This Week in AZ Tech: Devize, NEON, and the Rise of GCU Startups
The latest from Arizona’s startup frontier — from AI tools to community-driven growth
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.
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See you next week,
Mat Sherman
Publisher, AZTF News