The fourth annual Phoenix Startup Week began on Monday at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, kicking off a five-day convention for local entrepreneurs.
The convention, sponsored by prominent companies including Chase, Techstars and Salt River Project, includes various speakers, panels, mentor sessions and networking opportunities for attendees.
Each day has a different industry focus: Monday focused on artificial intelligence, Tuesday is dedicated to medical and biological technology, Wednesday will focus on software as a service, Thursday will highlight blockchain technology and Friday will look into local brick-and-mortar businesses.
Stephen Viramontes, chief organizer of Phoenix Startup Week, said the event experienced a high rate of growth, from 2,500 attendees to 7,500 within the first three years. He expects 10,000 people to attend this year.
He said he loves seeing the effect the event has on attendees’ entrepreneurial ideas.
“The ideas that people have as a result of participating in startup week are significantly larger,” Viramontes said.
Among the events on Monday was a keynote speech by Cody Friesen, CEO of Zero Mass Water, a company that builds devices to turn water vapor in the air into drinking water. In his speech, Friesen discussed the experience of running a technology startup. He said building a technology-based business is a difficult process.
“It’s like being on the wildest roller coaster you’ve ever seen,” Friesen said.
Friesen emphasized the importance of being passionate about one’s products. He also had a trio of traits for successfully running a business.
“You perfect the triad of vulnerability, courage and love … all of those things have to be there to be ultimately successful,” he said.
Event volunteer Kendra Harrison, who runs a small business providing project management services to other small businesses on a freelance basis, said she has been to similar events in Detroit before moving to Phoenix two months ago.
Harrison said she decided to volunteer at the event to help the local startup community.
“I want to get involved and support the best way that I can,” she said.
She said the speakers are the best part of the event. One of those speakers, Amy Donohue, spoke about her experience as an entrepreneur in the cannabis industry.
Donohue became an entrepreneur when she turned 40 after getting fired from two jobs in the span of a year. She now owns four marijuana-related businesses, including Hybrid Social, a social media consulting agency for the marijuana industry.
She has been a social media consultant since 2005 and got involved in the cannabis industry five years ago.
Donohue said in her experience, working as an entrepreneur in the marijuana business is hard work with long hours.
“If you’re expecting to work nine to five in a cubby and go home for dinner every day with your husband or wife or your kids, you don’t belong in the cannabis industry,” she said.
She said her social media experience helped provide her with networking that fostered success for her businesses.
Donohue said the best part of Phoenix Startup Week is the cost of entrance.
“They’re free. Startups don’t have money,” she said.
Contact the reporter at tjtriolo@asu.edu.
Downtown Devil's community section editor. I also write the Downtown Digest, a weekly column with things to do, with experience writing news articles and creating news videos as well. Graduating from ASU in May 2020.
