If you are looking to launch a company in Tucson, then apply to the Tucson Founder Institute today. 

In addition to the above infographic and the collaborative Google document, you can also see the full list of resources below:

Tucson Startup Ecosystem

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There is no one right way to build a technology company, but for the sake of simplicity we have outlined a basic, common, sequential framework.

1. IDEA-STAGE

This is where new entrepreneurs get inspired, learn best practices, develop skills, validate ideas, and begin to build their team and product.

A. Inspire

• Startup Media: Centralized local information, listings, and news. (i.e. startup blogs/ publications/ lists/ FB groups/ newsletters)

1. Arizona Daily Star

2. Connect Coworking newsletter/ calendar

3. McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship newsletter

4. Next Tucson newsletter

5. Pima County Public Library - IdeaSpace

6. Startup Coffee

7. Startup Digest

8. Startup Tucson newsletter

9. xTucson

• Inspirational Events: Open, inclusive, beginner startup events (i.e. Startup Weekend, idea fairs, and inspirational meetups)

1. Entrepreneurial Roundtable

2. IdeaFunding

3. McGuire showcase

4. Meetup groups

5. Startup Coffee

6. Startup Drinks

7. Startup Weekend

8. TENWEST

9. Tucson Tech Talks

10. Tucson Unsummit

B. Educate

• Best Practices: Beginner knowledge-sharing events. (i.e. beginner events that serve to educate more than inspirate, like Startup Grind, Startup Founder 101, etc).

1. NSF ICORPS
2. Thryve Weekend

• Training & Feedback: Skill & Idea development. (Ex. bootcamps and comprehensive training programs, like Founder Institute, code camps, etc)

1. Arizona Center for Innovation

2. Founder Institute Tucson

3. InnovateUA

4. Thryve Sprints

C. Validate

• Team Formation: Resources for teaming up. (i.e. events or other resources that facilitate early-stage recruitment and cofounder matching)

1. Startup Weekend

• Build First Product: Hackathons & resources to build. (i.e. hackathons and other builder-focused events and resources)

1. Go For Vertical

2. Hack Arizona

3. Women Techmakers Tucson Hackathon

4. Xerocraft Hackerspace

2. LAUNCH-STAGE 

In this stage, entrepreneurs establish and formalize the company, develop the product, get feedback from customers, and prepare for the next step.

A. Start

• Establish: Law firms & banks that specialize in helping startups

1. Hayes Soloway

2. Hecker, PLLC

3. Mesch Clark and Rothschild

4. University of Arizona School of Law

• Workspace: Co-working and flexible workspaces (note: “official” office space goes in 3.1.a. Infrastructure)

1. Community Foundation Social Impact Workspace

2. Connect Coworking

3. Popup Coworking

B. Develop

• Formalize: Accounting, development and HR for early-stage startups.

1. BeachFleishman
2. Jo Ann Sabbagh
3. Staff Matters

• Prepare for Seed: Incubators and advanced mentorship. (i.e. advanced knowledge sharing, later stage events and resources for startup TEAMS)

1. None yet?

C. Launch

• Seed Accelerators: Seed funding mentor programs (Techstars-style programs that provide funding)

1. None yet?

• Pitch & Demo: Show local startups for investment (i.e. demo days for companies seeking seed investment)

1. Desert Angel Screening Panel

2. IdeaFunding Pitch Competition

3. GROWTH-STAGE

Here, a startup proves their utility, receives recognition, and scales up. This usually requires funding, angels, VCs, and ways to connect them to startups.

A. Recognition

• Investor Networking:  Connect professional investors with founders. (i.e. events or groups that facilitate connections with professional investors vs. angels)

1. AngelList
2. Desert Angels Screening Panel and Monthly Dinner
3. IdeaFunding

• Major Media: Mainstream local business press. (i.e. major local or regional publications that frequently champion local businesses)

1. Arizona Daily Star
2. BizTucson Magazine
3. Inside Tucson Business

B. Funding

• Angels / Micro-VCs: Seed-stage investors

1. Desert Angels

2. Diamond Ventures

• Venture Capitalists: Series A and beyond

1. Bluestone Venture Partners

2. UA Venture Capital

C. Growth

• Infrastructure: Office space, HR, local business insurance. (i.e. office space/ HR/ insurance providers for capital-rich companies to grow and scale)

1. Crest Insurance
2. Holualoa
3. Peach Properties

• Expansion: Growth accelerators/consultants. (i.e. programs and business consultants for capital-rich companies to grow and scale)

1. Aztera

2. Marcus Engineering

4. SUCCESS STORIES 

Successful homegrown companies that have raised significant institutional funding, employ a large workforce, or have achieved liquidity.

1. 42Six

2. Accelerate Diagnostics

3. Burr Brown / Texas Instruments

4. Calimmune

5. Cancer Prevention Pharmaceuticals

6. CropTrak

7. General Plasma

8. Global Solar

9. Growers House

10. Guardvandt

11. Hexagon Mining

12. HTG Molecular

13. Hughes Aerospace / Raytheon

14. Icagen / Sanofi

15. Knowledge Computing Corporation / i2 / IBM

16. Medical Referral Source

17. MISOM

18. Modular Mining

19. nMode

20. Providence Service Corporation

21. RightFax

22. ScriptSave

23. Simpleview

24. Sinfonia

25. SmartThings

26. Sunquest

27. Syncardia

28. Tempronics

29. Tucson Embedded Systems

30. Vector Launch

31. Ventana Medical Systems / Roche

32. World View Enterprises

Supporters

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To facilitate the steps, every ecosystem needs strong supporters.

1. EVANGELISTS 

Successful local founders who lead the ecosystem & frequently mentor newbies.  (i.e. Local leaders who have taken a leadership position, speak at a lot of startup events, mentor all the programs, etc.)

1. Aaron Eden

2. Aaron Gopp

3. Anita Bell

4. Ashley Tsosie-Mahieu

5. Base Horner

6. Brian Ellerman

7. Curtis Gunn

8. Dan Janes

9. Edward Cruz

10. Eric Smith

11. Fletcher McCusker

12. Joann MacMaster

13. Justin Williams

14. Katina Koller

15. Liz Pocock

16. Peter Mantas

17. Rick Yngve

18. Robert Robbins

19. Shane Reiser

20. Stephanie Bermudez

21. Tony Ford

22. Zach Yentzer

2. GOVERNMENT 

Public organizations that facilitate local economic development

1. Arizona Commerce Authority

2. Arizona Technology Council

3. City of Tucson Office of Economic Development

4. Small Business Development Center (SBA)

5. Southern Arizona Leadership Council

6. Sun Corridor

3. TALENT 

Major local business or tech universities and employers that attract and retain local talent.

• Local Universities (universities with prominent technical or business programs)

1. Pima Community College

2. University of Arizona - Eller College of Business/ McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship

3. University of Arizona - InnovateUA

• Local Employers (Major technical employers with large local offices)

1. Accelerate Diagnostics
2. Ephibian
3. Geico
4. Guardvant, Inc
5. HeathTrio
6. Hexagon Mining
7. Honeywell
8. IBM
9. Intuit
10. Jacobs
11. Lasertel
12. Banner Health
13. Learning A-Z
14. Leidos
15. Modular Mining
16. Mural
17. Rain Bird
18. Raytheon
19. Rincon Research Corporation
20. Roche
21. Sargent Controls & Aerospace
22. Securaplane Technologies
23. BE Aerospace
24. Simpleview
25. SmartThings
26. Sunquest
27. Texas Instruments
28. Tucson Electric Power
29. Tucson Embedded Systems
30. TuSimple
31. Universal Avionics
32. University of Arizona
33. Caterpillar
34. Citi
35. Comcast
36. Cox
37. Cyracom
38. Edmund Optics

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The Startup Ecosystem Canvas project seeks to provide local entrepreneurs with a clear list of resources for every stage of their startup journey, and outline a basic framework for communities to map their ecosystem. 

If you have any comments on this canvas, pleave contribute to this collaborative Google document. While we spent about 20 hours on this research, it is definitely a work in progress so we want your feedback! 

If you are looking to launch a company in Tucson, then apply to the Tucson Founder Institute today.