I kinda sorta got roped into it

I’m not saying that was a bad thing—I loved getting PHX Startup Week off the ground. In fact, I’d list it as one of the best things I’ve ever had the opportunity to do. But man—it’s a lot of work!

Here’s how it happened.

In 2014, soon after starting #yesphx, I learned from a colleague that a fellow Phoenician named Evo was beginning to organize a major event for entrepreneurs, helping an organization called UP Global (which was later acquired by Techstars) expand the footprint of Boulder Startup Week into some handpicked cities.

Since I was trying to host a large event to jumpstart #yesphx, I attended the initial organization meeting to learn more. I was on board. However, without getting into all the details, it turned out that Evo ended up having to leave town for health reasons. So, after only attending one meeting, he called to ask if I was interested in running with it. He said something to the effect of, “If you’re not interested in taking the reins, it probably won’t happen.”

Note, we were only 3 months out from the target launch date. I thought about it. That’s when I also got to talk further with Matt Simpson, my co-conspirator and organizer extraordinaire (without him, there’s no way it would have happened). Then I talked with UP Global. And, to cut a long story short: they lied to misinformed me how much time it would take. 😆

After that, it was a whirlwind. It was a mad dash of pulling people together, organizing venues, putting together marketing, and all the other details that go into organizing a week-long event (with about 75% less time than ideal). I still can’t believe we pulled it off, but it really was a community-wide effort. My recap after year one spoke to the magnitude of what happened and how many people helped us pull it off.

As I moved on to the second annual event, we had a bunch more time and focus to plan something even bigger and better than our inaugural event. 2016’s week-long event went off so smoothly and beautifully (with the minor exception of one challenging venue), it felt like an amazing moment of victory to pass the baton and encourage new leadership to run with PHX Startup Week. This was my recap after year two.

In 2021, as I’m writing this, PHX Startup Week is quickly approaching its seventh annual event under its third cohort of leaders. It has become an absolute staple of the entrepreneur community in Arizona, and I’m grateful simply to have been involved—especially at the beginning.