Diana Vowels has stepped down as CEO of StartupAZ after nearly two years at the helm of the nonprofit organization.
Vowels announced in a Linkedin post last week that she is now a co-founder of Pet Ortho Braces, a Scottsdale-based company founded by her husband, David. She also serves as Pet Ortho Braces’ chief operating officer, providing strategic planning and operational guidance, according to the company's website.
“As a co-founder of Pet Ortho Braces, I am passionate about our mission to provide top-notch orthopedic care for pets,” Vowels wrote in the LinkedIn post.
Vowels told the Business Journal she’ll continue her passion for Arizona’s tech community through involvement in Venture Madness, StartupAZ and Venture Ready.
“As I’ve encouraged many founders to really dive into their own businesses, I’m doing the same,” she said in an email. “The pet care market is expanding rapidly and the opportunity to be an innovator in the veterinary rehabilitation space is incredibly rewarding. So I’m combining my background in healthcare, operations and entrepreneurship with the joy of helping animals. It’s a great opportunity so I’m jumping in with both feet.”
Brandon Clarke, co-founder of StartupAZ, has assumed leadership of StartupAZ as executive director. Clarke previously led the organization through 2021 and remained involved as a board member.
Vowels has been a key figure in the Valley startup community for more than a decade. She was the 2023 winner of the AZ Inno Blazer Award, which honors an entrepreneur who has worked tirelessly over the years to promote Arizona's startup ecosystem and innovation economy.
Vowels joined StartupAZ in 2021 to oversee talent strategy and leadership development. In March 2022, she was named CEO of the nonprofit organization, which helps companies boost their leadership, performance and connections. Prior to Joining StartupAZ, Vowels was vice president and general manager of Galvanize Phoenix.
Vowels was instrumental in launching StartupAZ’s Key Leaders program to grow the next generation of leaders in companies involved with the organization. She will continue to support and advise on the Key Leaders program, Clarke said.
Vowels said StartupAZ is a phenomenal organization making a huge difference in Arizona.
“I'm so grateful for the StartupAZ organization and all of the founders in our cohorts. They inspire me by the bold risks they take to build strong teams in a challenging time, showing leadership and grace, while building world-class companies,” she said. “The strength and generosity of the StartupAZ community is like no other, founders supporting founders, giving their time and talents while inspiring generosity to build for the future. It's been an incredible honor to be a part of it.”
Clarke to prepare StartupAZ for ‘new territory’
Clarke founded StartupAZ in 2015 to foster Arizona’s innovation ecosystem and empower companies to grow.
To date, about 100 participating companies in StartupAZ’s programs have raised more than $350 million in total venture capital and created 1,800 jobs.
Clarke told AZ Inno he plans to prepare StartupAZ for “new territory” in the coming year by boosting the nonprofit’s support and resources.
Phoenix is at a unique inflection point with an abundance of capital to deploy and StartupAZ aims to raise the visibility of Valley startups, Clarke said.
StartupAZ will continue to focus on its Collective Growth Cohort, a yearlong program that brings entrepreneurs together to network and share resources while scaling their companies, he said.
In addition, StartupAZ intends to take a leadership role in collaborating with other organizations, Clarke said.
“There's a lot of organizations doing some incredible work in this space. We're a city that grew out instead of up. Our density is pretty spread out, which allows a lot of pockets to take root and I'm very supportive of that,” Clarke said. “I think, regionally, startups can emerge anywhere. But, over the years, that has led to some siloed efforts. So we want to be more proactive in collaborating with organizations, perhaps even bringing in organizations in a strategic way.”
