Greg Stanton recognizes SEED SPOT as part of entrepreneurial culture of Phoenix

Greg Stanton is mentions SEED SPOT as one of the leaders of startups in Phoenix! Read the original article here.

Welcoming more than 1 million people to our city for the Super Bowl isn’t just about providing great entertainment and a great experience — it’s also a chance for us to showcase how Phoenix has transformed.

In many ways, visitors for the big game will experience a whole new Phoenix.

Our investments in human capital, a concentrated effort to create an innovative export economy and stronger public-private partnerships have positioned us to be more competitive in the global marketplace

That’s the message I want visitors to get, and I’m working with our Community and Economic Development team to tell a new Phoenix story. The winter-spring tourism season brings many corporate leaders to our region, so we’re seizing the opportunity to share why Phoenix is the ideal place to start or grow businesses.

With one of the fastest-growing job markets in the country, we’re emerging as a leader in technology, manufacturing, bioscience research and advanced business services. Our downtown has evolved into a vibrant, urban city center as a result of more than $4 billion invested over the past five years in office space, retail, restaurants, higher education facilities and hotel rooms.

It’s no longer just about our great climate. We want everyone to know that Phoenix is hot for economic opportunity.

We want people to take a closer look at Phoenix’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation and SEED Spot are supporting young companies and helping them turn new technologies, biosciences, renewable energy and social ventures into thriving businesses. Entrepreneurs are working side by side, collaborating and sharing ideas in coworking spaces, including Co+Hoots, Mod and Office Pile.

We want people to recognize Phoenix as the state’s center for learning — as a higher education nucleus. Downtown is now home to top-ranked degree programs from Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University. Those institutions are producing the talent we need to grow our innovation-based economy.

We want people to experience how easy it is to get from point A to point B using public transit. Residents and businesses alike are taking advantage of light rail. Fourteen million people use light rail annually, and we’ve seen more than $7 billion in investment along the line in the past seven years. Those numbers will only go up when we triple the size of the line in the next 30 years and stretch it to new areas.

In Phoenix, opportunity belongs to those who embrace it. And whether you’re a business leader, an entrepreneur or a student — it’s easy to see why Phoenix is hot.