“While working in Mexico, I discovered this amazing salt and felt that it would be a natural substitution for what restaurants and hotels currently use,” says Brian Pierce. Taking that inspiration, he founded True Salt mid last year, bringing to market an all-natural, unrefined sea salt from the Sea of Cortez — salt with nutrients and flavor, without chemicals or … [More]
Dental Marketplace, Online
The first-ever online dental marketplace — and the only alternative to traditional dental insurance — launched its website out of Arizona a year ago, in March 2018. It was founded with the aim of helping consumers save on dental services and procedures, as well as assist dental practices in growing their client base. “Insurance options have simply become unaffordable for … [More]
Startups Find Community at Perimeter83
What’s a typical day for a startup at Perimeter83? Companies, which may be in-house tenants or affiliate members with offices of their own, may start with a “tech life coaching” meeting in our boardroom on the University of Advancing Technology campus for an individual strategy session. Maybe it’s a tough business decision the client wants to talk through with Executive … [More]
Arboles Home Mortgage: Emphasis on ‘Home’
“Arboles Home Mortgage, LLC is a mortgage lender that offers financing and refinancing on homes throughout Arizona, but we’re more than your usual mortgage lender,” says its principal, Patricia Garcia Duarte, who launched the company as a social enterprise last year. “We know that homeownership creates prosperity for owners and our communities. That’s why we’re committed to … [More]
All-Natural CBD Products for Pets
A little more than a year ago, CompanionCBD launched with its line of easy-to-administer and cost-effective soft chew cannabidiol (CBD) products for pets. “CBD is a plant-derived compound which comes from the hemp plant and mimics the action of chemicals that are essential for normal functioning of the brain and body,” says CEO Brad Malin. A 2018 study from Surgical Neurology … [More]
Creating a Creatives’ Space
Michelle Biely, owner of The Creative Center of Scottsdale, describes the business she founded in 2014 as a co-working space for messy artists. “This is a place where painters, sculptures, clothing designers, hat makers, stained glass window makers and any other artists who make a mess can come and be part of a community,” she says, noting the center’s open and informal … [More]
Bringing Drones into Field of Financial Analysis
Scott Roelofs, CFA, ABV, founded RCG Valuation & Monetization in September 2017 to help small to medium-sized businesses grow and monetize through advanced financial analysis and specialty tax planning. “I found that my opportunities as a financial analyst were limited to either publicly traded companies or private equity. I have always been fascinated by business and I … [More]
Serving the Female Market: The Venus Vault
The Venus Vault Show host Syndeelou Jones and cohost Craig MatthewThe Venus Vault LLC is a media company that has developed a media platform which produces engaging content through radio, podcast, print, services and products — intended to uniquely serve the female market. Founder Syndeelou Jones says her biggest challenge was taking something that felt so personal, so … [More]
Powering-Up Lobos Electric
Founded this past June by Migdol Lobos and Damacely Lobos, Lobos Electric serves home and business needs in electrical connections and smart solutions in electrical installations, maintenance, service upgrades, outlets, LED lights, trouble shooting, appliances, pool and patio power and more. CEO Migdol Lobos, who has a post-graduate degree in electrical engineering from the … [More]
Mobility Solution Faced Challenges in Manufacturing and Marketing
The off-road mobility vehicle was a life-changer for wheelchair-bound Todd Lemay (who suffers from brittle bone disease). “I purchased a TerrainHopper for myself from the UK. It allowed me to go places I had not been able to go before, and the positive reaction from people when I was out in it was overwhelming. … I wanted to bring the TerrainHopper to the U.S. to give other … [More]
TAP AZ Gives Financial Guidance to New Nonprofits
One good idea can change the world, but it’s the power to execute it that makes all the difference. For Arizona Facts of Life, a nonprofit that helps young women find healthy solutions to life’s challenges, founder Yolanda Robinson knew the impact she could make if only she had the resources and the know-how. But with the daunting world of 501(c)(3) regulations and grant … [More]
Rango Honey: Social Mission as Business Model
Founded in 2015 on what company president Jason Zimmerman describes as a “simple and pure promise - to offer only the highest-quality raw, natural honey from the Sonoran Desert,” Rango Honey has grown to the point where it now harvests raw honey and bee pollen from more than 1,500 hives located throughout the Sonoran Desert. “By far the most challenging component of … [More]
Fullbay: Full Care for Truck Shops
“No one cares about truck shops. For the most part. But we all share the road with the heavy-duty trucks these shops take care of,” observes Jacob Findlay, founder and CEO of Fullbay, which fills the previously neglected niche. He created Fullbay to bring these shops into the 21st Century with a cloud-based platform. The software handles the process from the repair request all … [More]
Shoes Power Up Body and Spirit
Athalonz, a 2014 startup based in Mesa, offers first-of-their-kind shoes as a wearable tech product in a field that includes the Apple Watch, Antelope Sportswear and Motus Baseball Sleeve — notable gadgets that have been made to monitor and boost an athlete’s health and performance. Athalonz shoes use physics and kinematics to maximize athletic performance, reducing stress on … [More]
Courses for Entrepreneurs – Online and Free
There is a wealth of sources available to help entrepreneurs. Business incubators and accelerators — and free online courses from prestigious institutions such as MIT and other respected colleges and professors, for experience that ranges from first-time startups to seasoned entrepreneurs. The following are five of the “30 Free Online Courses for Entrepreneurs” compiled by … [More]
Serving Food Service
Opening a food station in Tempe’s Marina Heights complex, Foodworks brings to the metro Phoenix area its restaurant incubator concept. A newly formed division of Compass Group/Eurest Division, Foodworks establishes food stations in prime locations in office buildings and other Eurest-operated dining venues. It then partners with woman- and minority-owned businesses and … [More]
Hospitality Newcomer Aims for Disruption
Armed with three decades in real estate, his most recent role sourcing hotels for investment coupled with extensive worldwide travel, Peter Anadranistakis recognized a huge opportunity within the hospitality industry to be disruptive. Founding Oxygen Hospitality, he and co-founder Merv Chia immediately brought in Yaron Ashkenazi, an award-winning international hotelier, as … [More]
Accounting Startup Focuses on Ethnic Niche
Easy Numbers Consulting, LLC was one of the first companies to participate in Local First Arizona Foundation’s Fuerza Local Business Accelerator Program, which trains underserved Hispanic entrepreneurs on the basics of running a successful business. Ana Gordillo founded her company in 2015 to provide accounting services — from trade name registration, LLC filing, bookkeeping, … [More]
