5 ms·

Phoenix is often not included when discussing tech cities, and I think it's a shame. I've lived here my entire life and have seen the startup and tech scenes ev

Phoenix is often not included when discussing tech cities, and I think it's a shame. I've lived here my entire life and have seen the startup and tech scenes evolve and mature having started 2 companies here. Just in the past few years, the number of quality startups and investments have soared and I believe we're at the inflection point that will make Phoenix equitable to SV. We have a low cost of living, affordable housing (I bought my first house at 21 and I wasn't rich) and the weather is amazing. If you ever check out Phoenix, I'm happy to show you around. Edit: It's even an easy transition. We also call this the valley (of the sun)!

Racsoo 11y ago
+1 Phoenix. Been in Arizona my whole life too & choose to stay here, although South America is the favorite place to travel. Sub $600 rent in a big house & low cost of living is awesome! These last few years the tech & startup scene seems to also have been picking up (investors/state & university involvement/conferences/meetups/tech in general) as a community. The support from some the bigger companies co-locating their office spaces here also seems to be a reoccurring theme.
thesusanmarie 11y ago
Agreed - for being the 6th largest city in the nation, Phoenix and the surrounding metro area ("the valley") is often overlooked and people are very pleasantly surprised when they actually experience it in person. Our cost of living is extremely attractive and the quality of life is amazing. The geographic diversity is incredible - you can drive two hours north to ski, there are several large natural lakes just outside the metro area, and the hiking is amazing. I work in a high-rise downtown and can be hiking Camelback Mountain or the Phoenix Mountain Preserve in 10 minutes. The downtown areas in Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale have great restaurant and nightlife scenes all with slightly different styles. The startup ecosystem here is growing rapidly and is known specifically for its inclusiveness. There are many resources for entrepreneurs, including the country's second largest business plan competition ($3 million in grants awarded 2x per year) and a pitch competition that now awards $300,000 per year to the top four finalists. Additional info available here: http://www.azcommerce.com/start-up http://www.azcommerce.com/start-up
jseliger 11y ago
Phoenix is often not included when discussing tech cities, and I think it's a shame I've spent time in Phoenix. It's the land of enormous roads and parking lots. It's almost impossible to get anywhere without a car. Traffic is horrendous all the time. There is barely a functioning downtown. The urban layout isn't conducive to the density necessary to really sustain light rail. Yes, I know about the line that goes from downtown to the airport to Tempe, and yes, it is better than nothing. The cost of living is low, but people prefer Austin to Phoenix or Dallas because Austin has some there, there. It is striking to me how much Phoenix does not resemble the ideal startup town Paul Graham describes in "Can you buy a Silicon Valley?" (http://www.paulgraham.com/maybe.html http://www.paulgraham.com/maybe.html): It will be easier in proportion to how much your town resembles San Francisco. Do you have good weather? Do people live downtown, or have they abandoned the center for the suburbs? Would the city be described as "hip" and "tolerant," or as reflecting "traditional values?" Are there good universities nearby? Are there walkable neighborhoods? Would nerds feel at home? If you answered yes to all these questions, you might be able not only to pull off this scheme, but to do it for less than a million per startup. Phoenix reflects "traditional values," as the horrific, racist elected sherrif demonstrates: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio, and it has few walkable neighborhoods.
- thesusanmarie 11y ago
  Of course Phoenix doesn't resemble Silicon Valley or SF and I think its important to note that we don't intend to try and replicate or be that - no market can. The Phoenix MSA is indeed car-centric and that's not going to change a great deal. However, the downtown areas are beginning to develop into more true urban centers: http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/business/2016/02/getting-the-vibe-living-in-valley-urban-cores.html http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/business/2016/02/get... http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/techflash/2016/02/another-silicon-vally-tech-company-coming-to.html http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/techflash/2016/02/an... Unfortunately the Maricopa County sheriff is often in the headlines, but those of us who live here can speak to the diversity and inclusiveness. The business community strongly supports this, particularly through initiatives such as ONE Community: http://www.onecommunity.co/arizona/phoenix/news/openaz-unity-pledge-turns-three-one-community-offers-complimentary-listings-178 http://www.onecommunity.co/arizona/phoenix/news/openaz-unity...
brentbrooks 11y ago
Agreed, Phoenix is the way to go. My wife and I moved here from Chicago and everything is cheaper. The tax environment is very business friendly, cost of living is much lower, and the people are friendlier. Not to mention the influx of startups and VC money that has been flowing in. I believe Scottsdale was recently named the best place for Startups outside of Silicon Valley.
Phillysteak 11y ago
+1 for Arizona. I was born and raised on Long Island NY, worked at companies both on the Island and in NYC (Ranging from large corps to startups). I moved out to Arizona a few years ago and haven't looked back. I started my company just over a year ago, the investor scene in Arizona does currently suck unless you are in Real Estate or SAAS; but there are some large players doing their best to support Hardware startups. The article "Arizona breeds workhorses" is a great way to sum the ecosystem up, if you have the tenacity and thick skin to forge forward you will find Arizona a fantastic place to start a company. Arizona has felt like home since day 1.
runT1ME 11y ago
I love Arizona. Never lived there, but great place to visit. However, even with significantly cheaper housing, I still don't come out ahead if I moved there considering the salary differences. I suppose it would work out ok for now since i'm 80% remote, but none the less the job prospects are not good if I decided to change. :-/ Maybe one day they'll have a bullet train to LA...
vyrotek 11y ago
I grew up in Phoenix and loved it. I ended up moving to Utah for school and stayed there for 10 years but we finally got sick of the snow and decided it was time to move our family back. Schools and housing are great and you don't need to shovel sunshine! Of course, I wish the tech scene was better. But I'm making an active effort to seek out the local dev meetups and contribute to the community.

Racsoo 11y ago

+1 Phoenix. Been in Arizona my whole life too & choose to stay here, although South America is the favorite place to travel. Sub $600 rent in a big house & low cost of living is awesome! These last few years the tech & startup scene seems to also have been picking up (investors/state & university involvement/conferences/meetups/tech in general) as a community. The support from some the bigger companies co-locating their office spaces here also seems to be a reoccurring theme.

thesusanmarie 11y ago

Agreed - for being the 6th largest city in the nation, Phoenix and the surrounding metro area ("the valley") is often overlooked and people are very pleasantly surprised when they actually experience it in person. Our cost of living is extremely attractive and the quality of life is amazing. The geographic diversity is incredible - you can drive two hours north to ski, there are several large natural lakes just outside the metro area, and the hiking is amazing. I work in a high-rise downtown and can be hiking Camelback Mountain or the Phoenix Mountain Preserve in 10 minutes. The downtown areas in Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale have great restaurant and nightlife scenes all with slightly different styles. The startup ecosystem here is growing rapidly and is known specifically for its inclusiveness. There are many resources for entrepreneurs, including the country's second largest business plan competition ($3 million in grants awarded 2x per year) and a pitch competition that now awards $300,000 per year to the top four finalists. Additional info available here: http://www.azcommerce.com/start-up http://www.azcommerce.com/start-up

jseliger 11y ago

Phoenix is often not included when discussing tech cities, and I think it's a shame I've spent time in Phoenix. It's the land of enormous roads and parking lots. It's almost impossible to get anywhere without a car. Traffic is horrendous all the time. There is barely a functioning downtown. The urban layout isn't conducive to the density necessary to really sustain light rail. Yes, I know about the line that goes from downtown to the airport to Tempe, and yes, it is better than nothing. The cost of living is low, but people prefer Austin to Phoenix or Dallas because Austin has some there, there. It is striking to me how much Phoenix does not resemble the ideal startup town Paul Graham describes in "Can you buy a Silicon Valley?" (http://www.paulgraham.com/maybe.html http://www.paulgraham.com/maybe.html): It will be easier in proportion to how much your town resembles San Francisco. Do you have good weather? Do people live downtown, or have they abandoned the center for the suburbs? Would the city be described as "hip" and "tolerant," or as reflecting "traditional values?" Are there good universities nearby? Are there walkable neighborhoods? Would nerds feel at home? If you answered yes to all these questions, you might be able not only to pull off this scheme, but to do it for less than a million per startup. Phoenix reflects "traditional values," as the horrific, racist elected sherrif demonstrates: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio, and it has few walkable neighborhoods.

thesusanmarie 11y ago
Of course Phoenix doesn't resemble Silicon Valley or SF and I think its important to note that we don't intend to try and replicate or be that - no market can. The Phoenix MSA is indeed car-centric and that's not going to change a great deal. However, the downtown areas are beginning to develop into more true urban centers: http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/business/2016/02/getting-the-vibe-living-in-valley-urban-cores.html http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/business/2016/02/get... http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/techflash/2016/02/another-silicon-vally-tech-company-coming-to.html http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/techflash/2016/02/an... Unfortunately the Maricopa County sheriff is often in the headlines, but those of us who live here can speak to the diversity and inclusiveness. The business community strongly supports this, particularly through initiatives such as ONE Community: http://www.onecommunity.co/arizona/phoenix/news/openaz-unity-pledge-turns-three-one-community-offers-complimentary-listings-178 http://www.onecommunity.co/arizona/phoenix/news/openaz-unity...

brentbrooks 11y ago

Agreed, Phoenix is the way to go. My wife and I moved here from Chicago and everything is cheaper. The tax environment is very business friendly, cost of living is much lower, and the people are friendlier. Not to mention the influx of startups and VC money that has been flowing in. I believe Scottsdale was recently named the best place for Startups outside of Silicon Valley.

Phillysteak 11y ago

+1 for Arizona. I was born and raised on Long Island NY, worked at companies both on the Island and in NYC (Ranging from large corps to startups). I moved out to Arizona a few years ago and haven't looked back. I started my company just over a year ago, the investor scene in Arizona does currently suck unless you are in Real Estate or SAAS; but there are some large players doing their best to support Hardware startups. The article "Arizona breeds workhorses" is a great way to sum the ecosystem up, if you have the tenacity and thick skin to forge forward you will find Arizona a fantastic place to start a company. Arizona has felt like home since day 1.

runT1ME 11y ago

I love Arizona. Never lived there, but great place to visit. However, even with significantly cheaper housing, I still don't come out ahead if I moved there considering the salary differences. I suppose it would work out ok for now since i'm 80% remote, but none the less the job prospects are not good if I decided to change. :-/ Maybe one day they'll have a bullet train to LA...

vyrotek 11y ago

I grew up in Phoenix and loved it. I ended up moving to Utah for school and stayed there for 10 years but we finally got sick of the snow and decided it was time to move our family back. Schools and housing are great and you don't need to shovel sunshine! Of course, I wish the tech scene was better. But I'm making an active effort to seek out the local dev meetups and contribute to the community.