Op-Ed: AZTechBase offers new way to stay connected
AZTechBase serves as an easy-to-navigate resource allowing stakeholders to discover the companies and people across industry sectors, life cycles, geography and more.
No doubt this period in our lives likely has you and members of your circle feeling disconnected. I know you’re not alone. That’s true at least for members of the vast technology community spread throughout our state.
The Arizona Technology Council recently unveiled a new platform originally designed to provide information about who we are as an industry. As it turns out, the timing couldn’t be better for this tool to help bring together our burgeoning technology ecosystem.
In conjunction with the Arizona Commerce Authority and IT services firm AccountabilIT, we have launched AZTechBase, an online database of tech companies, people and investors with a presence here. AZTechBase illustrates the great progress that Arizona has made so far in becoming one of the nation’s top technology hubs.
The goal of AZTechBase is to further elevate Arizona’s technology ecosystem by providing accurate, current datasets and making the data easily accessible to the community. Currently, there are more than 2,700 Arizona-based companies on the platform, which represents about a third of the state’s existing tech firms.
More important, the platform helps support communication and interaction that has been limited by social distancing mandates in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. AZTechBase provides a virtual environment for technology leaders, businesses, investors, talent and economic development organizations to safely monitor the technology ecosystem, as well as collaborate and continue moving the industry forward.
One of the most significant challenges Arizona technology leaders have dealt with since our industry began to flourish has been quantifying the ecosystem and sharing its impact. AZTechBase provides a substantial benefit to our economic development organizations as they recruit companies from out of state, as well as to our companies in state searching for resources to start up or grow.
Easy to navigate
AZTechBase serves as an easy-to-navigate resource allowing stakeholders to discover the companies and people across industry sectors, life cycles, geography and more. It gathers and displays insights into the technology industry, tracking the progress of companies, attracting global capital and talent, and benchmarking against other leading companies and ecosystems.
Everyone has basic access to AZTechBase and can receive a premium membership through the Council — all at no charge for free. To take a test drive, go to www.aztechbase.com.
Premium membership provides users with additional accessibility, search functionality and customization options. This membership’s benefits include access to:
- A user-friendly dashboard to analyze high-level trends and gain insights by aggregating recent financing, acquisitions, average revenue and employee growth.
- Filters and a data export option to create customized reports by sector on revenue, size, years in business, growth and more.
- Advanced features to search the extensive list of companies and people to find exactly what and who you want to find.
- Discover, view and connect with emerging startups, established technology companies, people and investors.
The platform also plays a critical role in organizing data and industry insights gathered through the Council’s quarterly Arizona Technology Industry Impact Report to track the progress of companies, attract talent, and discover and connect with new companies and people. This quarterly report provides a update on several vital datasets, including technology career wages, number of technology jobs, venture capital, new technology companies/startups and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards.
To add your company and become a premium member at no charge, contact [email protected]. Individuals, companies and organizations on the site that want to update their profile can also contact [email protected].
By providing critical data on the state’s technology ecosystem, AZTechBase will help users gain valuable insights as they discover and connect with others. If we’ve ever need to stay connected, it’s now.
Visit www.aztechbase.com to learn more.
Steve Zylstra is president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council.