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- Tech Talent Summit Speakers Announced | Exclusive QA with Chris Camacho
Tech Talent Summit Speakers Announced | Exclusive QA with Chris Camacho
The latest investments, innovations, and insiders shaping the future of Phx's Startup Ecosystem
Daniela Santangelo
July 18, 2025
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Chris Camacho’s Next Move:
An Exclusive Q&A on his transition from GPEC and lasting legacy
Pictured: Chris Camacho, Daniela Santangelo, and Chris Richardson, Field CTO of AHEAD and Freeway Founding Advisor
As recently shared on GPEC.org, GPEC President and CEO Chris Camacho will soon step down from his role at GPEC to assume a senior leadership position at Axon. During his tenure, GPEC and its partners have played a pivotal role in the evolution of Greater Phoenix’s internationally competitive economy, creating lasting prosperity across the region.
We have been proud to consider Chris a friend and ally in our mission to accelerate Phoenix’s position as the most accessible large market startup ecosystem in the country.
We sat down with Chris to discuss his transition from his role at GPEC and the legacy he is leaving behind. Read the exclusive Q&A on our website.
Waitlist is Open!
The 4th Tech Talent Summit and Startup World Cup AZ is coming November 6–7, 2025.
Phoenix is hosting the next wave of innovation at the 4th Tech Talent Summit, a two-day experience focused on software, AI, capital, and workforce development. Our mission to connect innovation to opportunity.
Day 1 is all about tech talent—featuring a modern career fair with top startups and enterprise companies ready to hire, alongside panels and sessions on the future of work, global talent, and upskilling.
Day 2 focuses on capital and company-building, with tactical sessions for founders, active investors, and the Startup World Cup pitch competition—where one Arizona company will advance to SF for a shot at $1M.
Join the waitlist to grab a spot at first access to pre-sale tickets and program updates!
🎤 Speakers Announcements
Jack Selby, Mona Das, Jenna Wyer, Russ Shaw and more to come!
Jack Selby
Jack Selby is the Founder and Managing Partner of AZ-VC. He is also the managing director at Peter Thiel’s family office, Thiel Capital, in Los Angeles, California. Jack co-founded, along with Peter, Clarium Capital Management, a macro hedge fund, after selling PayPal to eBay in October 2002. At PayPal, Jack joined as an original employee and later served as a Corporate Officer/Senior Vice President, overseeing the company’s international and corporate operations.
As an active technology investor and advisor, Jack is involved with notable companies such as SpaceX, Palantir, Affirm, Myeloid Therapeutics, Kisbee Therapeutics, Resonance Medicine, Paradox, and many more.
Mona Das
Mona Das is a former Washington State Senator, living in Arizona on a mission to dismantle barriers, drive systemic change, and amplify underrepresented voices. From pioneering environmental policies to empowering women of color in leadership, she champions equity, sustainability, and bold action. Through storytelling, advocacy, and mentorship, Mona inspires others to use their voice and their choice to challenge the status quo and create lasting impact in their communities and beyond.
Jenna Wyer
Jenna Wyer is a seasoned fintech leader and serial founder with deep roots in high-growth payments companies. She built startups that led to 4 acquisitions. Jenna was on the founding teams at Venmo and Braintree (acquired by PayPal for $800M), and later played an executive role at top payments platforms including Recurly, Lifelock, and Thunes, where she served as Senior VP & GM for the Americas. Today, she advises multiple fintech startups and accelerates women-led entrepreneurial and creative endeavors through her initiative, Bank on Jenna, which bridges her passions for tech, wellness, and storytelling. She currently works as an advisor to the CEO at NAVI Nurses.
At the Tech Talent Summit, Jenna brings her experience from multiple successful exits and global payments strategy to lead discussions around software innovation, scaling teams, and making space for creativity and wellness in tech.
Russ Shaw
Russ Shaw, CBE, is the founder of Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates (est. 2015). Under his leadership, Tech London Advocates became a powerful independent voice for the private tech sector in London—successfully championing initiatives like the Chief Digital Officer role and digital jobs on the UK’s Shortage Occupation List and is a Founding Parnter of London Tech Week.
Russ although residing now in the UK is a graduate of Saguaro High School and keenly interested in seeing the Arizona Tech Ecosystem thrive. At the Tech Talent Summit, Russ brings his global ecosystem-building expertise to conversations around scaling tech hubs, unlocking international innovation pipelines, and aligning public–private collaboration for next‑gen talent.
Join the waitlist to get your tickets early! (the last 3 summits were sold out)
Keep an Eye on Intel in the AI Chips Race
by Reid Simpson, REALTOR® & Team Lead GolfCourseHomes.com
Reid Simpson
Intel, with its long-standing Ocotillo campus in Chandler, AZ, has slipped down the ranks for silicon dominance in recent years. Akin to Facebook/Meta in the Fall of 2022, they need to refocus on products that make sense, work through a reduction in force, battle a struggling stock price, and prioritize overall company efficiency.
New CEO Lip-Bu Tan is addressing these changes head-on since taking office end of Q1 2025. They are ramping production of the 18A node while pushing for their largest innovation improvement for 14A. Comparing specs, this could be on par with TSMC, but will they be able to keep pace? TSMC just announced that they will be speeding up by “several quarters” in Arizona.
Both companies are investing heavily in infrastructure, and while TSMC is starting from scratch, Intel has a chance to leverage its established hub. Phoenix is quickly becoming the preeminent semiconductor ground for the US, and will host SEMICON October 7-9, 2025, at the PHX Convention Center.
💸 35 Funding Rounds in 2025 💸
Massive shout out to GT Medical, EvolvedMD, ALTR, Supersede on the recent rounds closed!
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