Venture Madness 2025 Finalists

Arizona’s longest running capital conference and early-stage pitch event has announced their finalists! Valence Intelligence Systems, Metfora Diagnostics and Precision Epigenomics are three of the 16 finalists chosen from over 125 applications and this April they will compete in a live pitch event in Tempe, AZ, and showcase their innovative and ground-breaking work to accredited investors and entrepreneurs. Since 2013, Venture Madness has helped grow the investor and entrepreneurial ecosystem with 300+ attendees each year. Valence and Metfora are current University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) startup clients while Precision Epigenomics is an alumnus from our program. Metfora and Precision Epigenomics are based on University of Arizona research and licensed through Tech Launch Arizona.

• Valence Intelligence Systems leverages AI-powered satellites to detect and analyze electronic signals from space. 
• Metfora Diagnostics is developing a blood test that can drastically shorten the time to diagnosis for a range of chronic diseases. 
• Precision Epigenomics is researching methods to identify oropharyngeal cancers within the human genome. 

Record Number of Applicants in 27 Years

Startup businesses showed up in record numbers for the submission call for IdeaFunding 2025, with 130 applicants eager to take part! UACI is thrilled to be partnering with Startup Tucson for the largest pitch competition in Southern Arizona and the opportunity to bring together entrepreneurs and innovators. As the competition commences, UACI is providing expert mentorship and resources with robust training and feedback to help participants refine their pitches and prepare for the main stage event on March 27, at the Rialto Theater during TENWEST. 

Arizona Photonics Days Mixer Recap

We were honored to host the Arizona Tech Council Mixer & Reception during Arizona Photonics Days 2025 at UACI. Throughout the evening attendees networked and connected with optics/photonics industry leaders, as well as key personnel from the City of Tucson and the Pima County Economic Development office. Three UACI startup clients, Valence Intelligence Systems, Paramium, and Airth.io, also showcased their companies and the innovative work they do.

New Funding Opportunity

The University of Arizona Office of Research, Innovation & Impact launched a new initiative to address pressing global challenges through groundbreaking, transdisciplinary research. It is open to teams that include U of A faculty, students, postdoctoral researchers, and research staff. The focus areas for the Big Idea Challenge include Energy and Environmental Sustainability, The Future of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Space Sciences, Data, Information Systems and Artificial Intelligence. Selected teams will receive seed funding of up to $125,000 annually over two years to catalyze their big idea. This is your opportunity to take part in game-changing research and innovation that tackles regional, national, and global challenges.

Startup Spotlight – Reglagene  

This team is making strides in oncology therapeutics with an innovative approach to treating brain diseases. Reglagene is based on University of Arizona research and licensed through Tech Launch Arizona. Their latest achievements include FDA approval for their groundbreaking therapies, Richard Austin, CEO of Reglagene, presented at AZBio’s White Hat Conference and they were accepted into the prestigious 9-month Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics at Texas Medical Center Innovation (TMC) Innovation. We’re proud of what they have accomplished and are excited to see how they are paving the way for new possibilities in the field.

ignite520

Join Tucson Young Professionals (TYP) for their 10th annual ignite520! This is Tucson’s premier young professional leadership experience, designed to catalyze personal and professional development, expand networks and celebrate the Tucson community. Participants will spend the day on the University of Arizona campus at the Eller College of Management with keynote speakers, hands-on workshops, training seminars, a speed mentoring session, and more. 

2025 Flinn Foundation Bio Capital Conference 

Register today for the upcoming conference on “Managing Growth and VC Capital As You Scale” hosted by the Flinn Foundation, in collaboration with the Risk Capital Project Team of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee. The event brings together investors and the startup community to focus on biosciences and tech health with an all-day conference from 7:45am to 4:30pm at Creighton University Health Sciences Campus in Phoenix, Arizona. 

TechFusion: AI, IT, + Computer Science Conference

Mark your calendars for Arizona Technology Council’s inaugural TechFusion Conference at Grand Canyon University. Attendees will spend the afternoon networking and connecting with industry leaders in artificial intelligence, computer science and information technology. This event is designed for professionals such as software developers, data scientists, and IT managers eager to apply cutting-edge technologies. 

TENWEST Impact Festival 

Join southern Arizona’s largest professional development experience with a six-day festival and three-day conference. Founded in 2015, TENWEST Impact Festival is celebrating their 10th anniversary in Tucson. The festival showcases the connectivity between technology, entrepreneurship, creativity, and impact, uniting attendees to gain the knowledge and inspiration needed to innovate their careers and communities.

Each day will showcase something new with expert speakers, hands-on workshops, and exciting performances. Startup Tucson hosts the 2025 TENWEST Impact Festival and co-leads IdeaFunding in partnership with UACI, where founders of Arizona startups will pitch their companies’ stories competing for over $50,000 in prizes. 

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The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) is a key component of Tech Parks Arizona which brings together university, industry and community to advance technology innovation. UACI is the University of Arizona's startup incubator network with outposts across the Southern Arizona region with a mission to grow scalable startup ventures that fuel the Arizona ecosystem.