Entrepreneur Journeys
Our alumni are the reason we do what we do. They are our “Why.” Since 2012, we have been proud to support these brilliant, strong, visionary founders as they take responsibility for solving problems that they have identified in the world. Click these four photos to read some of our favorite stories!
SEARCH OUR ALUMNI DIRECTORY
Aditi Madane
Phoenix Cohort 6 – Civic Engagement
Commun.ity
Connecting neighborhoods | Building friendly & safe communities | Building a strong support system.
Adriana Grado
Phoenix Cohort 6 – Job Accessibility & Equality
Maingo
Maingo is a mobile application that allows food and products to be delivered to students at the ASU campus.
Alex Brusalis
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Civic Engagement
Tru Vote Inc
Tru Vote’s mission is to provide every individual with a voice in the political community and to accurately establish the true political opinions of the public associated with each district.
Alika Middleton
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Education, Job Accessibility & Equality
Better People Company
To inspire peaceful leadership and personal transformation by making and sharing art through collaboration, communication, and compassion.
Bradley Taris
Phoenix Cohort 6 – Environment & Sustainability
BEhelper
BEhelper is a revolutionary way to understand building energy costs Unparalleled in its ease of use, and with nearly live results, you can iterate through options faster than ever before possible. BEhelper demonstrates how building green can save a lot of green from day one of pre-design.
Brandon Woolf
Phoenix Cohort 4 – Job Accessibility & Equality
Acqhired
Changing the way people find jobs and companies hire.
Brett Heising
Phoenix Cohort 1 – Economic Development, Job Accessibility & Equality
BrettApproved
Help anyone with a physical disability or mobility challenge and their families secure accessible hotel accommodations. Because travel is for everyone!
Caleb Barclay
Phoenix Cohort 1 – Education
Splicity
Capturing the best moments of life through video creation, sharing, & discovery
Chelsea Harden
Phoenix Cohort 5 – Education
The HEART Center
The Harden Education and Recreation Therapy (H.E.A.R.T.) Center provides educational opportunities to the special needs community that will lead to success, purpose, and an increased quality of life.
Clark Richardson
Phoenix Cohort 3 – Environment & Sustainability
Agriscaping
Our mission is to inspire, create, and maintain living masterpieces that nourish the mind, body, and soul. We are in the business of Elegant, Edible Landscaping. Through each of our services we strive to educate, inspire, and befriend our communities with elegant and productive ways that ignite the growing participation of all concerned.
Danna Evans
Phoenix Cohort 5 – Children’s Welfare, Education, Health & Wellness
AVA School Solutions
AVA is a mobile-friendly health screening management system for schools that is easy to implement, eliminates paperwork and increases accuracy.
Dave Leedy
Phoenix Cohort 5 – Environment & Sustainability
ZombieBox International
Our commitment is to always provide the best noise control products for a quieter and more peaceful world. We truly believe that by reducing the world's excess noise we can promote a more peaceful and pleasant environment where everyone can more fully enjoy daily activities and social interactions. (And...avoid attracting zombies in the event of an apocalypse).
David Sodemann
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Job Accessibility & Equality
Crash Pad
Creating the best vacation experience in Arizona by bringing concierge services to guests who aren't staying in hotels.
Deanna Montrose
Phoenix Cohort 5 – Health & Wellness
gLoveTreat
We empower you with our one-size-fits-all, hygienic & safe paraffin wax and coconut oil treatment. Let us help restore, replenish, and soothe your dry, tired, and sore hands and feet.
Derrick Loud
Phoenix Cohort 1 – Environment & Sustainability
BooGood Bicycles
For each bamboo bike sold, an attachable hand-cycle will be manufactured by locals in Kenya, Africa and donated to a disabled individual.
Eddie Stamps
Phoenix Cohort 6 – Economic Development
Yardhop Events
Yardhop is taking a unique approach on curation and reviews to provide a simpler search process when dinning out or event planning.
Eric Luster
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Health & Wellness
Movement Interactive
To provide peace of mind to parents of young athletes in sports who need real-time concussion monitoring and reporting.
Erin Witmer
Phoenix Cohort 6 – Education
Primary Book Club
Our mission is to deliver evidence-based, early literacy and childhood development advice from our network of experts to parents and caregivers of children age 0-5.
Faye Tait
Phoenix Cohort 6 – Health & Wellness
Spray 'Em Away
The mission of Spray 'Em Away is to offer powerful, tangible tools for children and adults dealing with stressful, scary, hurtful, and controversial matters that foster open communication so that self-esteem and pride are strengthened.
Francisco Cervera
Phoenix Cohort 1 – Financial Services
eMoney Pool
Money pools are a proven way to quickly save up for short-term goals. We're the world's largest money pool marketplace with over $3M in transactions.
Glenn Simmons
Phoenix Cohort 1 – Health & Wellness
Invictus Nourishment
Everyone should have enough nutrition.
Hart Shafer
Phoenix Cohort 1 – Health & Wellness
TheraSpecs
TheraSpecs are precision tinted, thoughtfully designed eyewear that filter out the harmful light that triggers migraines, headaches, eyestrain, and other conditions.
Imelda Hartley
Phoenix Cohort 6 – Environment & Sustainability, Gender Equality
Imelda's Happy Tamales
Our mission is to empower victims of domestic violence to break the cycle of domestic violence.
Israel Medellin
Phoenix Cohort 6 – Civic Engagement, Job Accessibility & Equality
LucysGarage.com
Connect mechanics from the community with customers from the community.
Jacob Hamman
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Health & Wellness
zenjoi
To improve the quality of life for persons with dementia and their caregivers.
Jacob Powell
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Job Accessibility & Equality
Crash Pad
Creating the best vacation experience in Arizona by bringing concierge services to guests who aren't staying in hotels.
Jaime Glasser
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Economic Development
Mesa Heart Studio
An Inclusive, co Creative, Collaborative Coworking Community for artists focusing on the Art in the HeART of Mesa!
Jaime Martinez
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Education
Schola
To improve K-12 education by streamlining the recruitment and enrollment process for parents and schools.
James Dodson
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Education, Health & Wellness
Arizona Squash
To engage underserved Phoenix area youth through academic support, squash and wellness, mentoring, enrichment, and community service to develop high school-ready middle schoolers, college-ready high schoolers, and career-ready adults.
Janette Harwell
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Environment & Sustainability
Box Play for Kids
Our mission is to promote creative play that stimulates curiosity, enthusiasm and learning in kids.
Jasmine Anglen
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Gender Equality, Health & Wellness
All Walks Project
To empower students to educate their communities on issues of domestic sex trafficking and provide specialized programs for survivors
Jeff Michaelree
Phoenix Cohort 3 – Civic Engagement
Gave in America
An online platform supporting nonprofits through the sale of donated goods.
Jennifer Cole
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Education
Young Artist Society
To empower future generations to pursue education, serve their communities, and achieve success creatively.
Jenny Anderson
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Education, Job Accessibility & Equality
Celebrate EDU
We are a nonprofit on a mission to encourage and empower young adults with developmental disabilities by providing innovative entrepreneurial education that builds on their interests and passions so that they can create happier and more productive lives.
Joanna Horton McPherson
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Education, Job Accessibility & Equality
Better People Company
To inspire peaceful leadership and personal transformation by making and sharing art through collaboration, communication, and compassion.
John Johnson
Phoenix Cohort 4 – Health & Wellness
Feel Free
Increasing face to face connections by utilizing existing collaborative venues as a platform to enhance communities.
Jon Cooke
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Education
All College LLC
All College, LLC is an exciting social network and marketing platform that will connect students and businesses in college communities.
Jon Irons
Phoenix Cohort 1 – Environment & Sustainability
Sitgreen
Traditional furniture has glue and non-recyclable elements; SITGREEN furniture eliminates glue, adds cardboard, and the piece becomes 100% recyclable.
Julia Garcia
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Education
The Rewrite Project
To help teens rewrite the stories that limit their potential by infusing story telling with technology.
Julie Hyzdu
Phoenix Cohort 1 – Health & Wellness
PoppyPocket
I created the PoppyPocket for my dad to wear his ambulatory infusion pump and tubes more discreetly, comfortably and safely. It is an elastic band with two separate pockets stitched on to securely contain the pump and tubing.
Justin Hamman
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Health & Wellness
zenjoi
To improve the quality of life for persons with dementia and their caregivers.
Justin Rohner
Phoenix Cohort 3 – Environment & Sustainability
Agriscaping
Our mission is to inspire, create, and maintain living masterpieces that nourish the mind, body, and soul. We are in the business of Elegant, Edible Landscaping. Through each of our services we strive to educate, inspire, and befriend our communities with elegant and productive ways that ignite the growing participation of all concerned.
Kate Milliken
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Health & Wellness
MyCounterpane
MyCounterpane provides a platform for those who've experienced a life event (directly or indirectly), to tell that story based on how they feel.
Katie Hess
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Health & Wellness
LOTUSWEI
At Lotus Wei, we believe that one of the simplest ways to ignite “transformative action for the benefit of all” is by using flower essences — pure, natural elixirs with the power to shift your mood + physiology.
Kay Diggs
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Job Accessibility & Equality
Tappetite
To give small local food businesses and home bakers a virtual storefront to showcase their products making them both visible to the local consumer and competitive with larger businesses.
Kayt Pearl
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Education, Job Accessibility & Equality
Better People Company
To inspire peaceful leadership and personal transformation by making and sharing art through collaboration, communication, and compassion.
Kevin Keleher
Phoenix Cohort 5 – Education, Environment & Sustainability
GreenLight Solutions Foundation
Creating sustainable business solutions through student-led projects.
Kirk Johnson
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Education
SOUNDS Academy
We teach, mentor, and provide musical experiences and opportunities for underserved youth.
Kyle Underseth
Phoenix Cohort 3 – Civic Engagement
TableTop
To provide affordable, accessible and impactful philanthropic dining options for everyone who wants to help. Sometimes, giving to charity gets expensive. We’re changing that by creating the first ever charitable dining platform where you – the individual – have the power to support organizations on your schedule at no additional cost.
Liesl Kielp
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Job Accessibility & Equality
AguaSAC
Improving Quality of Life for Adults with Developmental Disabilities.
Lindsey Michaelree
Phoenix Cohort 3 – Civic Engagement
Gave in America
An online platform supporting nonprofits through the sale of donated goods.
Lori Osiecki
Phoenix Cohort 3 – Education, Health & Wellness
My Max Pack
Max On Snax® believes that children learn best through good role models, engaging stories and fun activities. Max On Snax® focuses on healthy habits for our young children.
Luis Cervera
Phoenix Cohort 1 – Financial Services
eMoneyPool
Money pools are a proven way to quickly save up for short-term goals. We're the world's largest money pool marketplace with over $3M in transactions.
Makenzie Marzluff
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Health & Wellness
Delighted By
Delighted By is home of The Original Dessert Hummus™, a dip made from chickpeas in SWEET flavors! Vegan, GF, Nut & Soy Free.
Marc Sweet
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Health & Wellness
Sly Fox Nutrition
Making adventure happen through real food.
Mare Van Dyke
Phoenix Cohort 3 – Health & Wellness
Aqwastream
Personal water bottle refill and digital media stations dispense free chilled filtered water in key traffic areas + targeted, engaging brand content.
Matthew Cottle
Phoenix Cohort 1 – Health & Wellness, Job Accessibility & Equality
Stuttering King Bakery
Baking with a Mission. We want to impact the autistic world and serve as an inspiration for other autistic people to be productive, active members of the community.
Meagan Katzakian
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Animal Welfare
Galloper
To connect horse owners and horse haulers in an easy-to-use mobile app that provides an on-demand market place for horse transportation involving easy booking, secure payment processing, open communication, ratings, reviews, and more.
Megan Epley
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Education
stARTem
To put the art in STEM by providing art education to low-income schools, connecting the art of learning and creation through paint, film and photography.
Meghan Martinez
Phoenix Cohort 4 – Job Accessibility & Equality
Keasy
Safely and simply manage access to your properties. No codes. No keys.
Meghdad Abbaszadegan
Phoenix Cohort 4 – Health & Wellness
Feel Free
Increasing face to face connections by utilizing existing collaborative venues as a platform to enhance communities.
Melissa Higdon
Phoenix Cohort 6 – Health & Wellness
Fit Focus
Our goal is to help people feel better using the foundations of fitness (hydration, rest, activity, and healthy eating choices).
Michal Tyra
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Civic Engagement, Economic Development
The Manifesto Project
Empowering the next generation of civic, business, and nonprofit leaders by connecting Arizona’s top talent with real-world experience on the Boards of our state’s most impactful organizations.
Monique Hoffman
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Education, Health & Wellness
Qapproved LLC
Educating the masses about a variety of edible‐related topics.
Nadaa Taiyab
Phoenix Cohort 3 – Health & Wellness
Tiny Steps to Health & Wellness
A healthy lifestyle starts with tiny steps. We combine professional nutritionists, a unique method, and modern tech to make healthy living achievable for busy people.
Neel Mehta
Phoenix Cohort 3 – Health & Wellness
EpiFinder
EpiFinder's mission is to reduce misdiagnosis and disrupt the health care.
Nick Aufiero
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Job Accessibility & Equality
Tourkidd
Our mission is to break down the barriers between musicians, promoters, and fans because that kind of thing is good to do.
Omron Blauo
Phoenix Cohort 3 – Health & Wellness
Telescrypts
Our mission is to help provide quality health care in rural areas.
Pedro Diaz
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Environment & Sustainability
EcoBlock
To build sustainably designed architecture that reduces the negative impact on the environment by: enhancing the health and comfort of occupants, improving building energy efficiency, reducing consumption of non-renewable materials, minimizing waste, and creating healthy and productive environments with all-natural Stabilized Compressed Earth Blocks.
Rebeca Rodriguez
Phoenix Cohort 2 – Education
Xplore BoX
The Xplore BoX mission is to inspire the younger generation to dream big and realize Xploring the STEM fields can be challenging and FUN! Let’s think out of the BoX and Xplore!
Renee Wierz
Phoenix Cohort 4 – Animal Welfare
Paws 2 Read
Paws 2 Read is a reading program where children read to pet therapy animals and benefit from a non-threatening, fun environment to practice their reading skills, increase their self-esteem, gain a love of reading, and learn about the human-animal connection.
Robert Thornton
Phoenix Cohort 1 – Civic Engagement
Paper Clouds Apparel
Paper Clouds Apparel was formed to showcase the creative minds and artistic abilities of individuals with special needs while raising funds to provide financial support for special needs schools and organizations.
Robert Yao
Phoenix Cohort 3 – Health & Wellness
EpiFinder
EpiFinder's mission is to reduce misdiagnosis and disrupt the health care.
Ruben Gonzales
– Environment & Sustainability
11th Monk3y Industries LLC
To offer apparel and designs at affordable prices
Ryan Lay
Phoenix Cohort 3 – Education, Health & Wellness
Skate After School
At Skate After School, we match talented and enthusiastic volunteers with Phoenix area schools to provide skateboard instruction to underserved youth. With donated skateboard equipment, we are able to engage students in a challenging and exciting extracurricular activity.
Ryan Mores
Phoenix Cohort 5 – Education, Environment & Sustainability
GreenLight Solutions Foundation
Creating sustainable business solutions through student-led projects.
Sam Shammah
– Education
Akwai
We strengthen non-cognitive skills. students’ non-cognitive skills – perseverance, willpower, introspection, transparency, accountability, consistency, utilization and tenacity.
Sara Henry
Phoenix Cohort 5 – Education, Health & Wellness
Heartful Editor
Our mission is to inspire wellness as a way of life. We believe that when we take better care of ourselves and each other, we are happier and healthier, our relationships are stronger, and we are able to have a more positive impact in our communities and the world.
Sheila Iyengar
Phoenix Cohort 5 – Animal Welfare
Nagi Foundation
To restore the sacredness of the Native American community by uniting people and animals. We do this by providing a variety of animal services, educational programs, behavioral health supports, and family resources that coincides with traditional values and core principles of First Nations communities.
Stephanie Schull, PhD, CEO and Inventor
Stephanie's mission is to improve health and wellbeing by reimagining products that are simple, safe and radically effective for millions of women everywhere.
She believes very strongly in the need for not only Kegelbell, but a company, like Matter|Mission, to destigmatize the space of women's health and give women permission to seek out remedies to the issues that have interrupted their happiness for years.
Read more about her journey here: "Stephanie Schull: From Observer to Women's Health Problem Solver".
Stephanie Schull
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Health & Wellness
Oojaah
To help women live fully by providing revolutionary products and services in support of their confidence and well-being.
Steve Zeidman
Phoenix Cohort 4 – Animal Welfare
Vestafy
We are committed to supporting organizations’ lifesaving capacity through improved efficiency of shelter operations and field services. We do this through the industry’s first workflow management software, together with personalized professional services.
Thiago Moraes
Phoenix Cohort 7 – Animal Welfare
Galloper
To connect horse owners and horse haulers in an easy-to-use mobile app that provides an on-demand market place for horse transportation involving easy booking, secure payment processing, open communication, ratings, reviews, and more.
Tim Ward
Phoenix Cohort 3 – Education, Health & Wellness
Skate After School
At Skate After School, we match talented and enthusiastic volunteers with Phoenix area schools to provide skateboard instruction to underserved youth. With donated skateboard equipment, we are able to engage students in a challenging and exciting extracurricular activity.
Tristan Gandolfi
Phoenix Cohort 6 – Education
Humor Writes
Our mission is to inspire learning through laughter.