology Council to keep the state’s technology community connected. After all, with a reputation built on in-person events, having a presence from border to border is impossible. Or is it? The Council has incorporated two podcasts to help build a personal connection and … [More]
President’s Message: Winter 2024
When news came from Capitol Hill that the Inflation Reduction Act passed into law, we at the Arizona Technology Council were more than a little excited. With the inclusion of a clean energy component in the legislation, the Council predicted new opportunities were possible for this segment of our membership and their peers. The results tell us we had reason to be … [More]
Darin Roberge: Innovator in Collector Car Marketing
His love of cars culminates in Motorwerks Marketing
From a young age, Darin Roberge has loved all cool things on wheels. Fueled by his passion for classic and exotic cars, Roberge began his career journey in 2014 at top collector automobile auction company Russo and Steele. During his tenure running the marketing and media departments there, he identified gaps within the car marketing landscape. During the Russo and Steele … [More]
De Respino Packs Experience into Dispute Resolution
With a passion developed over 36 years of experience in evaluating and litigating complex disputes and the strategic decisions that are required for risk analysis, Laurence J. De Respino, Esq. launched De Respino Dispute Resolution in June 2023 to provide mediation and arbitration services to lawyers and their clients throughout the United States on complex commercial/business … [More]
GoX Wearable Tech Advances Workers’ Safety
GoX Labs provides the world’s most advanced all-in-one enterprise safety solution to prevent future heat, fatigue, musculoskeletal, slips/trips/falls and fitness-related injuries. It was co-founded in 2014 by Joe Hitt, Ph.D., and Bruce Floersheim, Ph.D., P.E. Dr. Hitt, CEO of the company, is a retired, service-disabled army lieutenant colonel who became obsessed with wearable … [More]
Facing the HR Challenges of Employee Suicide
Traditionally, mental health has been a taboo topic in the workplace, until COVID happened and a shift occurred. The business world realized as the pandemic unfolded that having discussions about mental health was an important part of workplace well-being. As a result, human resources professionals and other business leaders are having more conversations with employees about … [More]
How Businesses Can Manage Personal Devices in the Workplace
Personal technology or personal devices have become an integral part of our daily lives, including the workplace. While the use of personal devices for work can enhance productivity and flexibility, these devices also come with risks. To mitigate security risks and safeguard sensitive data, businesses need to establish comprehensive Human Resources policies. The successful … [More]
How Phoenix Is Rebuilding America’s Semiconductor Sovereignty
And benefiting in investments and employment
The past few years have been a roller-coaster ride for the semiconductor and electronics industry, particularly in the United States — coming out of a slowdown into a pandemic that created shortages, to a boom year that has the industry talking about reaching a trillion dollars in semiconductor sales, into a downturn that the industry is slowly pulling out of in the last two … [More]
Phoenix: The New Frontier for Global Tech Trade Shows
Phoenix is increasingly becoming a magnet for semiconductor trade shows thanks to its booming semiconductor industry. The recent attraction of high-profile events like SEMICON West and the 49th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA) underscores this trend. SEMICON West, a leading trade show focusing on the semiconductor and microelectronics industry, … [More]
