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From raising money and expanding operations to IPOs and brand new startups, 2016 was a banner year for the TechAZ scene. Many great Arizona companies saw a lot of changes, which confirmed another exciting year of tech growth in AZ. Whether it was raising as much as $160 million in financing or adding new locations, there were plenty of business wins in 2016. Below, we detail the highlights of last year’s tech scene. Reach out to us here and let us know if we missed anything, and we’ll be sure to update the list. Here’s to an outstanding 2017!
ClearVoice, Inc. Raised $1.2 Million in a Seed Round – Seeking funds to hire staff in sales, marketing, and product development, Phoenix-based ClearVoice raised $1.2 Million in a seed round, led by Peak Ventures from Provo, Utah.
Coplex Raised $1.5 Million for Phoenix’s First Startup Studio – Tempe-based Coplex raised $1.5 million in equity investment from mostly Phoenix Area investors. Coplex has pivoted to a startup studio, focused on tech startups.
Bolste Raised $6.2 Million in Series A Round – Bolste, a communication and collaborative operating system based in Scottsdale, raised a total of $6.2 Million in a Series A funding round.
Virtuous Software Raised $1.5 Million more in Seed Round – Virtuous Software, a Phoenix-based nonprofit customer relationship management software startup, raised $1.5 million in 2016, for a total seed round of $2.2 Million.
NeoLight Raised a Seed Round of $1.4 Million – Phoenix-based med-tech startup, NeoLight, raised a total seed round of $1.4 million, in two tranches of $600k and $800k. Investors were mostly local angels.
MobileLogix Raised $2.2 Million in a Series A Funding Round – Glendale-based MobileLogix, a workforce management software startup, raised a Series A round of $2.2 Million from local investors, including Canal Partners and Tallwave Capital.
HumansFirst Technology Raised $750k in Seed Round – Scottsdale-based HumansFirst, an app that aims to replace typing on your device with apps that listen, comprehend and deliver accurate results, raised $750k in a seed round, funded by undisclosed Arizona and California investors.
Carvana Raised a Series C Round of $160 Million – Carvana, a Phoenix-based online auto retailer closed a Series C round of $160 million, giving them a total of $460 million raised to date.
Serious Integrated, Inc. Raised $5 Million in Series A round – Serious Integrated, which plans to offer cloud-based connectivity and data management services through their human-machine interface and communications platforms, raised $5 million in a Series A funding round.
DUFL Raised a Series A Round of $5.3 Million – DUFL, Inc., a Tempe-based business traveler luggage app, raised $5.3 million to expand its operations.
Tempronics Raised a Series C Round of $9.5 Million – Tucson-based developer of solid-state thermoelectric devices, Tempronics, raised $9.5 million in a Series C round.
Small Box Energy Raised $4 Million and Hired a new CEO – Food safety and energy management technology company, Small Box Energy, Inc. raised $4 Million in a Series A round. They also hired a new CEO, Dan Clarke.
$6 Million Raised by Gobiquity in Series B Round – Mobile vision screening technology company, Gobiquity, Inc., raised $6 Million in a series B round. They will use the funding to expand operations and hire.
Trusona Raised $8 Million in a Series A Funding Round – Scottsdale-based startup, Trusona, which offers an authentication and identity-proofing software, raised $8 Million in a Series A round.
CyberSponse Raised Nearly $4 Million – CyberSponse, which provides a SaaS-based incident management system to enhance team communication in IT-security-incident management and is based in Scottsdale, raised $3,856,652 from 4 investors.
Allbound Raised $1.05 Million in Seed Funding – Phoenix-based Allbound, a SaaS partner sales acceleration platform, raised $1.05 million in a seed round, bringing their total raised to $2.75 million.
Paradigm Diagnostics Raised $7 Million in a Series B Round – Paradigm Diagnostics, based in Phoenix and providing raised a Series B round of $7 million from Mesa Verde Venture Partners.
Visiongate Raised $11 Million in Debt Financing – 3D imaging company Visiongate, based in Phoenix and with a mission to save lives by creating the new standard of care for early and accurate detection of cancer worldwide, raised $11.1 million in debt financing as well as an undisclosed amount of venture capital.
The Medical Memory Raised $650k in Venture Capital – The first enterprise cloud-based video patient engagement (VPE) solution, The Medical Memory, based in Phoenix, raised $650,000 in venture capital.
Kazzit Raised $250k in Seed Funding – Phoenix-based Kazzit, an online wine community, connecting wineries, vineyards, restaurateurs, collectors, and enthusiasts, raised $250,000 in seed funding.
Proof Raised $440k in a Seed Funding Round – Based in Phoenix, Proof is the first software company to use advanced math to reveal the hidden impact of marketing and communications on any aspect of company performance. They raised $440,000 in seed funding in 2016.
Smart Armor Raised over $400k through Indiegogo – Smart Armor, based in Tempe, provides a piece of Bluetooth hardware and an app to allow your smart phone or tablet to lock, unlock, track and monitor your valuables at all times. Their Indiegogo campaign sought to raise $50k, and raised $446,747.
Touchpoint Solutions Raised over $75k through Kickstarter – With a mission of bringing relief to the millions of people who suffer from stress and anxiety, Scottsdale-based Touchpoint Solutions aimed to raise $15,000 for their Buzzies product. Their successful Kickstarter campaign raised $76,138.
Co+Hoots met its $50,000 Indiegogo Funding Goal – Raising money to help pay for their new Phoenix co-working space, Co+Hoots took to Indiegogo and raised $53,960. They’ll use the space to host daily educational events.
AfterMaster Raised nearly $800k on Indiegogo – Scottsdale-based TV audio company, AfterMaster, Inc., raised $790,198, more than 150 percent of its Indiegogo InDemand campaign goal.
HealthiestYou Acquired in a $155 Million Deal – One of the largest telehealth software companies in the U.S. acquired Phoenix-based telehealth startup HealthiestYou for a reported $45 million in cash and 6.95 million shares.
LifeLock Acquired by Symantec for $2.3 Billion – Tempe-based identity protection company, LifeLock, agreed to be acquired by cyber-security giant, Symantec. The deal was funded with cash on hand and $750 million in debt.
Tipsy Acquired by Hooch – Tempe-based nightlife app, Tipsy, was acquired by Hooch, another larger cocktails app company out of New York. The amount of the purchase was not disclosed.
ParkX Acquired by Passport, Inc. – Scottsdale-based ParkX, a mobile parking payment app was acquired by Passport Inc., the parking and transit industry’s largest mobile payment provider.
$99 Social Acquired by Wired Investors – Anthem-based startup, $99 Social, a social media marketing provider to small businesses worldwide, was acquired by San Francisco-based Wired Investors for an undisclosed amount.
Microchip Acquired Atmel for $3.56 Billion – Chandler-based Microchip Technology, Inc. acquired global touch technology and microcontroller leader Atmel for a reported $3.56 Billion.
ON Semiconductor Acquired Fairchild Semiconductor for $2.4 Billion – Phoenix-based ON Semiconductor Corp. bought out Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. The $2.4 billion deal makes ON Semiconductor the largest supplier of power semiconductors in the world.
SenesTech Inc. went Public – Flagstaff-based company, SenesTech, which makes rat fertility bait, closed its initial public offering of 1,875,000 shares of common stock at a price of $8.00 per share.
Everspin Technologies Inc. went Public – Everspin Technologies, a Chandler-based developer and manufacturer of magnetoresistive random access memory, offered an IPO of 5,000,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $8.00 per share, for total gross proceeds of $40 million.
TechAZ.org Launched – Arizona’s premiere technology news source for the thriving AZ tech industry launched, bringing all the latest AZ tech news to the world.
Greg Head Launched Gregslist – Gregslist, a comprehensive list of software companies in metro Phoenix and Tucson, launched in 2016 and now contains over 200 Arizona-based software companies.
ServiceGuru Launched in Scottsdale – ServiceGuru, a web-based platform that allows for customers to rate employees based on the level of customer service they provide, launched operations in Scottsdale this year.
430 Labs Launched Meetings Management App Wecoutable – Phoenix-based 430 Labs launched Wecountable, an app that automates meeting processes, streamlining how progress and discussions are tracked, ending wasted time, money, and frustration.
Phoenix-based MechFinder Launched – MechFinder, a site where people who need to get their cars fixed can connect safely with people who love to fix cars, launched in 2016.
Buzzly Media Launched in Phoenix – Providing social media management, analytics, blogging, and graphics services, Buzzly Media was launched in Phoenix.
ForeIQ Launched – Billing itself as the only profitability management tool for professional service firms, ForeIQ launched in Phoenix.
Largest Phoenix Area Startup Event held by Seed Spot – Demo Day, billed as the largest entrepreneurial event in Arizona, gave social entrepreneurs three minutes each to pitch their game-changing solutions to important societal problems. The audience got to vote on the idea they most believed in.
Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest Grand Finale held in Phoenix – AOL co-founder and former CEO, Steve Case, finished his five-city Rise of the Rest tour in Phoenix. 8 Finalists pitched a panel for a $100,000 prize, ultimately won by NeoLight, a Phoenix-based newborn care solutions startup.
NextCon16 brought “The Woz”, Guy Kawasaki and more to Town – Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak, and about 50 other speakers descended on Scottsdale for NextCon16, hosted by Nextiva, a Phoenix Area leader in VoIP services.
Startup Weekend Held at Coplex – The 2016 Startup Weekend, was held in Phoenix at Coplex. Startup Weekend is a 54-hour event where developers, designers, marketers, product managers and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build products and launch startups.
Chase for Business Sponsored 3d Annual Phoenix Startup Week – For the third year, Chase for Business held Phoenix Startup Week, a free five-day event for the local startup ecosystem, and anyone else interested in entrepreneurship.
Small Business Expo Held at Phoenix Convention Center – The Small Business Expo, which showcases a range of exhibitors and speakers, providing an opportunity for people in the business community to network effectively and help grow their businesses, was held at the Phoenix Convention Center.
AZ SmallBizCon Event Held at Arizona Biltmore – Sponsored by ASBA (Arizona Small Business Association) and held at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, AZ SmallBizCon 2016 was billed as a power-packed event of timely discussions, relevant education, and meaningful interactions.
Infusionsoft Held Annual ICON Event – Chandler-based Infusionsoft, a $100 million marketing automation and CRM software provider, held its annual ICON event. The event brings together thousands of Infusionsoft users to learn and connect.
#yesPHX Website Re-launched – yesPHX.com launched, with the goal of, “Building the Greater Phoenix startup community and economy, and making Phoenix a better place to live for our children and our children’s children.”
DeskHub Opens Second Phoenix Area Location – As part of its national expansion, Scottsdale-based DeskHub Inc. opened a 10,000-square-foot Phoenix Area flexible co-working space at High Street in north Phoenix, its second Valley location.
Galvanize Opened a Pop-up Location While Building Permanent Phoenix Digs – While building out a permanent campus on Grant St., Galvanize, an organization aimed at ensuring that America can meet the growing demand for technical workers, opened a pop-up location on Monroe. Construction of the Grant St. location is scheduled for completion in January 2017.
Arizona Founders Fund Announced – First seed stage venture capital fund, Arizona Founders Fund, was announced. It is designed for Arizona technology founders on their way to building exceptional companies.
