<![CDATA[AZTF News]]>https://www.aztfn.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BVef!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e48542b-c2dd-4ed6-8f6f-21c51ae00003_1188x1188.pngAZTF Newshttps://www.aztfn.comSubstackThu, 16 Apr 2026 14:48:56 GMT<![CDATA[Op-ed: Why Hadrian’s Move to Arizona Is Bigger for Startups Than TSMC]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/op-ed-why-hadrians-move-to-arizonahttps://www.aztfn.com/p/op-ed-why-hadrians-move-to-arizonaFri, 18 Jul 2025 21:04:03 GMTIn this video, I break down why Hadrian’s expansion to Mesa is a massive win for our ecosystem—arguably more relevant to founders than even the $65B+ TSMC investment.

Hadrian isn’t just another defense contractor. They’re a rocket ship startup building parts for rockets, satellites, and submarines—backed by Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, and Lux Capital. And now they’re putting their largest site in Arizona.

This move doesn’t just bring jobs and capital. It brings energy. It brings elite engineers, operator DNA, and people who’ve seen hypergrowth from the inside. These are the people who start new companies, fund new ventures, and show up to community events.

TSMC is great for Arizona’s economy. But Hadrian? Hadrian is great for our startup culture.

Let’s talk about why this could be a turning point. Watch the video below:

👇👇👇

AZTF News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

]]><![CDATA[Hadrian Expands to Mesa With $200M Investment, Fueling Arizona’s Rise as a Defense Manufacturing Hub]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/hadrian-expands-to-mesa-with-200mhttps://www.aztfn.com/p/hadrian-expands-to-mesa-with-200mThu, 17 Jul 2025 19:22:52 GMT

Hadrian, a fast-growing defense manufacturing startup backed by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, has chosen Mesa, Arizona, as the site of its largest facility yet—marking a major milestone in the state’s push to become a national leader in advanced manufacturing.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[A Series B for Local Legends, a New Startup Program, and Fueling the American Dream]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/a-series-b-for-local-legends-a-newhttps://www.aztfn.com/p/a-series-b-for-local-legends-a-newSat, 12 Jul 2025 21:25:35 GMTHere’s everything AZTF News published this past week. We’re always looking for specific types of content—so if there’s something you’d love to see more of, let us know! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and we’ll see you next week.

]]><![CDATA[Rebuilding the American Dream in a Box (Starting in Arizona)]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/rebuilding-the-american-dream-inhttps://www.aztfn.com/p/rebuilding-the-american-dream-inSat, 12 Jul 2025 21:14:17 GMT

As housing costs soar across the U.S., a bold Arizona-based startup is taking a factory-floor approach to one of the nation’s biggest crises: affordability. Founded in 2019 by entrepreneur and former Arizona State Senator Bob Worsley, ZenniHome is on a mission to mass-produce high-quality, tech-enabled, and sustainable homes—at a fraction of the cost and time of traditional construction.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Phoenix Tech Entrepreneur Chris Matthieu Joins RealSense as VP of Developer Ecosystem]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/phoenix-tech-entrepreneur-chris-matthieuhttps://www.aztfn.com/p/phoenix-tech-entrepreneur-chris-matthieuSat, 12 Jul 2025 20:51:51 GMT

Chris Matthieu, a veteran Arizona tech entrepreneur, has announced he is taking on a new role as Vice President of Developer Ecosystem at RealSense. Matthieu shared the career update in an online post, saying he’s “happy to share that [he’s] starting a new position” leading developer outreach at RealSense. RealSense – originally an Intel division – develops advanced 3D vision cameras that enable machines and devices to perceive depth and interact with their environment . Now an independent company after a recent spin-out from Intel, RealSense is focusing on accelerating innovation in robotics and AI-driven computer vision .

Read more

]]><![CDATA[VC Village Is Coming to Phoenix—and It’s Exactly What the Investor Scene Needs]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/vc-village-is-coming-to-phoenixandhttps://www.aztfn.com/p/vc-village-is-coming-to-phoenixandThu, 10 Jul 2025 22:53:24 GMT

If you’ve ever tried to navigate Phoenix’s early-stage investing scene, you’ve probably noticed something odd. Despite the growth, the momentum, and the wave of founders building interesting companies here—investors often feel… disconnected.

“Everyone kind of knows someone, but not everyone knows each other,” says Sandor Pelle, a local founder and the new head of VC Village Phoenix. “It’s weirdly fragmented.”

He’s not wrong. And that fragmentation is exactly what VC Village is trying to solve.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Cartel Coffee Lab Brews a New Future Through StartEngine]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/cartel-coffee-lab-brews-a-new-futurehttps://www.aztfn.com/p/cartel-coffee-lab-brews-a-new-futureThu, 10 Jul 2025 20:51:57 GMT

To report on this story, I (Mat Sherman) interviewed the President and COO of Cartel Coffee, Jesse Pangburn. then took that interview and turned it into this story. We hope you enjoy!

Cartel Coffee Lab, the beloved Arizona-based coffee brand that’s become a mainstay in the Valley over the past 17 years, is embarking on a bold new chapter—inviting its community to become co-owners.

Known to some as a one-off neighborhood coffee shop, Cartel has quietly grown into a regional powerhouse, now operating 13 cafés across Arizona and California (including Palm Springs), plus a bustling bakery and a new 12,000-square-foot production facility. They’re scaling fast, selling canned cold brew in Whole Foods across multiple states, distributing bagged beans to Sprouts, and producing everything in-house—from coffee to the much-loved twice-baked almond croissant.

Now, for the first time, Cartel is opening the door for fans and customers to invest in the company directly through a campaign on StartEngine, a leading equity crowdfunding platform.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[AirGarage Raises $23M Series B to Reinvent Parking Infrastructure ]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/airgarage-raises-23m-series-b-tohttps://www.aztfn.com/p/airgarage-raises-23m-series-b-toTue, 08 Jul 2025 21:37:16 GMT

AirGarage announced a $23 million Series B funding round in July 2025 . The financing was led by Headline, with participation from existing backer Founders Fund and new investor Fourthline Capital . The San Francisco–based company was co-founded in 2017 by three Arizona State University students – Jonathon Barkl, Chelsea Border and Scott Fitsimones – who launched the startup to address campus parking woes. What began as a student app for renting out home driveways has since become a full “parking facilities operating system” for real estate owners.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Fast FWD: Phoenix’s New Accelerator Helping Software Startups Hit $300K ARR]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/fast-fwd-phoenixs-new-acceleratorhttps://www.aztfn.com/p/fast-fwd-phoenixs-new-acceleratorMon, 07 Jul 2025 21:46:40 GMT

PHX FWD has officially launched the Fast FWD Accelerator, a 12-month program designed to help early-stage software founders in the Valley grow from ~$100K in ARR to $300K and beyond — a stage that’s often overlooked by traditional accelerators.

This is not another pitch-deck bootcamp. Fast FWD is founder-led, growth-obsessed, and unapologetically focused on traction. And it’s built for that stage — when you’ve got a product, a few customers, and a lot of ambition… but not yet a repeatable sales motion.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[This Week in AZ Tech: Renting Out Mullet Arena, Killing Spam, And An Impending IPO]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/this-week-in-az-tech-renting-outhttps://www.aztfn.com/p/this-week-in-az-tech-renting-outThu, 03 Jul 2025 21:08:56 GMT

Hi All! Thanks for being a subscriber to the AZTF Newsletter. Here are some quick hits we saw on LinkedIn + all the articles we wrote in the last week.

Want something included next week? Email me the LinkedIn post!—> mat@matsherman.com

Here is Everything We Wrote In The Last Week

AZTF News
Nutrivo’s Big Bet: Simplifying Fitness Tech, One Trainer at a Time
On a warm Phoenix afternoon in 2023, two strangers met at a Venture Café meetup. One had just given a talk on automation. The other approached afterward, curious…
Read more
9 months ago · Harper Writes
AZTF News
Building Better Brains: How Dallas Cowan and Calm Waves Are Revolutionizing Mental Health at Scale
Dallas Cowan is no stranger to the Arizona startup scene. If you’ve been around since the early days of The Department coworking space in downtown Phoenix, there’s a good chance you’ve crossed paths with him. But these days, Cowan is turning his lifelong exposure to brain science into something bigger—something that could reshape how mental health is delivered across teams, universities, and communities…
Read more
9 months ago · Mat Sherman
AZTF News
Can Grape ID Kill Spam for Good? Rob Andersen Thinks So
If you’ve ever wished you could wipe spam off the internet forever, Rob Andersen wants to hand you the broom…
Read more
9 months ago · Harper Writes
AZTF News
Meet Starship, the Autonomous Delivery Company Rolling Through Arizona
If you’ve ever seen a little white robot with six wheels quietly rolling along the sidewalks at ASU, you’re not imagining things. That’s Starship—a real company with a real fleet of autonomous delivery bots operating right here in Tempe. The service launched in fall 2020 through…
Read more
9 months ago · Harper Writes
AZTF News
Introducing The 2025 AZTF Pickleball Cup
Some fun news: we’re kicking off the 2025 AZTF Pickleball Cup — a pickleball tournament for Arizona’s tech community, hosted inside Mullet Arena, on August 5th at 7pm! Yes, we rented out the whole thing. I envision hundreds of techies hanging out, playing pickleball, and bonding over something other than just business. This event is open to the entire A…
Read more
9 months ago · 1 like · Mat Sherman
AZTF News
From Inspection Report to AI Startup: How Aryash is Reimagining the Home Buying Process with Binsr
At first glance, home inspections don’t scream startup goldmine. They’re long, technical, unsexy—and usually ignored the minute a house closes. But to Aryash, a 22-year-old founder living in Culdesac Tempe, those hundred-page reports are the key to one of the biggest consumer markets in the U.S…
Read more
9 months ago · Harper Writes
AZTF News
The Next Great Arizona IPO (And Its Ripple Effects)
When a local startup reaches a billion-dollar exit, it doesn’t just reward the founding team—it elevates the entire ecosystem. Early employees gain financial freedom, often becoming the next wave of investors, mentors, or founders. Talent stays local. Capital recirculates. Belief compounds. A milestone like this sends a message: our community can build, scale, and win on the biggest stages. And right now, Arizona may be standing on the edge of one of those defining moments…
Read more
9 months ago · 1 like · Harper Writes
AZTF News
University of Arizona Spinout Branch Therapeutics Raises $4M for Colorectal Cancer Drug Development
Branch Therapeutics, co-founded by University of Arizona and University of Dundee scientists, is a preclinical-stage biotech startup developing novel cancer therapeutics . Launched in late 2024, the company focuses on creating orally bioavailable, well-tolerated drugs that can target multiple cancer types…
Read more
10 months ago · Harper Writes

That’s it from me! I hope you all have a happy 4th of July! See you next week.🫡

Mat Sherman, Publisher, AZTF News

]]><![CDATA[Nutrivo’s Big Bet: Simplifying Fitness Tech, One Trainer at a Time]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/nutrivos-big-bet-simplifying-fitnesshttps://www.aztfn.com/p/nutrivos-big-bet-simplifying-fitnessThu, 03 Jul 2025 18:03:31 GMT

On a warm Phoenix afternoon in 2023, two strangers met at a Venture Café meetup. One had just given a talk on automation. The other approached afterward, curious.

“We started talking about AI, workflows, tools,” said Cristian, who had recently moved to Arizona from Maryland. “And we realized we both had the same obsession—solving real problems with software.” That conversation planted the seed for Nutrivo, a fitness tech company born out of the founders’ shared frustration with nutrition apps—and quickly reshaped by what they found inside Phoenix gyms.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Building Better Brains: How Dallas Cowan and Calm Waves Are Revolutionizing Mental Health at Scale]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/building-better-brains-how-dallashttps://www.aztfn.com/p/building-better-brains-how-dallasThu, 03 Jul 2025 17:58:08 GMT

Dallas Cowan is no stranger to the Arizona startup scene. If you’ve been around since the early days of The Department coworking space in downtown Phoenix, there’s a good chance you’ve crossed paths with him. But these days, Cowan is turning his lifelong exposure to brain science into something bigger—something that could reshape how mental health is delivered across teams, universities, and communities.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Can Grape ID Kill Spam for Good? Rob Andersen Thinks So ]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/can-grapeid-kill-spam-for-good-robhttps://www.aztfn.com/p/can-grapeid-kill-spam-for-good-robThu, 03 Jul 2025 17:56:25 GMT

If you’ve ever wished you could wipe spam off the internet forever, Rob Andersen wants to hand you the broom.

Rob — known locally and online as “The Anti-Spam Guy” — is the founder of Grape ID, a startup based in Arizona with one goal: eliminate spam at the root level by changing how we interact with digital attention. “Spammers want our attention because they can monetize it,” Rob said during a recent AZTF News livestream. “So instead of letting them steal it, why not make them pay us directly for it?”

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Meet Starship, the Autonomous Delivery Company Rolling Through Arizona]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/meet-starship-the-autonomous-deliveryhttps://www.aztfn.com/p/meet-starship-the-autonomous-deliveryWed, 02 Jul 2025 04:17:12 GMT

If you’ve ever seen a little white robot with six wheels quietly rolling along the sidewalks at ASU, you’re not imagining things. That’s Starship—a real company with a real fleet of autonomous delivery bots operating right here in Tempe. The service launched in fall 2020 through ASU’s food-service partner Aramark. Users can choose from a dozen campus eateries – including Starbucks, Burger King, Qdoba, Subway, Jamba Juice and Einstein Bros. – or campus convenience markets, and have items delivered anywhere on the Tempe campus for a $1.99 fee.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Introducing The 2025 AZTF Pickleball Cup]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/introducing-the-2025-aztf-pickleballhttps://www.aztfn.com/p/introducing-the-2025-aztf-pickleballTue, 01 Jul 2025 20:59:30 GMT

Some fun news: we’re kicking off the 2025 AZTF Pickleball Cup — a pickleball tournament for Arizona’s tech community, hosted inside Mullet Arena, on August 5th at 7pm! Yes, we rented out the whole thing. I envision hundreds of techies hanging out, playing pickleball, and bonding over something other than just business. This event is open to the entire AZ tech community, and I’d love for you to RSVP and join us. Whether you’re playing in the tournament or just coming to hang out, you’re welcome to join us!

Thanks to the couple dozen of you who are paying subscribers to AZTF News, we’re now able to seriously level up our events — like this one. Your support is going right back into the community. And this is just the beginning.

RSVP For The Tournament Right Here

]]><![CDATA[From Inspection Report to AI Startup: How Aryash is Reimagining the Home Buying Process with Binsr]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/from-inspection-report-to-ai-startuphttps://www.aztfn.com/p/from-inspection-report-to-ai-startupTue, 01 Jul 2025 14:24:05 GMT

At first glance, home inspections don’t scream startup goldmine. They’re long, technical, unsexy—and usually ignored the minute a house closes. But to Aryash, a 22-year-old founder living in Culdesac Tempe, those hundred-page reports are the key to one of the biggest consumer markets in the U.S.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Cryo X Is the Startup Making Heat Disappear—Literally]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/cryo-x-is-the-startup-making-heathttps://www.aztfn.com/p/cryo-x-is-the-startup-making-heatTue, 01 Jul 2025 14:10:07 GMT

Jordan Fourcher didn’t set out to disrupt the cooling industry. In fact, Cryo X wasn’t even his first idea. It all started with a different kind of frustration: wireless phone chargers that overheated devices and ruined batteries. That led him down a rabbit hole of thermal engineering—one that ultimately landed him in a niche so powerful it feels more like science fiction than startup hardware.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[The Next Great Arizona IPO (And Its Ripple Effects)]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/the-next-great-arizona-ipo-and-itshttps://www.aztfn.com/p/the-next-great-arizona-ipo-and-itsMon, 30 Jun 2025 13:44:00 GMTWhen a local startup reaches a billion-dollar exit, it doesn’t just reward the founding team—it elevates the entire ecosystem. Early employees gain financial freedom, often becoming the next wave of investors, mentors, or founders. Talent stays local. Capital recirculates. Belief compounds. A milestone like this sends a message: our community can build, scale, and win on the biggest stages. And right now, Arizona may be standing on the edge of one of those defining moments.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[University of Arizona Spinout Branch Therapeutics Raises $4M for Colorectal Cancer Drug Development]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/university-of-arizona-spinout-branchhttps://www.aztfn.com/p/university-of-arizona-spinout-branchMon, 30 Jun 2025 04:50:09 GMT

Branch Therapeutics, co-founded by University of Arizona and University of Dundee scientists, is a preclinical-stage biotech startup developing novel cancer therapeutics . Launched in late 2024, the company focuses on creating orally bioavailable, well-tolerated drugs that can target multiple cancer types. Its lead program is aimed at colorectal cancer: recent studies show that roughly 90% of colorectal tumors have overactive WNT signaling (and one-third also involve PI3K pathways) . In a seed financing round, Branch announced it has secured $4 million from GKCC, LLC to push its lead molecule through safety studies toward a Phase 1 trial .

Read more

]]><![CDATA[This Week in AZ Tech: Devize, NEON, and the Rise of GCU Startups]]>https://www.aztfn.com/p/this-week-in-az-tech-devize-neonhttps://www.aztfn.com/p/this-week-in-az-tech-devize-neonFri, 27 Jun 2025 21:25:15 GMT

Hey everyone,

Here’s your weekly AZTF News recap — a roundup of everything we published this week covering Arizona’s fast-moving tech and founder scene. Let’s get into it:

Walkthrough of Empire Scottsdale

Video Tour | Jun 26 – Mat Sherman

We dropped a quick walkthrough of Empire Scottsdale — one of the newest spaces helping shape the future of mixed-use innovation space in the Valley. Look out for a deeper story on this location in the next few weeks!

NEON Ignites: A Five-Year Journey Transforming Arizona’s Venues

Story | Jun 26 – Harper Writes

How one founder helped reshape entertainment venues across the state through design, storytelling, and a lot of perseverance.

Triptimize: How Michael Melichar Is Reinventing Trip Planning With AI

Story | Jun 26 – Harper Writes

Planning a trip should be swipe-simple — not a chatbot maze. Meet the Arizona builder taking on travel tech from the ground up.

How Arizona Farmer Wyatt Ross Is Reinventing D2C With Bonehead Dog Food

Story | Jun 26 – Harper Writes

Sixth-gen rancher Wyatt Ross is turning meatpacking waste into premium dog food — and creating a new playbook for rural entrepreneurs.

Devize-ing the Future: Ryley Randall’s Vision for Tailored Software

Story | Jun 26 – Harper Writes

A seventh-generation Arizonan, Ryley Randall is building Devize to help anyone create software — no engineering team required.

Robert Vera and the Rise of Entrepreneurship at Grand Canyon University

Story | Jun 24 – Harper Writes

A deep dive into how GCU became a startup breeding ground — and the student founders who’ve emerged from its programs.

Masayoshi Son Eyes $1B Arizona Data Center Bet Amid Tech Boom

Story | Jun 20 – Harper Writes

SoftBank’s founder is reportedly circling a massive infrastructure play in Arizona. Here’s what we know and why it matters.

If you’re enjoying AZTF News and want to support local tech journalism, consider becoming a paid subscriber — or just forward this to a friend who should be in the loop.

See you next week,

Mat Sherman

Publisher, AZTF News

Subscribe now

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