PHX FWD

Singularity (Let it Grow) ______ It is interesting how many times over the last 15-20 years I have heard the following: - The PHX startup community needs a central location in the valley to enable more serendipitous connections. If only we had a single LOCATION. - The PHX startup community needs a brand that connects everyone. If only we had a single BRAND. - The PHX startup community needs a media outlet to amplify what's happening. If only we had a single PR STRATEGY. - The PHX startup community needs a universal calendar of events. If only we had a single CALENDAR. - The PHX startup community needs a convening entity to organize events, programs, and jobs. If only we had a single organizing ENTITY. Sometimes I feel a desire for singularity too. But I'm not sure it's healthy. I do think it is healthy to question where the push for singularity comes from. Does it come from chasing the same donor dollars? Does it come from competing for community attention? Does it come from a natural desire to control stuff? Does it come from a scarcity mindset? I don't know where it comes from. But in my opinion, we should be a little suspicious of the desire for singularity when it comes to community building. I love how many people there are in metro PHX right now who want to make our startup community great. The diversity of effort and initiatives is pretty awesome. Let's just let it grow. I see real economic development efforts from the Arizona Commerce Authority and Greater Phoenix Economic Council. These groups have impactful programs and big initiatives to drive innovation in our state. We need to let these economic development efforts grow. I see real community-building efforts from PHX FWD, StartupAZ, Freeway, Venture Café Phoenix, Venture Madness, yesPHX, PHX Startup Week, etc. We need to let these community-building efforts grow. I see real investment efforts from PHX Ventures (my firm), AZ-VC, Arizona Venture Development Corporation, Grayhawk Capital, Arizona State University InvestU, Arizona Tech Investors, Canyon Angels, Desert Angels, Monsoon Venture Fund, etc. We need to let this investing activity grow. Of course, there is stuff to fix. We have a serious venture deficit in PHX. We are the fifth largest metro in the US, we should at least be in the top 10 cities for VC per capita, not 25th-ish. This bugs me. It's why I started PHX FWD - to help software founders build venture-scale software companies. But I'm a known malcontent so I need a little dissatisfaction to feel normal. Singularity won't solve our venture deficit. Singularity won't make our community more vibrant. Singularity won't foster the next billion-dollar software startup in PHX. In the words of The Lorax, let's just, "Let it grow." ____ PS - I am 100% confident I unintentionally excluded a community organization or investor. Please tag them in the comments and I will do my best to edit the post.

Last podcast episode of Season Two of the PHX Founders Podcast is now live! We ended the season with Clate Mask, CEO and Co-Founder of Keap. Clate has been a pillar in the software community for decades and has built one of the most well-known companies to come out of AZ, @keap. Gregg sat down with Clate to talk about his journey and evolution as a leader. It's a fantastic episode and one you won't want to skip. Full episode in comments. Thanks to all of the founders who made S2 pf the podcast a success! Bryce Deeney, Anthony Kennada, Rachel Mertensmeyer, Elizabeth Furst, and Cindy Jordan.

We hosted our last workshop of the summer with the PHX FWD community and PHX Ventures yesterday! Thank you, Sasha Robinson, for sharing your stories and wisdom on all things people operations. She shared lessons on how great company culture can be easy to have when you're a small #startup, but keeping that culture through every growth stage of your business is key to attracting and retaining top talent. It's no doubt that every founder and operator in the room was able to take away actionable steps and a roadmap for growth. 🌱 We have a lot of exciting things in the works and a full lineup of amazing founder and operator sessions planned for the Fall. If you're not already a PHX FWD member, it's free to join and you'll be the first notified when we open seats for the next workshop. Link to become a member is in the comments 👇

New week, new pod drop 🎤 When Rachel Mertensmeyer started working on a solution to the headache that is patient payments in healthcare, she knew she had a tall mountain to climb. And climbing is always easier when you have a partner on the adventure, which is why she sought out a co-founder for the journey. It wasn't long until she met Elizabeth Furst, and the two of them make a great team. Together, they're taking on one of the biggest problems in healthcare with Rivia Health. In this interview PHX Founders interview, Gregg uncovers how this dynamic duo met, how they're overcoming all the startup challenges with humor and grace, and how they've built a company that's scaling FAST. Episode in comments 👇

Last chance to join us for our workshop tomorrow morning! 🙌 Register here: https://lnkd.in/g4vAfHam

Just a few seats left for our upcoming workshop! It's happening next week on June 12th – all about creating intentional company culture that scales. 📈 This workshop will be led by Sasha Robinson, VP of People at Trainual. We always fill up so be sure to save your spot! Register here: https://lnkd.in/g4vAfHam #saas #founders #phx #startups

New podcast drop 🎤 In this week's PHX Founders episode, Gregg talks with Bryce Deeney, founder and CEO of equipifi. Gregg loves to uncover how founders find their way to starting software companies, and what experiences they have in their past that led them here. Bryce got his chops at the poker table. ♣ He played millions of hands, which taught him a TON about risk, opportunity costs, how to act quickly, and how to make calculated decisions. Episode link in comments 👇 #saas #phx #founders

Our next workshop is coming up on June 12th! Join Sasha Robinson, VP of People at Trainual as she shares how to craft a unique and intentional company culture for long-term success. Spots at our workshops fill up fast so be sure to save your seat for free now: https://lnkd.in/g4vAfHam

NEW PHX FOUNDERS EPISODE 🎙 😃 Gregg Scoresby interviewed Cindy Jordan, founder and CEO of Pyx Health, and learned a lot about one of the worst epidemics in our country -- loneliness. Did you know it impacts more than 40M Americans? Statistically, you know someone who's suffering from loneliness, probably many people. And an Arizona company is doing something about it. Cindy and her growing team at Pyx Health are addressing this massive problem head on, helping millions of people get the support they need. Full episode in the comments 👇

While phrases like ‘your network is your net worth’ are familiar, the reality often involves superficial interactions that lead nowhere. Today, Justin Gray, Managing Partner at In Revenue Capital, led a workshop for founders and operators on the power of networking and relationship-building, and how it's the currency of success for #startups. He shared real-life experiences and examples for establishing a partner-first mindset and always providing value in your outreach. Thank you Justin for sharing your wisdom and insight with the room! And thank you to PHX Ventures for bringing the community together 🤝 Our next workshop will be in June. Our workshops fill up fast and members get priority signups. If you're not already a PHX FWD member, we dropped the link in the comments to join👇 (ps. It's free!)