At-a-Glance
GROW is a small, invitation-based membership for founders who are already building or operating a venture and are ready for deeper accountability, mentorship, and peer community as they scale.
Unlike a structured curriculum, GROW is shaped around the goals, challenges, and relationships that help active founders continue making progress.
STAGE:
You are actively building or operating a venture and have moved beyond initial exploration.
FORMAT:
Annual membership with peer support, strategic check-ins, mentor engagement, workshops, and community experiences
DURATION:
12 Months (optional renewal)
COST:
$450 for the first year; $150 annual renewal for continuing members
ENROLLMENT
By invitation, with new-member onboarding twice each year
What's Included
Goal Setting & Strategic Check-Ins
Begin with a goal-setting and roadmap conversation with the Startup Tucson team. Quarterly check-ins help you reflect on progress, work through current challenges, and identify your next priorities.
Peer Support
Connect regularly with founders at a similar stage to exchange perspective, share challenges, and hold one another accountable.
Mentor Engagement
Access several ways to learn from Startup Tucson's Mentor Network, including:
-
Focused subject-matter connections for specific questions
-
Extended mentor engagements centered on a specific goal
-
AMA-style conversations with topical experts
Workshops & Founder Experiences
Participate in specialty workshops, discussions, and other learning experiences designed around the needs of active founders.
Community Benefits
Build deeper relationships through GROW gatherings and receive discounted access to selected Startup Tucson events, including TENWEST.
Launch Lab Access
Qualifying members may access Launch Lab tools and spaces for appropriate projects, subject to availability, equipment knowledge, and applicable rules.
What You'll Gain
GROW is not about completing another curriculum. It is about having the relationships, accountability, and perspective needed to navigate more complex stages of building a venture.
As a GROW member, you can expect to gain:
-
Greater clarity around your goals and priorities
-
Consistent accountability for making progress
-
Trusted relationships with founders who understand the work
-
Access to mentors and experts when targeted perspective could help
-
A stronger connection to Southern Arizona's entrepreneurial community
-
Greater confidence navigating strategic decisions as your venture develops
Built for More Than One Kind of Founder
GROW supports founders building innovative ventures across many industries and business models—including creative businesses, products, services, food and beverage ventures, community-rooted businesses, and technology startups.
Innovation does not have to mean developing new technology. It may mean serving a customer differently, introducing a new model, creating something the community has not had before, or building an existing type of business with greater potential to grow.
What matters is that you are actively building, learning, and making progress.
Who GROW Is For
You'll get the most from GROW if you:
-
Are actively building or operating a specific venture
-
Can clearly explain what you're building, who it serves, and what you're working through now
-
Have evidence of action or traction, such as customers, revenue, pilots, partnerships, consistent testing, or other meaningful progress
-
Are seeking support around specific strategic challenges rather than foundational startup instruction
-
Value accountability, candid feedback, and peer learning
-
Are willing to contribute perspective and support to other founders
-
Intend to strengthen, formalize, expand, hire, pursue capital, or otherwise create room for growth
"“We created GROW to meet Tucson’s founders where they are — creative, resourceful, and ready for what’s next. It’s a way to help them strengthen their businesses while staying rooted in the community that makes them unique.”
— Liz Pocock, CEO, Startup Tucson"
Looking for Something Different?
Still exploring an idea?
Start with Startup 101, our free, self-guided experience for evaluating a venture and identifying your next step.
Ready to build but still strengthening the fundamentals?
BUILD offers a guided, self-paced curriculum for understanding your customer, testing your offer, and creating a stronger business foundation.
Looking primarily for ongoing one-on-one consulting or traditional business planning?
Explore our Founder Resources for organizations that may be better positioned to help.
Why GROW Is Invitation-Based
GROW is a small, collaborative membership. Its value depends not only on what each founder receives, but also on what members contribute to the community.
Startup Tucson gets to know prospective members through programs, events, IdeaFunding, referrals, mentor connections, and direct conversations. When we already know a founder and see a strong fit, we may invite them directly.
We also recognize that qualified founders may discover Startup Tucson for the first time through this website. The GROW Interest Form gives those founders a way to introduce themselves and share what they're building.
New-member onboarding takes place twice each year. Submitting an Interest Form does not guarantee an invitation or immediate entry.
How It Works
1. Express Interest—or Connect With Us Along the Way
Some founders are invited through an existing relationship with Startup Tucson. Others begin by completing the GROW Interest Form.
2. Get to Know One Another
When GROW appears to be a possible fit, we'll learn more about your venture, goals, progress, and the kind of support you're seeking.
3. Receive an Invitation
Invitations are extended twice each year based on overall readiness, fit, and the founder's ability to contribute to and benefit from the community.
4. Join GROW
Invited founders confirm their participation and complete the $450 first-year membership payment.
5. Build Your Roadmap
Begin with goal setting and onboarding, then participate in peer support, mentor opportunities, workshops, check-ins, and community experiences throughout the year.
