Sponsored by Finis Studio

Finis Studio helps early-stage and evolving companies sharpen how they show up — visually and strategically. From rebrands to fresh launches, they craft positioning, branding, and websites that don’t just look good; they move the needle.

Special offer for the Freeway community:

Finis Studio is offering a 15% discount on your first project for any founder referred through Freeway (25% discount if you are a female founder!). Start with a free discovery call to meet the team, share where you’re at, and explore how they can support your next move.

👉Book your free Discovery Call (Spots are limited — offer available until September 30th, 2025)

Freeway is Excited to Partner with PHX FWD as a Talent Development Partner

You already know PHX FWD as the place where software companies and talent connect. So do we, which is why we’re excited to announce a new partnership between Freeway and PHX FWD! Both our organizations have long been focused on helping Phoenix become a top software talent market. This partnership helps to solidify our shared commitment to connecting the software companies to the top talent.

Freeway is honored to now serve as PHX FWD’s talent development community partner.

Over 100 jobs available at growing startups:

Wealth.com | Enterprise Client Success Manager

Nurture Boss | Regional Vice President

Nuclearn | Director of Software Engineering

Trainual | Customer Experience Operations Specialist

Revolution Parts, Inc. | Manager, Technical Support

If you want to see your open role in this list, email [email protected].

Contact us at [email protected] to apply directly.

Freeway Pathways Coalition, Pilot Scoping Underway

We are in week 3 in the Freeway Pathways Coalition, aimed to positively impact the employer and candidate experience connecting quality opportunities at startups for post-grads and career transitions.

As we move out of discovery, with deep insights and our goal is to launch new 60 day pilot program September 8.

➡️ Call-to-action to our community. We are seeking:

• startups that are hiring

• job seekers

• recruiters

• individuals to refer job candidates

  We’d love for you to be part of this program! Reply to this email with your interest area.

Dan Costello, EVP & Chief Business Officer at Phoenix Suns & Mercury, Announced as Tech Talent Summit Speaker

Dan Costello is in his 19th season with the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury. As Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer, Costello oversees all revenue generation departments, including Ticket Sales and Service and Global Partnership Solutions. Costello also oversees the organization’s strategies involving business intelligence, broadcast media, as well as the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury's interest in the Legends Entertainment District.  

Under Costello’s leadership, the team has set franchise records for revenue and has been recognized by the NBA as a Changemaker, winning the league award twice for the creation of partnerships that shape an industry (PayPal in 2019, Footprint in 2022).   Costello began his career in television advertising with Cox Media, and while there, he had successful years as a local account executive focusing on local business, national sales manager focusing on bringing national ad sales dollars to the state of Arizona, and national Hispanic sales manager.  

Costello was a former Honorary Commander at Luke Air Force Base and currently serves on the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury Foundation Advisory Board of Directors.  

New Record: ASU Reaches Highest First-Time Fall Enrollment

by Reid Simpson, REALTOR® & Team Lead GolfCourseHomes.com

According to ASU News, there are 42,900 fresh faces starting at Arizona State University this week! This number includes true freshmen, university transfers, and graduate students new to ASU across all campus locations and those studying online. This is a 1,000 student increase from the Fall semester starting in 2024.

ASU has always boasted large numbers, international influence, and local roots, with Tempe consistently improving in lifestyle and amenities that surround campus. ICYMI, Novus is the word when it comes to new real estate development in Tempe. Sports, entertainment, dining, retail, office, and residential are all coming together with the goal of truly becoming an "innovation corridor".

For the trailing 12 months, ASU enrollment exceeded 194,000 students. As students continue to look for flexible and hybrid-based programs, Arizona continues to shine in providing educational solutions. Honorable mention to Grand Canyon University (my alma mater), which has approximately 25,000 on-campus students in West Phoenix and 100,000 online students.

Jay Donnelly (VP of Real Estate at ASU) is quoted as saying, "Altogether, Novus is projected to create more than 34,000 jobs with more than $2 billion in wages and $4.6 billion in economic output". Freeway PHX champions the talent & opportunity connections that can be made surrounding our universities, and we look forward to witnessing and participating in the progress made.

📤️ Refer Freeway to a Friend, Win a T-Shirt and a Coffee

Refer us to a friend or colleague in or out of Arizona that might be searching for the best state for their start-up or scale-up-, interested in getting a pulse on startup investments or talent seeking a role at a growing startup. Just click the referral button below. To show you our thanks, just stop by our office at Kiln for a free Inaugural Tech talent t-shirt, coffee, and a convo.

Thank you and have a great weekend!

Best,

The Freeway Phx Team

You are on this list because you're a big part of the Phx Tech Startup community, and we thought you would enjoy updates on the pulse of the startup tech ecosystem. We are an independent, public/private initiative that’s community-led, providing greater access and vibrancy - we appreciate your support!

Interested in having your company and/or services featured in our newsletter? Reply to reach our community of 3000+ thriving local entrepreneurs and tech professionals.

www.freewayphx.com

🌵🚀💥📈