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Member News: November 2020

Intel to acquire SigOpt to scale AI productivity and performance
Tech-giant Intel announced it will acquire SigOpt, a San Francisco-based provider of a leading platform for the optimization of artificial intelligence (AI) software models at scale. SigOpt’s AI software technologies deliver productivity and performance gains across hardware and software parameters, use cases and workloads in deep learning, machine learning and data analytics. Intel plans to use SigOpt’s software technologies across Intel’s AI hardware products to help accelerate, amplify and scale Intel’s AI software solution offerings to developers. Read more >>

 

The City of Tempe and Arizona State University to collaborate on climate action
A new project-based graduate course will help guide topics on the city of Tempe’s 2021 Climate Action Plan update. The course, Equity in Climate Action, will be taught via ASU Sync in the Spring 2021 semester by Lauren Keeler and Marta Berbés-Blázquez, assistant professors at the School of the Future of Innovation in Society. This new course means students again will have the chance to affect the ways in which the city of Tempe addresses climate problems. The ongoing partnership between ASU and the city of Tempe serves as a model for what to expect from other University and municipal collaborations. Read more >>

 

UArizona astrobiology researchers awarded $12 million grant by NASA
The NASA Astrobiology Program has selected eight new interdisciplinary research teams to inaugurate its Interdisciplinary Consortia for Astrobiology Research program, including two teams at the University of Arizona. Led by Betül Kaçar and Dániel Apai, the teams were selected from a pool of more than 40 proposals. The breadth and depth of the research of these teams spans the spectrum of astrobiology research, from cosmic origins to planetary system formation, origins and evolution of life, and the search for life beyond Earth. Read more >>

 

Expanded wind project to power Arizona with more clean energy
APS has entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Leeward to purchase wind energy output from Leeward’s two Aragonne Wind facilities. The PPA resulted from a September 2019 Wind Request for Proposal. This PPA enables Leeward to sell 200 megawatts of wind generation to APS over a term of 20 years through the repowering of Leeward’s existing 90-megawatt Aragonne Wind project and the construction of its 145-megawatt Aragonne Mesa Wind project. Both facilities are located within Guadalupe County, New Mexico. Read more >>

 

CellTrust leader recognized as a Top 25 FinTech CEO
Recently selected by Technology Innovators magazine as one of the Top 25 FinTech CEOs in 2020, CellTrust CEO Sean Moshir shares the CellTrust SL2 team success story along with his thoughts on the fintech/regtech industry and how the global pandemic is abruptly reshaping the way financial institutions work. aA leading provider of secure, compliant mobile communication for enterprises around the world, CellTrust’s award-winning security and mobile compliance products are radically transforming the way enterprises communicate and work. Read more >>

 

WebPT wins 2020 Arizona Corporate Excellence Community Impact Award
Although WebPT is a physical therapy-focused software organization for practitioners, its leadership wants its focus to be broader. And because of its fixation on giving back to Phoenix, it is this year’s winner of the Arizona Corporate Excellence Community Impact Award and No. 25 on the ACE list of the state’s largest private companies. Co-founder and Chief Clinical Officer Heidi Jannenga said one of her most important roles at WebPT is determining how to help more people help others, aligning with one of the company’s core values — serving surrounding communities. Read more >>

 

Perimeter83 expands offerings for University of Advancing Technology alum
Covid-19 has made it difficult for many this year, especially entrepreneurs, small businesses, and those just entering the workforce. To help, UAT is offering something very unique for its upcoming grads and recent alumni through its technology startup coworking space, Perimeter83. Called the Expansion Pack, Perimeter83 is bundling rent and utilities with a coworking membership with only a month-to-month commitment. According to UAT Provost Dr. David Bolman, “The students have paid their dues and earned their degrees; UAT is now supporting their next step. And with this package, you can afford to live here working only 20 hours per week at a minimum wage job while you look for a career or build your own tech business.” Read more >>

 

DMD Systems Recovery Inc. achieves B Corp Certification
DMD Systems Recovery Inc. (DMD) announces its official B Corp certification. B Labs certified DMD based upon the results from the rigorous impact assessment process. DMD joins companies like Unilever, Danone, Athleta and Patagonia for this noted designation. Certified B corps are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. DMD Systems Recovery Inc. was founded on the principle of reducing harm to our environment through responsible handling of IT assets for reuse or end of useful life. While minimizing environmental impact we have concurrently focused on providing an inclusive work environment and supporting our local community. Validating this emphasis on sustainability and social support through the formal B Corp process was a natural progression. Read more >>

 

Zovio announces approval by WSCUC for the U Arizona Global Campus to acquire Ashford University
Edtech company Zovio (Nasdaq: ZVO) announced that WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) approved Ashford University’s application for a change of control and legal status. Under the transformational educational agreement, the independent nonprofit Arizona corporation, The University of Arizona Global Campus will acquire the assets of Ashford University from Zovio. The acquisition will allow Global Campus to fulfill its vision to expand access for nontraditional and underrepresented students to flexible, affordable, high-quality higher education opportunities that will allow students to achieve their academic and career goals. Zovio will continue providing innovative and data-driven education technology services to the University of Arizona Global Campus under a long-term strategic services agreement. Read more >>

 

Botco.ai named Most Outstanding Startup by ACA Venture Ready Accelerator
Botco.ai was pleased to join the Alchemist Accelerator program in 2020, after receiving a nomination and recommendation from TiE Angels, one of the largest and most active angel groups in Silicon Valley, and Bite Size, an Alchemist Accelerator alumni participant. As a member, Botco.ai CEO and co-founder Rebecca Clyde took part in a six-month intensive program with 25 other hand-selected founders. Each week, the executives met for a diverse series of workshops and mentorships. They worked intensively to prepare for the Demo Day presentation, where each startup presents to several hundred investors, potential corporate companies, and venture arm investments. For Botco.ai, this program gave quick exposure of the product to the tech investor community and key decision-makers. But, Botco.ai didn’t walk away just with a successful presentation at Demo Day. Alchemist Accelerator provided the company with a lifelong collaborative network, free of the typical competitive angst. Botco.ai walked away from Demo Day as an accelerator themselves, this time for its customers. Read more >>

 

AdviNow Medical recognized as one of the most innovative healthcare solution providers
AdviNow Medical is honored to be recognized by InspireZones as one of the most innovative healthcare solution providers in 2020. From his background in self-driving vehicles, CEO James Bates is streamlining the healthcare experience with AI & AR technology. AdviNOW Medical is the first complete patient-provider encounter automation platform that enables medical visits anywhere. It leverages Artificial intelligence (AI) to completely automate around the provider and free them from the burdens of data collection and EHR documentation. The system includes a Digital Front Door, Payment, Provider Scribe, Coding Assist, and Follow-up. Consequently, the AI-enabled documentation resulted in automated care coordination, exact and personal consistency of care with gaps closure, increased patients throughout, and reduced patient wait times. Read more >>

 

M3 Commercial Moving & Logistics launches junk removal division
Muscular Moving Men & Storage and its commercial moving division, M3 Commercial Moving & Logistics, have launched a new junk removal subdivision to assist customers in getting rid of the items they don’t want to bring to their next home or office. The announcement comes after a record-breaking year for Muscular Moving Men & Storage and M3 Commercial Moving & Logistics, even during the pandemic. With out-of-towners moving into Arizona in record numbers, Muscular Moving Men & Storage has seen a 33% increase in business year over year in 2019. M3 Commercial Moving & Logistics has seen a remarkable 80% increase in business year over year in 2019. Read more >>

 

Avnet names new CEO
Tech giant Avnet, Arizona’s largest public company, has named Phil Gallagher as its CEO after he served in the interim role for nearly four months. The company’s board of directors named the 37-year Avnet veteran as its chief executive effectively immediately, the global technology components distributor announced Monday. Gallagher replaced CEO Bill Amelio who stepped down in August after holding the position since 2016. Prior to holding the interim CEO position, Gallagher was the global president of Avnet’s electronics components business. Gallagher started with Avnet in 1983 and has held executive leadership positions in sales, marketing, and operations during his tenure at the company. Read more >>

 


Visit www.aztechcouncil.org/tech-events to view all of the Council’s upcoming virtual networking opportunities, engaging virtual tech events and in-person tech events.


 

 

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