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Top 64 Startups Make First Round Cut for Invest Southwest’s 2016 Venture Madness Competition

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Field Narrows to Top 32 by January 20, then Top 16 by Early February PHOENIX (January 7, 2016) – Invest Southwest and the Arizona Commerce Authority have chosen the top 64 startups for the 2016 Venture Madness competition. Starting tomorrow,…

BE A CLOSER. 3 Key Components To A Presentation That Rocks

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Your speech is great. You opened with a hook and hit all your main points. Now, you’re about out of time, and you need to wrap it up. So what do you say? Don’t blow your close. Don’t end with Q&A. The problem: you leave your audience…

LEARNING FROM FAILURE

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As the New Year dawns, we look to reframe bad habits and create new ones that support us. This year, work to push through resistance and liberate yourself from fear. Do one thing every day that scares you. "There is only one thing that…

What’s the Single Most Important Driver of the Phoenix Startup Scene?

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Greater Phoenix—and all of Arizona—has more happening in its startup scene now more than ever. Ask anyone in the community and they’ll demonstrate their excitement and general bullishness for our ecosystem’s continued growth. I am…

Last Chance to Submit Entries for Invest Southwest’s 2016 Venture Madness Competition

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Submissions will be accepted until December 17, 1015 PHOENIX (December 10, 2015) – Entrepreneurs looking to submit for the 2016 Venture Madness competition will have until 3:00pm MST on December 17, 2015 to enter their company for a chance…

Why I’m throwing my hat in the Venture Madness ring again this year.

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Anyone in Arizona’s startup community knows that we have an electric entrepreneurial scene going on here. From ingenious new ventures to whipsmart founders to experienced investors, there’s a reason one VentureBeat article said, “Arizona…

7 ways to motivate people to play and win like a team

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Engagement is essential to propelling a team. When your employees are motivated to do a great job, the work will be easier, more productive and fun! To motivate your team to succeed, give individual attention and recognize the team. Here are…

Invest Southwest Names Avnet, Inc. as Visionary Sponsor for 2016 Venture Madness Competition

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Technology Distributor Avnet Supports Bracket-Style Startup Competition Phoenix, Arizona (November 24, 2015) – Invest Southwest today announced Phoenix-based Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), a leading global technology distributor, as a visionary…

The 5, make that 7, most toxic personalities that can poison your startup

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Building a startup team is critical because you are bringing on and managing employees with minimal resources. Entrepreneurs need to find exceptional people to help their companies accelerate. And, they need to avoid bad hires that can poison…

Christie Kerner’s Take on Venture Madness & All Things Entrepreneurial

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I guess you could say I’m a little fanatical about building businesses. But even beyond the art and science of launching companies, I’m completely dedicated to the brave entrepreneurs who are largely willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.…