PHX Startup Week Going with Tours at CEI and PADT StartUPLab

Phoenix Startup Week has started!  One of the key events on the first day centered on tours and talks at CEI, which kikced off with tours of PADT StartUpLabs, the advanced 3D Printing facility for startups located at CEI. This was followed with CEI tours and an afternoon of talks on Medical Device startups.  Then the tours repeated for those who could not make the early ones.

There is a great article in AZ Tech Beat today covering the event and what  we are doing at PADT StartupLabs:

Space travel to startups, 3D printing without limits – PHX Startup Week – AZ Tech Beat

Attendance was great, with a cross section of startups, established companies, the press, and people active in supporting the startup community.  The visits gave us a change to explain how PADT is working with CEI to provide 3D Printing and design expertise to new companies at a reduced price, focusing on getting them over the early stages of product development quickly and effectively. 

Right now PADT StartUpLabs is focused on working with other tenants at CEI.  Engineers from PADT hold regular office hours to answer questions about 3D Printing and product development.  Clients can also set up a consultation with anyone on our staff to talk about simulation, product design or test, quality systems, or manufacturing. The goal is to eventually expand these services to a broader audience. 

This week's events are being followed closely on the twittersphere: #PHXStartupWeek, #yesphx. Or if you are middle-aged like me and use Facebook, like Phoenix Startup Week.

Startup Week is still going and there are many more informative events. Check out the website to learn more and follow AZ Tech Beat's feed as they cover things to see what happened. 

We hope to run in to lots of you at upcoming events!

Not in Phoenix?

Many of you who read this blog are not from the Phoenix area. You may be wondering "What, a vibrant startup community? I thought Phoenix was old people and nutty gun-totting right-wing nut-jobs?"  Well, we certainly have a few of  those but since WWII when large aerospace and electronics companies moved to the valley, Phoenix has been a major high-technology hub.  It is an easy place to start a business and has all the resources and talent to be successful.  PADT has been helping startups in the area for over 20 years now, and we continue to see a steady increase in the number and diversity of new companies that we interact with.  So don't believe what you see on the news, this is a vibrant, high-tech place with great people and a business friendly outlook, affordable housing, and weather that doesn't force us to spend the morning shoveling out our driveways.