Just two weeks ago, the inaugural Arizona Tech Week brought together 400+ events, 18k attendees across the state. The collective growth of efforts from Arizona Commerce Authority and hundreds of community builders across the state is creating real momentum and we’re riding a wave in the desert that’s accelerating talent, innovation, and opportunity.
Freeway was proud to host the most widely attended event of the week — 600+ attendees at our 5th Tech Talent Summit and Startup Pavilion. Post-event feedback is coming in at 4.6/5, and we’re taking it seriously, using the voice of the community to guide how we build and support what comes next. If you didn’t submit your feedback do so here.
The moments are compounding:
• The scale and coordination of Arizona Tech Week
• The multi-year commitment from the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit
• The launch of “A New Way to City” campaign
During our Tech Talent Summit opening remarks, the words shared on stage by helped solidify the moment we’re in.
As John Schufeldt shared, “moments like this don’t stay open forever”.
They require action.
They require participation.
They require people willing to step into the arena.
Watch the event recap!
“This is really going to lift our ecosystem and we are hitting next level success.” —
“Entrepreneurship is arena work. Success is uncertain. It’s talking to the ceiling fan at 3am every night, until it starts talking back to you. The future of AZ will not be built by people with perfect credentials. It will be built by the people in this room willing to engage, fail, contribute, and keep going.”
“Connection and collaboration. It’s when we all come together. Take full advantage of this room. Ask for what you need. When you succeed, Arizona succeeds.”
With certainty we will not be the same again.
Now the real work begins!
Talent: Who’s Hiring in Phoenix
Source: Job Board
We’re also seeing real traction with Freeway’s Talent Referral Program. The power of this community is showing up in a tangible way members are referring vetted candidates, and startups are proactively telling us who they’re looking to hire.
That’s where the magic happens.
When the right people are connected through trust, speed, and shared context hiring becomes a lot more efficient and a lot more human.
If you’re hiring or know great talent, now’s the time to plug in.
➡ Job Seekers: We are running a Startup Ready Bootcamp pilot starting mid May - apply to start.
➡ Hiring Companies: Tell us how you are growing your team and get access to our community referred, vetted talent network.
Startup Spotlight # 1
Botco.ai is a conversational AI platform built for healthcare and life sciences. We help enterprise teams deploy intelligent chat experiences that drive patient engagement, generate leads, and surface insights — all within a HIPAA-compliant infrastructure. We're a lean, remote-first team moving fast on hard problems.
Roles:
Startup Spotlight # 2
Symmetry
Symmetry is the payroll infrastructure for software & payroll platforms powering the paychecks of over 64 million workers each year. Our fully integrated suite of payroll tax APIs and software tools allows companies to solve tax compliance issues and build applications across the entirety of the payroll process.
AI is a fundamental part of how work gets done at Symmetry. We expect all team members to actively engage with AI tools relevant to their role and grow their fluency as the technology evolves. AI experience requirements vary by role and will be assessed during the interview process.
Roles:
Have a role that you’d like amplified? Reply to this email.
Capital: Arizona Funding Activity
Source: Startup Ecosystem Dashboard
Early signals in 2026 point to continued disciplined growth
Capital in Arizona is continuing to move with a clear trend toward focused, high-conviction bets in early and growth-stage companies.
Recent rounds from companies like Wealth.com and Prickly Pear Health reflect where the market is leaning: verticalized platforms, strong operators, and solutions tied to real-world outcomes in sectors like fintech and healthcare.
What stands out isn’t just the volume it’s the quality and intentionality behind these raises.
In 2026, we’re seeing a continuation of what defined the past year:
• Grounded valuations
• Capital efficiency
• Founders building with discipline
• Investors prioritizing long-term value over short-term hype
Arizona may still be early compared to larger markets, but that’s exactly the opportunity.
Capital is showing up and it’s aligning more closely than ever with the talent and companies being built here.
Explore the latest funding activity across the ecosystem:
Supported by: City of Phoenix, City of Tempe, City of Mesa
Welcome City of Mesa to the Freeway Network!
We’re excited to welcome the City of Mesa as the newest Freeway City Partner!
Through this partnership, Mesa will help support the Freeway Dashboard, amplify its local companies, and strengthen access to talent, capital, and community across the region.
Upcoming Community Events
(If you’d like your event cross promoted in a future newsletter just reply to this email.)
Want to partner with Freeway? Lets chat.
Closing thoughts
What I keep coming back to isn’t just the scale of what happened it’s the culture that’s forming underneath it. You can feel it. People are showing up differently more open, more willing to help, more willing to build together instead of in silos. That’s what matters.
Ecosystems don’t grow from events alone. They grow from shared values, consistent behavior, and a genuine willingness to support one another over time. What’s emerging here in Arizona is a culture rooted in accessibility, collaboration, and long-term thinking. You can still get in the room. You can still meet the right people. You can still build real relationships that actually lead somewhere.
That’s not something to take for granted.
Community isn’t a side piece to this it’s the infrastructure. It’s what drives talent to stay, capital to flow, and companies to grow. We’re watching that take shape in real time. And if we continue to protect it and contribute to it with intention, this becomes one of the most compelling places to build in the country.
Thanks for being here & have a great weekend!
With gratitude,
Your friends at Freeway PHX ❤️
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