At the event, Plug and Play and the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) announced the official name of the joint initiative, Plug and Play accelerateAZ, a program of the Arizona Commerce Authority.
Plug and Play Founder and CEO Saeed Amidi, Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority, and Jon Hobgood, Vice President of Supplier Readiness, Honeywell Aerospace joined Plug and Play, innovation, industry and community leaders at the Expo to highlight Arizona’s vibrant startup ecosystem.
“This initiative helps accelerate the growth of startups, nurture relationships, and propel Arizona’s innovation ecosystem forward. Our Advanced Manufacturing program has already shown remarkable success, and we’re excited about the future collaborations and opportunities here. Our journey has just begun, and the best is yet to come,” said Saeed Amidi, Founder and CEO of Plug and Play.
Following the Plug and Play Arizona launch event in April, 14 startups were selected to participate in the first batch of the three-month Advanced Manufacturing Accelerator program. The Batch 1 startups include: Arkestro, Basetwo AI, Darvis, Denim, Duality, Gig and Take, Industrial Next, Flexiv Robotics, Makini, Molg AI, Real Items, ThroughPut, Ventory and YellowBird. The startups focused on creating solutions in workforce training, supply chain visibility, predictive maintenance, robotics, and automation.
“We are excited to announce Plug and Play accelerateAZ and showcase Arizona’s vibrant startup community at the Advanced Manufacturing Expo,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “Plug and Play’s Arizona office supports the growth of exciting Arizona startups while cultivating key relationships to enhance Arizona’s innovation ecosystem. We are thankful to Saeed Amidi and the entire Plug and Play team for their continued partnership and we look forward to supporting even more Arizona startups.”
The Expo also included a Startup Panel featuring Batch 1 companies that discussed navigating scaling and corporate engagement to support their business goals. The Advanced Manufacturing Expo was supported by founding partners announced earlier this year: Intel, Honeywell Aerospace, and Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
Plug and Play is a global innovation platform that runs programs in over 50 locations worldwide. This office in Arizona brings together stakeholders around the state who want to bring innovation to the forefront of their business. Plug and Play works with program partners to find the startups most relevant to solving problems in a specific industry. The first program focuses on advanced manufacturing and includes topics surrounding the supply chain, mobility, and IoT.
Plug and Play announced in March 2023 that it had selected Arizona for its newest location due to its robust startup community, leading companies across targeted industries, and close collaboration among startups, industry, government, and education that fosters innovation and future growth.
Startups selected in this second batch will undergo a three-month program and complete a curriculum focused on business development, strategic growth, and networking. Alongside the ACA, Plug and Play will support these startups with connections to their ecosystem and potential capital.
Forward-thinking corporations and startups can find more here.
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