Great article!

Phoenix is an awesome place for start-ups, mid-range companies (less than 1,500 employees), and large global enterprises. We have over 3M residents and (outside of the 5 months of 110+ degree summers) beautiful weather year-round. Don’t forget the ski slopes just 2 hours north of us plus a world wonder (the Grand Canyon) as well.

I see two problems:

1. Phoenix is too spread out geographically. You can no longer tell where Phoenix ends and Scottsdale of Glendale starts. Commute time is starting to feel like a little LA. Impromptu business meetings and events require planning.

2. Venture capital is limited and mostly occupied by Angel investors that don’t understand technology. If they do get the technology, they are too short-sighted to see long-term vision and invest appropriately.

Many other cities have similar problems. (Not all but most.) I’m not sure we can solve the first problem but the second one seems simple. In my opinion, we have yet to have a true success story (start-up) come from Phoenix. I believe that’s what it will take to change the Angel community.

Cheers,
Chris Matthieu