TUCSON, Ariz. — TENWEST Festival will return to downtown Tucson March 30–April 2, 2027, with a new three-year title sponsorship from Vantage West Credit Union, Taskrabbit founder and investor Leah Solivan as keynote speaker, and expanded programming for founders, creatives and innovators. Hosted by Startup Tucson, TENWEST brings together founders, creatives, leaders and community builders who are shaping their own paths and the future of their communities. TENWEST 2027 will c

Startup Tucson is excited to welcome OneAZ Credit Union as the presenting sponsor and local official financial partner of Startup SIPS for 2026–2027. Startup SIPS is Startup Tucson's monthly community coffee meetup, designed to make it easy for anyone interested in entrepreneurship to connect with Southern Arizona's startup community. Held at local coffee shops throughout the Tucson area, SIPS brings together entrepreneurs, creatives, remote workers, and community members for

March 30, 2026 (Tucson, Ariz, )— On March 26, Southern Arizona’s largest and longest continuously running pitch competition, IdeaFunding, awarded over $50,000 to Arizona-based startups. Co-led by Startup Tucson and the University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI), this year’s competition featured two distinct tracks designed to support a broader range of innovators: the Creative and Innovation Community Track, sponsored by Arizona Arts, and the Tech Track, sponsored by

January 9, 2026 (Tucson, Ariz.) - A flagship event of TENWEST, IdeaFunding continues to give early-stage companies across Arizona the opportunity to gain mentorship and pitch training and to compete for cash prizes and awards. Applications are now open for businesses across the state to join the competition, including a chance to pitch to Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine, who will be one of the Main Stage Showcase judges. IdeaFunding is co-led by Startup

Startup Tucson is proud to announce it has been selected as one of three recipients of the OneAZ Community Foundation’s prestigious Legacy Grant. The $50,000 grant will directly support the expansion of Startup Tucson’s Learn-Build-Grow pipeline and introduce some new programming this Fall.

April 4, 2025 (Tucson, Ariz,)— IdeaFunding, co-led by Startup Tucson and the University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI), has...

Applications for the 2025 IdeaFunding pitch competition are now live.

TENWEST, is set to return to Downtown Tucson across various unique venues from March 25-30, 2025

Read the full article here Showcase event highlights startups Startup Tucson held its biannual Startup Showcase Nov. 14 to highlight businesses that have participated in its Pre-Accelerator Program and to provide the community with an opportunity to get to know them. Sixteen businesses participated in the Pre-Accelerator event, ranging from service companies to food products and creative arts. Several of the startups showed off their goods and services to family, friends and

This year, we've put together a Holiday Shopping Guide to help you find the perfect gifts while making an impact on our local economy.

The U.S. Small Business Administration named Startup Tucson a Stage Two winner for the 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition.

At Startup Tucson, we were honored to host Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs for a pivotal round table discussion that brought together key...

Read the full article here WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced the winners of the 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) Stage Two, a pivotal initiative designed to bolster small businesses and startups in STEM and research and development (R&D). Forty-four accelerator partnerships have been awarded between $50,000 and $150,000, supporting crucial sectors such as national and economic security, domestic manufacturing, and sus

We're thrilled to announce that Startup Tucson, in collaboration with the University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) and other partners, has won Stage Two of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition! This award recognizes our commitment to fostering equitable access to entrepreneurship and boosting Southern Arizona’s AgTech and Food Ecosystem through the FEAST initiative. Celebrating Our Partnerships Our success in this competi

As we wrap up another fiscal year at Startup Tucson, we're thrilled to share our 2023-2024 Annual Impact Report, which paints a vivid pictur

Startup Tucson's Pre-Accelerator Program is designed to support early stage entrepreneurs as you work to build your company, covering topics like business planning, financials, marketing and more. This program builds on the prior success of Food Forward and Canvas and is now open to all industries! If selected, you will join a cohort including up to 30 other founders from Southern Arizona that share your goal of building a thriving venture. By joining this program, you will n

Startup Tucson is thrilled to announce a partnership with SCORE Southern Arizona and the Center for Healthy Nonprofits, offering community support and resources to entrepreneurs looking to launch nonprofits. We are kicking off this partnership with a peer support group on August 28th for early-stage nonprofits consisting of individuals and organizations at a similar stage of development, aiming to support each other in navigating the challenges of establishing and growing the

Revolute Robotics has reached a remarkable milestone, showcasing their cutting-edge technology at the prestigious Amazon MARS 2024 event.

Read the full article here Startup Tucson: Startup Tucson has named the winners of its sixth accelerator showcase. Twenty-one Tucson...

Read the full article here “Our Spring 2024 showcase was one for the books! We laughed, we cried, we ate yummy samples, and were creatively inspired.” Earlier this month, Startup Tucson held its sixth accelerator showcase where 21 local entrepreneurs working in the creative and food industries showed off their products to the local Tucson Business ecosystem. Plus, more than $3,500 was given in prize money to six winning graduates! In total, there were 14 creative companies