Venture Cafe Phoenix an Extraordinary Podcast

Venture Cafe Phoenix Powered by CEI
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Entrepreneurship

Arizona is one of the fastest-growing hubs for entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic opportunity in the country. But ecosystems aren't built by companies alone. They are shaped by the founders launching new ventures, the investors fueling growth, the educators developing talent, the community leaders creating connections, and the organizations working behind the scenes to make innovation possible. Venture Cafe Phoenix: An Extraordinary Podcast explores the people, stories, and relationships shaping Arizona's innovation ecosystem. Hosted by Alex Koupal, each episode features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, executives, researchers, policymakers, ecosystem builders, and changemakers who are helping define what's next for Phoenix and Arizona. Whether you're building a company, growing your network, looking for opportunities, or simply curious about the future of innovation in Arizona, this podcast offers a front-row seat to the conversations driving the ecosystem forward. Powered by CEI (Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation), Legacy Sponsor the City of Phoenix and produced by Extraordinary. Join us every week as we explore the ideas, partnerships, and people making Arizona a place to build.

  1. 3d ago

    Erik Schlesinger: Who Takes Over Main Street When the Owners Leave?

    Erik Schlesinger is the founder and CEO of Build Scale Prosper, where he works with business owners, operators, buyers, and investors to strengthen companies and prepare them for what comes next. His focus has increasingly turned toward a problem with major implications for Arizona: millions of small-business owners are approaching transitions, while the restaurants, contractors, manufacturers, service companies, and other Main Street businesses they built remain essential to growing communities. Erik’s perspective was shaped by more than two decades in capital markets and trading technology, including navigating the dot-com downturn and the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Those experiences taught him how businesses respond to disruption, risk, and periods of profound change. Today, he applies those lessons to succession: helping owners understand their options before a health issue, burnout, or unexpected event forces the decision for them. The conversation explores why exit planning is really long-term business planning, how owner dependence and customer concentration can make companies harder to transfer, and why acquisitions, employee ownership, outside investment, and creative combinations of smaller businesses can open new paths forward. For Arizona, that challenge is especially timely. Rapid growth in sectors such as semiconductors is creating enormous opportunity while also putting pressure on the workforce and businesses that keep communities functioning. Erik sees an opportunity for Arizona to preserve those companies, develop the next generation of business leaders, bring more investors into the ecosystem, and make the innovation already happening here easier for the rest of the country to see. What You'll LearnWhy small-business succession is becoming an economic and community issue, not simply a retirement issueWhy owners should begin thinking about their end game years before they intend to leaveHow reducing owner dependence can improve both quality of life and enterprise valueWhy customer concentration and key-person risk matter to potential buyersHow acquisitions can help smaller companies grow and become more valuableWhy combining similar businesses can create opportunities that may not exist for each company individuallyHow employee ownership, outside investment, and professional management can create alternatives to a traditional saleWhy connecting experienced owners, emerging operators, and patient investors could strengthen Arizona’s business ecosystemWhy Erik believes Arizona needs more investors regularly participating in the innovation communityHow Arizona’s semiconductor and photonics expertise could contribute to emerging approaches to AI computingAbout Erik SchlesingerErik Schlesinger is the founder and CEO of Build Scale Prosper, a business advisory firm helping owners prepare for transitions, operators grow through acquisition, and investors identify overlooked opportunities. After more than two decades working in capital markets, trading, and financial technology, he is applying his experience navigating business disruption to the Main Street succession challenge while also participating in emerging technology ventures involving AI, photonics, and neuromorphic computing. About Venture Cafe PhoenixVenture Cafe Phoenix: An Extraordinary Podcast explores the people, stories, and relationships shaping Arizona's innovation ecosystem. Hosted by Alex Koupal, the podcast features conversations with founders, innovators, investors, educators, executives, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders working to make Arizona a place where ideas grow, businesses thrive, and meaningful connections happen. Powered by CEI (Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation), Legacy Sponsor the City of Phoenix, and produced by Extraordinary.

  2. Oct 8

    Greg Barr: Why Phoenix’s Startup Scene Is Finding Its Own Momentum

    Phoenix’s startup story is changing, and Greg Barr has been watching that shift from the front row. As a longtime Phoenix Business Journal journalist and community connector, he has seen the Valley move from asking what it could become to building the conditions for founders, investors, and operators to create lasting momentum. Greg discusses what has changed in Phoenix’s ecosystem over the past eight years, why startup funding stories are becoming more common, and how organizations such as Venture Cafe and Arizona Tech Week are helping reduce the silos that can slow growth. He also explains what makes a startup story worth covering, why permits matter more than photo opportunities, and how Phoenix might keep more of its talent and capital working locally.  The deeper question is whether Phoenix will try to imitate another technology hub or develop an identity of its own. For Greg, the opportunity lies in building a stronger network around the city’s existing strengths while addressing challenges such as affordability, reinvestment, and collaboration. Greg also reflects on the creative side of his life, including his work as a bass player in Audio Overdrive, and on what comes next as he approaches retirement from the newsroom. What You’ll Learn • What makes a startup story strong enough to attract media attention  • How Phoenix’s founder, investor, and job-growth momentum has changed  • Which gaps still limit the Valley’s startup ecosystem  • Why local exits and reinvestment could shape Phoenix’s next decade  • How angel networks and community organizations support founders  • Why Phoenix should build its own identity rather than imitate Silicon Valley  • How journalism and music have shaped Greg Barr’s perspective About Greg Barr Greg Barr is a longtime Phoenix Business Journal journalist and community connector who has followed the Valley’s business and startup ecosystem for years. He is also a bass player in Audio Overdrive. About Venture Cafe Phoenix Venture Cafe Phoenix: An Extraordinary Podcast explores the people, stories, and relationships shaping Arizona's innovation ecosystem. Hosted by Alex Koupal, the podcast features conversations with founders, innovators, investors, educators, executives, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders working to make Arizona a place where ideas grow, businesses thrive, and meaningful connections happen. Powered by CEI (Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation), Legacy Sponsor the City of Phoenix, and produced by Extraordinary.

  3. Oct 1

    Kyle Jardine: Why Arizona’s Innovation Ecosystem Runs on Trust

    Kyle Jardine came to Phoenix in 2019 knowing little about the city’s bioscience sector or entrepreneurial ecosystem. Today, as Regional Executive for Wexford Science + Technology, he helps develop the physical spaces, partnerships, and “knowledge communities” where researchers, startups, institutions, and entrepreneurs can collide. In this special edition hosted by Forbes Shannon, Kyle explains why the real work goes far beyond putting up buildings: it’s creating the conditions for people and ideas to grow together. That philosophy has helped shape the Phoenix Bioscience Core and Venture Cafe Phoenix itself. Kyle remembers the skepticism that surrounded Venture Cafe in its early days, the disruption of COVID, and why Phoenix ultimately proved there was a real need for a consistent place where relationships could deepen week after week. What began with a building that was little more than “a big hole in the ground” is now surrounded by expanding research, medical, and innovation infrastructure. The conversation also gets practical about what makes an ecosystem work. Kyle shares how he built a Phoenix network strong enough that he says he can reach almost anyone in two phone calls, why he protects that network carefully, and the simple LinkedIn test he uses before making introductions. His larger point is equally useful for founders and community builders: meaningful connections are built through trust, follow-through, curiosity, and time—not transactions. Kyle’s story is also a snapshot of Phoenix’s evolution. He arrived unsure whether the ecosystem had enough depth; years later, he describes Phoenix as one of Wexford’s strongest markets and points to a culture of collaboration and information-sharing that distinguishes Arizona from places where relationships are kept closer to the vest. What You'll Learn• Why innovation districts need community infrastructure, not just buildings • How consistency turns networking events into durable relationships • Why Kyle believes trust is the real currency of a strong professional network • How Wexford, ASU, the City of Phoenix, CEI, and other partners helped create the conditions for Venture Cafe Phoenix • What Phoenix’s growing research activity means for startups, intellectual property, and commercialization • How to enter a new ecosystem when you don’t know anyone yet • Kyle’s method for deciding when—and when not—to make an introduction • Why good referrals require protecting other people’s time and your own reputation • How leaders can create impact by supporting others rather than seeking the spotlight • Why Kyle sees collaboration and openness as important strengths of Arizona’s innovation community About Kyle JardineKyle Jardine is Regional Executive for Wexford Science + Technology and Vice Chair of the Phoenix Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee. His work sits at the intersection of real estate, life sciences, entrepreneurship, and community building, helping create the spaces and relationships that connect researchers, startups, universities, civic institutions, and innovators across Arizona’s bioscience ecosystem. About Venture Cafe PhoenixVenture Cafe Phoenix: An Extraordinary Podcast explores the people, stories, and relationships shaping Arizona's innovation ecosystem. Hosted by Alex Koupal, the podcast features conversations with founders, innovators, investors, educators, executives, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders working to make Arizona a place where ideas grow, businesses thrive, and meaningful connections happen. Powered by CEI (Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation), Legacy Sponsor the City of Phoenix, and produced by Extraordinary.

  4. Sep 24

    Kentarou Siejak: What Happens When Students Stop Thinking Small?

    At 19, Kentarou Siejak is already testing what can happen when students are given real responsibility instead of simulated experience. As president of Elevate at ASU, organizer of TEDx ASU, and a Venture Cafe Phoenix ambassador, he is building opportunities for students to work on ambitious projects, develop professional relationships, raise capital, and learn by actually doing the work. That approach was tested early. When TEDx ASU lost its venue with only three weeks remaining, Kentarou and his team had to rebuild sponsorships, secure a new location, and begin marketing almost from scratch. The resulting event brought together hundreds of attendees and a team of roughly 80 students—an experience Kentarou now sees as training for much bigger projects ahead. Throughout the conversation, Kentarou returns to one skill: resourcefulness. Whether he is finding sponsors, connecting experts, building partnerships, or helping students find mentors, his instinct is to ask who needs to be in the room and how to reach them. His larger goal for Elevate isn't simply helping students build résumés. It's helping them develop enough confidence, experience, and relationships to eventually build things of their own. For Arizona's innovation ecosystem, Kentarou represents something worth paying attention to: a generation of students who don't necessarily want to wait until graduation to participate. His vision stretches from Arizona campuses to global—and even interplanetary—problems, but the starting point remains local: give young people meaningful work, connect them with people who can help, and create enough momentum for them to eventually create opportunities for others. What You'll Learn• Why Kentarou believes resourcefulness is one of the most important skills for innovation • How the TEDx ASU team responded when its venue disappeared three weeks before the event • How students can turn college organizations into laboratories for real-world experience • Kentarou's approach to sponsorships, partnerships, and aligning incentives • Why understanding psychology and sociology can make someone a better salesperson and leader • How mentors can expand what young entrepreneurs and innovators believe is possible • Why Kentarou wants students to eventually leave Elevate and build something of their own • What changes when leaders begin planning in decades—or even centuries—instead of quarters About Kentarou SiejakKentarou Siejak is an Arizona State University student, president of Elevate at ASU, organizer of TEDx ASU, keynote speaker, and ambassador for Venture Cafe Phoenix. His work centers on connecting students with real-world projects, mentors, partnerships, and opportunities that allow them to develop as builders and leaders while they are still in school. About Venture Cafe PhoenixVenture Cafe Phoenix: An Extraordinary Podcast explores the people, stories, and relationships shaping Arizona's innovation ecosystem. Hosted by Alex Koupal, the podcast features conversations with founders, innovators, investors, educators, executives, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders working to make Arizona a place where ideas grow, businesses thrive, and meaningful connections happen. Powered by CEI (Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation), Legacy Sponsor the City of Phoenix, and produced by Extraordinary.

  5. Sep 17

    Whitney Slightham: Building Medtech Through Arizona’s Network

    Whitney Slightham didn’t set out to become a medical device founder. After more than 16 years working in science and technical communications, she moved to Flagstaff, built a practice serving life sciences companies, and became immersed in Arizona’s medtech community. Then her surgeon husband came home with an idea for helping reinflate collapsed lung segments in ventilated patients. A year later, that idea has become Ateleva, Inc., a medical device startup with patents pending and a growing network of physicians, engineers, manufacturers, and advisors behind it. For Whitney, the problem is also personal. Her father spent significant time on a ventilator while she was his primary caregiver, and her son spent time in the ICU as a baby. Those experiences shape how she thinks about the people behind the technology—the patients, families, physicians, and hospitals trying to navigate some of the most difficult moments in healthcare. This conversation is also a practical look at what it takes to build a medtech company when there is no simple roadmap. Whitney shares the realities of bootstrapping, early-stage funding, regulatory complexity, physician interviews, market validation, and the danger of developing a technically successful product without first understanding whether hospitals and clinicians will actually adopt it. Her journey reveals something larger about Arizona’s innovation ecosystem. From Flagstaff manufacturers and former Gore Medical experts to FemTech AZ, Venture Cafe Phoenix, engineering groups, advisors, and healthcare leaders across the state, Whitney has built Ateleva, Inc. by connecting expertise that already exists here. Her experience is a reminder that innovation rarely happens in isolation—and that sometimes the most valuable infrastructure an ecosystem can provide is helping the right people find one another. What You'll Learn• Why Whitney moved from science communications into medical device entrepreneurship • How a respiratory device concept went from a sketch on a toddler’s chalkboard to a medtech startup • Why personal experiences with the ICU influence Whitney’s approach to healthcare innovation • The funding and regulatory challenges facing early-stage medical device companies • Why Whitney prioritizes physician interviews and market validation before commercialization • How Arizona manufacturers, engineers, healthcare experts, and advisors have helped accelerate Ateleva, Inc. • Why founders move faster when they build relationships outside their immediate circles • How communities like FemTech AZ and Venture Cafe Phoenix create connective tissue across Arizona’s innovation ecosystem About Whitney SlighthamWhitney Slightham is the co-founder of Ateleva, Inc., an Arizona medical device startup developing respiratory solutions designed to address lung collapse and related clinical challenges. Based in Flagstaff, she brings more than 16 years of experience in science and technical communications and is building Ateleva, Inc. through collaboration with physicians, engineers, manufacturers, advisors, and medtech leaders across Arizona. About Venture Cafe PhoenixVenture Cafe Phoenix: An Extraordinary Podcast explores the people, stories, and relationships shaping Arizona's innovation ecosystem. Hosted by Alex Koupal, the podcast features conversations with founders, innovators, investors, educators, executives, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders working to make Arizona a place where ideas grow, businesses thrive, and meaningful connections happen. Powered by CEI (Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation), Legacy Sponsor the City of Phoenix, and produced by Extraordinary.

  6. Sep 10

    Aaron Bare: Why Arizona’s Innovation Ecosystem Needs More Super Collaborators

    Episode Description Aaron Bare has spent years helping build the connective tissue behind Arizona’s innovation ecosystem. An entrepreneur, author, technologist, and longtime community builder, Aaron was involved in the early formation of Venture Cafe Phoenix and helped bring together the people, partners, and support needed to turn the idea into a weekly gathering for the region’s entrepreneurial community. In this conversation, Aaron reflects on what happens when leaders stop trying to control everything. His perspective was shaped by both success and failure: after building and selling companies, working across technology and education, and helping launch community initiatives, he came to see leadership less as having all the answers and more as creating the conditions for other people to contribute. Aaron and Alex explore why founders can suffocate organizations by staying too close to every decision, why the people closest to a problem are often best equipped to solve it, and why subtraction can matter more than constantly adding more. They also discuss AI, incentives, intuition, failure, and Aaron’s belief that the next era of technology may actually require people to become more human. At the center of the episode is a lesson that has helped shape Venture Cafe Phoenix itself: strong ecosystems are built by people who give first, create connections, and then get out of the way. For Arizona, that means building more places where entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, students, executives, and unexpected collaborators can keep finding one another. What You'll Learn • Why Aaron believes leaders should make fewer decisions, not more • How founders can empower the people closest to a problem • Why failure can be a better teacher than success • How subtraction and letting go can create room for opportunity • Why Aaron believes incentives shape organizations, communities, and behavior • How AI could push people toward more human forms of work and connection • What Aaron learned from helping launch Venture Cafe Phoenix • Why giving first can completely change the experience of networking • How diverse, recurring communities create unexpected collaboration • Why strong innovation ecosystems depend on people creating platforms others can build upon About Aaron Bare Aaron Bare is an entrepreneur, author, technologist, speaker, and community builder whose work has crossed startups, education, technology, leadership, and ecosystem development. He helped lay the early foundation for Venture Cafe Phoenix and has continued working to create stronger networks, better incentives, and more meaningful collaboration among entrepreneurs and leaders. About Venture Cafe Phoenix Venture Cafe Phoenix: An Extraordinary Podcast explores the people, stories, and relationships shaping Arizona's innovation ecosystem. Hosted by Alex Koupal, the podcast features conversations with founders, innovators, investors, educators, executives, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders working to make Arizona a place where ideas grow, businesses thrive, and meaningful connections happen. Powered by CEI (Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation), Legacy Sponsor the City of Phoenix, and produced by Extraordinary.

  7. Sep 3

    Kathleen Celmins: A Little Bit Brave, a Little Bit Stupid

    Kathleen Celmins is a marketer, technologist, Venture Cafe Phoenix’s marketing director, and the founder of boomp, a platform designed to help local businesses maintain a meaningful digital presence without becoming full-time content creators. Her story also captures something happening across Arizona’s innovation ecosystem: AI is lowering technical barriers and giving people new ways to build ideas they once would have needed significant capital or specialized teams to pursue. Kathleen arrived at Venture Cafe knowing almost nothing about AI automation. One demonstration was enough to send her down a rabbit hole that lasted nearly two years. She taught herself to build software, discovered that a traditional engineering path could cost her $60,000, used AI to keep iterating instead, and eventually learned an important lesson about entrepreneurship: sometimes you have to be “a little bit brave, a little bit stupid” to attempt something you don’t yet know how to do. Venture Cafe later created another unexpected turning point when an IP session caused her to rethink the brand she had already built and ultimately rebrand it as boomp. But this conversation goes beyond software. Kathleen talks about why the best networking isn’t transactional, why founders need other people to help them see the value of what they’re building, and why becoming known inside a community takes more than showing up once. She also shares refreshingly practical advice about self-promotion: stop apologizing for taking up space, follow the threads of what genuinely interests you, and keep showing up even before everything feels finished. Kathleen’s larger mission is distinctly local: helping Arizona businesses compete for attention against franchises and corporations with far greater resources. What You'll LearnHow Kathleen went from seeing a simple AI automation demo to building her own software platformWhy AI is allowing nontraditional technologists to tackle projects that once required significant capital and engineering resourcesWhat an IP conversation at Venture Cafe taught Kathleen about protecting what you buildWhy customer feedback became part of the development process for boompHow automation can eliminate repetitive work and create more room for creativityWhy effective networking is about becoming known, not immediately making a saleHow community can help entrepreneurs recognize strengths and opportunities they struggle to see themselvesAbout Kathleen CelminsKathleen Celmins is the founder of boomp, an AI-powered social media platform built to help local businesses create a consistent digital presence without having to become content creators themselves. She also serves as Marketing Director for Venture Cafe Phoenix, where she applies her experience in marketing, AI, and automation to help more people discover and participate in Arizona’s innovation community. boomp.net About Venture Cafe PhoenixVenture Cafe Phoenix: An Extraordinary Podcast explores the people, stories, and relationships shaping Arizona's innovation ecosystem. Hosted by Alex Koupal, the podcast features conversations with founders, innovators, investors, educators, executives, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders working to make Arizona a place where ideas grow, businesses thrive, and meaningful connections happen. Powered by CEI (Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation), Legacy Sponsor the City of Phoenix, and produced by Extraordinary.

  8. Aug 27

    Rashad Armstrong: Why Innovation Starts With Making People Feel Seen

    Rashad Armstrong is a comedian, professional emcee, and one of the people helping shape the culture of Venture Cafe Phoenix from the inside out. As the voice welcoming people into the room each week, Rashad sees his role as more than entertaining a crowd: he reads the room, helps people find the right connections, and works to make sure newcomers feel safe, included, and closer to whatever brought them there in the first place. His path to that role wasn’t conventional. Rashad came through hospitality, comedy, and a period when he says his “back was against the wall” before deciding to pursue entertainment seriously. That decision eventually expanded into something bigger: building a business, becoming a professional host, and learning how to turn creativity into a career through consistency, professionalism, and a willingness to take risks. But the larger story is about community. Rashad has gone from being mentored inside Venture Cafe to mentoring newer voices himself, helping people strengthen their public speaking and confidence. He describes the process as a kind of trickle-down effect: people invest in one another, those people grow, and eventually they begin opening doors for someone else. For founders, innovators, students, creatives, and ecosystem builders, the conversation is a reminder that innovation doesn’t happen through ideas alone. It happens when people have places to experiment, relationships that keep them moving, and people willing to notice potential before it is fully developed. As Rashad puts it, “we can’t do this alone.” What You’ll Learn • Why creating a strong innovation ecosystem starts with how people experience the room • How hospitality, comedy, and entrepreneurship can develop surprisingly transferable leadership skills • Why Rashad thinks the best opportunities often come from identifying people who need just one more connection or piece of support • How mentorship can compound as people who were once helped begin helping others • Why having a purpose outside your day job can strengthen confidence, identity, and resilience • What professionalism can add to a creative career beyond talent alone • How Venture Cafe creates opportunities for unexpected collaborations across industries and backgrounds • Rashad’s practical advice for getting the most out of your first Venture Cafe Phoenix experience About Rashad Armstrong Rashad Armstrong is a comedian, professional emcee, entrepreneur, and the MC of Venture Cafe Phoenix. Through his work onstage and inside the community, he helps create an environment where people feel welcomed, connected, and encouraged to pursue their ideas—and increasingly mentors others who are developing those same skills. About Venture Cafe Phoenix Venture Cafe Phoenix: An Extraordinary Podcast explores the people, stories, and relationships shaping Arizona’s innovation ecosystem. Hosted by Alex Koupal, the podcast features conversations with founders, innovators, investors, educators, executives, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders working to make Arizona a place where ideas grow, businesses thrive, and meaningful connections happen. Powered by CEI (Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation), Legacy Sponsor the City of Phoenix, and produced by Extraordinary.

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5
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About

Arizona is one of the fastest-growing hubs for entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic opportunity in the country. But ecosystems aren't built by companies alone. They are shaped by the founders launching new ventures, the investors fueling growth, the educators developing talent, the community leaders creating connections, and the organizations working behind the scenes to make innovation possible. Venture Cafe Phoenix: An Extraordinary Podcast explores the people, stories, and relationships shaping Arizona's innovation ecosystem. Hosted by Alex Koupal, each episode features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, executives, researchers, policymakers, ecosystem builders, and changemakers who are helping define what's next for Phoenix and Arizona. Whether you're building a company, growing your network, looking for opportunities, or simply curious about the future of innovation in Arizona, this podcast offers a front-row seat to the conversations driving the ecosystem forward. Powered by CEI (Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation), Legacy Sponsor the City of Phoenix and produced by Extraordinary. Join us every week as we explore the ideas, partnerships, and people making Arizona a place to build.

Information

  • Creator
    Venture Cafe Phoenix Powered by CEI
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Venture Cafe Phoenix Powered by CEI