Know a cool Arizona startup? Nominations open for second-annual AZ Inno Fire Awards
By
AZ Inno staff
March 08, 2023, 05:30am MST
There's no doubt that the Arizona startup ecosystem has caught fire in the past couple of years, judging by all of the big funding rounds and other big startup news that AZ Inno has published lately. Here's your chance to help recognize some of these fast-track high-growth startups in the second-annual AZ Inno Fire Awards.
The Fire Awards are AZ Inno’s premier recognition program, honoring the companies and organizations that are setting the local innovation economy ablaze.
Nominees who fill out the nomination form can submit key information about milestones achieved by these startups in the past 12 months. Funding rounds, market share data, employee growth and future plans for expansion are among the data points to be considered in picking this year's finalists. The deadline to file nominations is Friday, March 31.
During the inaugural Fire Awards in 2022, we honored 20 finalists in four categories, based on the types of startups that submitted nominations. Those categories were Software, Health Care/Biotech, Female Founders and an Inno Picks category selected by AZ Inno staff and other editors.
Also last year, we presented the inaugural AZ Inno Blazer Award to an Arizona entrepreneur and startup founder who achieved a fast-track growth trajectory for their own business but who also is a key pillar of the state's startup community who makes a point of giving back. This year's Blazer Award winner will receive a custom-made red blazer jacket (you know, like that golf tournament you may have heard about).
Gregg Scoresby, the winner of the 2022 AZ Inno Blazer Award.
Jim Poulin | Phoenix Business Journal
The 2022 Blazer Award winner was Gregg Scoresby, who founded Chandler-based education technology company CampusLogic, which was acquired that year by Reston, Virginia-based Ellucian, one of the largest edtech companies in the country. Speaking of his desire to give back to the startup community, Scoresby now operates PHX Launch, a venture studio that is aiming to fund fledgling Valley software firms.
Check out photos from last year's AZ Inno Fire Awards event below:
WebPT's Senior Content Marketing Manager Breanne Krager accepts an award from Phoenix Business Journal's Greg Barr during the AZ Inno Fire Awards Thursday, June 30, 2022, at Lou's Bar & Grill at Papago Golf Club in Phoenix. The winner of the award was WebPT co-founder Heidi Jannenga, in the Female Founder category. Krager filled in to accept the award when Jannenga was unable to attend.
Darryl Webb/Special for the Phoenix Business Journal
Sponsors of the AZ Inno Fire Awards, Ivan and Crystal Blackwell, Alison McGowan, Jeff Moore, Julie Carr, Patti Deckard, Alex Sarantis, Cari Stinchcomb and Jonathan Gatherers pose for a photo during the event at Lou's Bar & Grill in Phoenix.
Darryl Webb/Special for the Phoenix Business Journal
Kyle Grone of Moov Technologies Inc. accepts an award from Phoenix Business Journal's Greg Barr during the AZ Inno Fire Awards event. Moov was the winning company in the software category.
Darryl Webb/Special for the Phoenix Business Journal
From left: Julie Carr, Alison McGowan, Shruti Gurudanti, Patti Deckard and Crystal Blackwell pose for a photo during the Phoenix Business Journal's Inno Fire Awards.
Darryl Webb/Special for the Phoenix Business Journal
Jeff Jackson of Centauri Health Solutions accepts an award from Phoenix Business Journal's Greg Barr during the AZ Inno Fire Awards. Centauri was the winning company in the health care/biotech category.
Darryl Webb/Special for the Phoenix Business Journal
Chris Golski of Footprint LLC accepts an award from Phoenix Business Journal's Greg Barr during the AZ Inno Fire Awards. Footprint won the Inno Pick award, chosen by the AZ Inno staff for a company that is disrupting its market segment.
Darryl Webb/Special for the Phoenix Business Journal
Phoenix Business Journal's Greg Barr helps CampusLogic's Gregg Scoresby with his new red jacket, as the winner of the 2022 Blazer Award at the AZ Inno Fire Awards event, given to an executive who has gone above and beyond to help build up and nurture Arizona's startup community.
Darryl Webb/Special for the Phoenix Business Journal
Arizona Commerce Authority's Mark Moeremans addresses the crowd during the AZ Inno Fire Awards event. ACA was one of the executive sponsors of the awards program.
Darryl Webb/Special for the Phoenix Business Journal
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