As a software entrepreneur in Arizona, I’ve been frustrated for some time with the perception both within Arizona and outside of Arizona about whether or not you can build an awesome software company in Arizona. Even more frustrating (and quite frankly, demeaning) is when I hear people say that the “talent doesn’t exist in Arizona.” What a bunch of bullshit!
I have traveled a lot in my life and I’ve lived and worked in San Jose California as well as Raleigh/Durham North Carolina (area known as Research Triangle Park) and I can tell you that I work with some of the most talented people I have met anywhere in the world. And I work with them right here in Scottsdale Arizona.
Moreover, there are some amazing software companies in Arizona. So many that it surprises even the Arizona residents when they see a slide like this:
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of introducing a panel of truly accomplished software entrepreneurs at a local meetup and I wanted to highlight the fact that Arizona is actually home to some real software companies, not just VC backed, forever bleeding startups that help you share your food pictures on 3,895 social networks at the same time, but rather sustainable, profitable and fast-growing software companies that have revenues from their first year and are truly making a difference in the world.
Here is the intro that I did for that panel: